OT...Vrbo/Airbnb
- Thread starter cavalot
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I had one and it was profitable, but it's not passive income. The unexpected part was that you have to watch your management company closely. Their maintenance crew is a profit center. Unless I am renting to help pay for a vacation home for my personal use, I don't think I'd do it again.
As a renter, I will only use VRBO. I would never consider AirBnB.
The two people I know who rent their property both say AirBnB is way better. Of course they do.
The two people I know who rent their property both say AirBnB is way better. Of course they do.
Did you use a larger company for management like Evolve or something more localized?
I own a chalet in Chamonix and a yacht slip in Monaco. What do you want to know? Although I don't use VRBO or AirBnB to list.
Yacht slips in Monaco are not for sale because they are owned by the state.
Ahhhh you trickster!
Id love to have something in Colorado or Utah. But they are uber expensive. Could go south and probably get a better return for starters.
Agreed. We had one for awhile and dumped it. Not worth the hassle and we also didn't get to use it as much as anticipated due to kid activities.
Look at Northern Michigan (not the UP unless you want to be remote). Lots of water and trees, without the CO price tag.
On two different properties, I went through three different companies. Two were small, local companies, run by morons. The third was a small, local company run by morons, then bought by a large company. After they were acquired, things remained the same. PM me and I can bore you to death with the details.
I've been thinking about something on a lake in Minnesota that we could rent. I'm becoming aware that the STR is kind of a hot button with local government. Apparently neighbors hate short term rentals? We had to find a new cabin last summer because the one we liked could only have 4 people and there was no wiggle room for our 5th person.
Good luck in FL. We will tax and crush you on insurance . We don’t want you losers in our state turning neighborhoods into a place for the poor that can’t afford a hotel.
I keep getting calls from various companies asking about my time share properties, and if I'm ready to sell.
Looking for a clever response to these losers.
Looking for a clever response to these losers.
And you post on the free board too. You are a man of the people. Winking
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In CO, short-term rentals are definitely under scrutiny at town govt levels in resort markets where attracting the service labor necessary to drive the tourist machine is growing harder and harder given the cost of housing. No one wants to rent long-term to worker-bees when they can rent short-term to tourists, so the towns are increasingly regulating short-term rentals.
My one and only experience with AirBnB, in Kansas City and pre-COVID, was outstanding. Terrific host and excellent value. Looked like a service I would definitely be inclined to use again.
Then COVID came along and it seemed everyone wanted to jump into the short-term rental game. The listings became way overpriced and littered with extra fees, and I’ve totally lost interest in wading through them. Haven’t tried VRBO but I definitely see the appeal.
I have a property in Seminole, Florida. You have to have a good property, but it's all about the management. The first manager we had wasn't good. Not crooked, but didn't really know what he was doing. We switched mid-year 2024 and bookings have been way better, but hurricane season was bad.
At the beginning pretty much everything that could go bad did. Lots of major expenses. I hope those are all taken care of and we can cash flow or close. We aren't looking at it for income right now. Just want to cash flow, use as a write off, and then eventually sell it down the road and use the profit for retirement.
At the beginning pretty much everything that could go bad did. Lots of major expenses. I hope those are all taken care of and we can cash flow or close. We aren't looking at it for income right now. Just want to cash flow, use as a write off, and then eventually sell it down the road and use the profit for retirement.
Plan is to snowbird in SW Florida when we retire. Thought at one time I would buy a house and STR in the months we didn't use it. As time goes by I think it's more likely we would rent for 2 or 3 months and pay rent for the reduced risk. Should be clarity in the next dozen years for what I want to do.
If you don’t care where your properties are located, get on AirDNA.com to find the least saturated/best ROI markets down to the zip code. There is a fee for a robust search but if you’re serious about it then it’s worth it.
I manage my own properties with my own staff locally but I’ve heard Evolve is good
I manage my own properties with my own staff locally but I’ve heard Evolve is good
If you think people are staying at an AirBnB or VRBO because they can't afford a hotel..... u are not smart at all, actually probably retarded.
I'm kinda laughing because we've got a possibly crappy VRBO booked for March in Vero Beach. Pretty sure the neighborhood is already a place for the poor.
Some are. And if you don't know that...you're not very smart at all, actually probably retarded.
If you're going to use Airbnb, I would only book from Superhosts.. most everyone else who is not one, has no idea on how to setup and run a STR.
I ran a STR in Puerto Rico for a year back in 2018, and it was not profitable (even as a Superhost), but it was a great learning experience and I got 85% of the investment back.
Now I'm looking at doing a LTR in Florida, but the insane insurance costs really make it difficult for the numbers to work out.
I ran a STR in Puerto Rico for a year back in 2018, and it was not profitable (even as a Superhost), but it was a great learning experience and I got 85% of the investment back.
Now I'm looking at doing a LTR in Florida, but the insane insurance costs really make it difficult for the numbers to work out.
I keep seeing high insurance rates in FL mentioned. Is that just for STRs or is that FL in general? Been kicking around getting a place there and expect them to be higher due to hurricanes. But, are we talking break the bank higher or just slightly more than normal places? No state income tax, so I'd have thought that would more than offset it.
I've only done cursory research and talked to relatives that live there, but from what I can tell, break the bank. The highest occupancy rates for rentals are the highest insurance areas. Some of these people in SW Florida aren't carrying insurance or know they aren't 100% insured.
Then, when your rental gets hit, do you have the resources to get it back and running without having everyone down the line bending you over. For me, it would be hard to pencil out without the savings of using it personally for 2 or 3 months. It's also a saturated market.
Cheap insurance will run you $500 a month for owner occupied. Once the insurance company finds out you can’t actually afford the place and need to rent it the unwashed masses then expect it to increase to $750+
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Anyone in the know on airbnb or vrbo re; their stance on weapons? We stay at one twice a year, i always bring my .38 ...always wondered if i'm violating a policy...don't care, going to keep doing it, just wondered if there's anything official about it.
Probably up to the individual owner. I've never seen anything on it but I also never specifically looked.