He is an engineer and a seasoned landlord with 100+ units, but he said it was the most stressful time of his life.

Based on our research, properties rent faster with this color of light.CountertopsWe primarily use engineered quartz countertops.

Some folks also use SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest for keyword research and optimization.If direct bookings are the goal, integrating a channel manager/booking engine like Hospitable, OwnerRez, Lodgify, or Guesty also helps with both SEO and conversion.Hope that helps — happy to connect and learn from others in the vlog too!

They have no idea what the condition of the property is, if it's completely updated or a hoarder situation, if it smells like cats, if it needs $20k or $300k in upgrading to match the comps that the algorithm found, or how the micro-location within the neighborhood affects the value and desirability (which can be a big difference block by block and house by house), if it has foundation damage, etc. 

Austin came in behind the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, New York City, Washington D.C. and Toronto and ahead of Boston.Austin's ranking was unchanged from 2022.Among the highlights of the new report:- Austin ranks No. 3 for the highest concentration of software engineers, trailing only the Bay Area and Seattle.- Austin also ranks No. 3 for the highest concentration of tech talent within the core tech industry, topped only by the Bay Area and Seattle.- Local tech workers earn an average salary of $104,000, up 18% from five years ago.

Patterns show up faster than emotions do.Rising repair costs haven’t hurt us as much because we engineered the operations to reduce the number of unknowns.

The opportunity: Tighten operations around three levers—Cost, Time, and Revenue—while de-risking each flip with disciplined underwriting and execution.1) Cost: Tame Labor & Materials Without Gutting QualityValue-engineer the scopePrioritize visible ROI items: paint, flooring, lighting, curb appeal, kitchens/baths (surface updates > layout changes).Replace, don’t relocate: keep plumbing and electrical in place when possible.Use finish tiers (Economy / Mid / Premium) per neighborhood comp set; avoid over-improvement.Lock pricing earlyGet three-bid packages per trade with identical scopes, photos, and SKUs.Negotiate 30–60 day price locks on materials; ask for bulk-buy or “contractor pack” discounts.Use allowances (e.g., $2.50/sf flooring) with pre-approved SKU lists to control change orders.Build a dependable labor benchMaintain a preferred-vendor roster (primary + backup) for each trade.Offer fast pay terms (e.g., net-7 on verified milestones) in exchange for pricing and priority.Test small jobs first; promote trades to your A-list only after on-time, on-budget performance twice.Standardize to reduce wasteCreate repeatable finish schedules (same trim profile, faucet line, paint palette) so crews work faster and leftovers are reusable.Pre-kit jobs: one delivery per room (box includes all hardware, fixtures, and consumables).Contracting disciplineUse fixed-scope, milestone-based contracts with:Progress draws tied to inspections/photosNo deposit or minimal mobilizationLien waivers at each drawDaily liquidated damages for missed deadlines (after grace period)Written change order policy with price + time impact before work proceeds2) Time: Move Faster to Reduce Carry and RiskFront-load planningWalk the property with all key trades before closing; finalize scope, bids, and schedule ahead of day 1.Pull permits early; choose scopes that avoid structural or major MEP reroutes when timelines matter.Sequencing & overlapSchedule parallel workstreams (e.g., exterior/landscaping while interior demo proceeds).Use a Gantt chart (even a simple spreadsheet) to track trade start/finish, dependencies, and buffers.Daily control15-minute stand-up with GC or project lead each morning (photos + punch list).Two inspections/week: one quality, one progress vs. schedule.Keep critical spares on hand (breakers, valves, GFCIs, common trim, extra boxes of flooring).Tech + templatesSimple tools (Google Drive + shared photo folders, or apps like Buildertrend/Jobber) for scope sheets, punch lists, and photo proof.Use QR codes in rooms linking to the finish schedule for fewer “what goes here?”

I'm a Data Engineer (25+ years), and I'm just a couple of months away from building a full-stack multi-tenant SaaS solution for PMs.

The firm I work for does this to an extent for our engineering projects, but we also regularly work with other consultants that only do this when the client brings them on board.

Just make sure the STR meets material participation rules and get a proper engineering-based cost segregation study to confirm the exact numbers.