All Forum Posts by: William Leahy

10% second home loan. Read @Avery Carl book. Good luck

 I have a wifi camera on the entry/driveway of each home (used to be ARLO, now WYZE) A wifi connected front door lock, Honeywell wifi thermostats, PHYN plus smart water device and leak sensors near the boiler. WYZE also has a number of other quality reasonably priced sensors for doors and windows. I am going to add window sensors in one home where we sometimes have an issue of freezing the AC compressor because they run the AC while the windows are open upstairs. I highly recommend the PHYN device. It will automatically shut off the water if you have a potentially catastrophic leak. It detects if your pipes are on the verge of freezing and I have had it detect leaking toilets. Most insurance companies will provide a monthy premium discount for the device

Load the home with smart home tech. Hire a rockstar housekeeper and a handyman. Manage the rental operation on your cell phone. 

Search listings in the area on airbnb. Set superhost filter. Look for listings with at least 40 reviews, look at the host profiles and find someone with multiple listings. Those folks are most likely your pros, see if any of them will talk to you. I will assume Ludlow has similar seasonal activity as Stowe, if so , the summers are busier than conventional wisdom would say. Good luck

I was invited to join the program when they rolled it out. I accepted on 2 of my properties. At that time they did not require exclusively listing with airbnb ( that would've been a deal breaker) With launch, it was like rocket fuel and we killed it. There were 20 or so "PLUS" properties on the Cape and we had 2 of them. I am assuming our listing received  the benefit of company wide advertising as page views , thus inquiry activity went bananas. That being said, it is my understanding that they shelved the program or at least de emphasized it. It is difficult to tell whether or not it still is providing any advantage. 

It seems Airdna just capped rentalizer free searches.

Airdna is a valuable tool to supplement your own due diligence . Google Scott Shatford (airdna Founder) He's all over the podcast world detailing his product.Give a listen. They are continually improving their algorithms and I have definitely noticed it an improvement in the accuracy of their data.

I keep a well stocked kitchen because that's what my family always liked on a beach vacation. I highlight it in my listing and seems to speak to people who like to cook at home. Comfortable outdoor furniture and grill (I want to encourage as much time spent outside as possible 😉) I don't do welcome gifts except for special occasions or returning guests. I always keep wine handy as a gift whenever there is any unforseen inconvenience for a guest (power outage, broken amenity etc etc) 

My standard line is , I always strive to check in guests early where possible. But I can make no guarantees in back to back busy season. I call the guest when housekeeping is finished. It's a premium that I can provide that doesn't cost me anything, fosters communication and buys Goodwill come review and check out time. I find in general the rules of reciprocity apply.

I keep three on hand for each grill. I usually keep spares locked up or I end up with three half empties.( People  always seem to think half full tanks are empty for some reason) Take them to get filled, exchange stiffs you by 25%