Thanks For Visiting

TJ Tijani immigrated from Nigeria, landed in Houston, and his story is a whirlwind of hustle and entrepreneurship. He grew up with a single mom who was raising 5 kids, and watching her tenacity and grit inspired TJ to be the first in my extended family to graduate college and get a job as an engineer. But he hated the 9-5 grind, and took matters into his own hands, walking away from his job and ju...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Courtney asks: We recently had a situation with Airbnb in which a guest had not signed a rental agreement within 48 hours of booking, which is specified in our listing’s rules. Airbnb refused to uphold our rule, and stated that the guests had un...

Safety is one of the first things to think about in short term rentals, and our favorite safety expert, Justin Ford, is back on the show to help make sure our guests go home only with great memories. Justin recently attended the National Fire Protection conference in Boston , and as no surprise, he’s brought back with him a slew of new products and recommendations for fire safety. Resources: Justi...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Michelle (from @BirdHausFarms ) asks: We have a large swimming hole on our vacation rental’s property, and are considering renting this out to the public (non-guests) to earn extra revenue. What’s the best way to do this to not interfere with th...

David Krauss fell in love with short-term rental hosting in 2013. As a strong believer in the people of the short-term rental community, David cofounded Rent Responsibly in 2019 to help harness the innovation and solution-oriented energy of hosts. Rent Responsibly is a community building and education platform for local short-term rental alliances. Resources: RentResponsibly.org David on LinkedIn...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Calvin asks: You’ve talked about finding a caretaker for your property (or properties), who is more involved and invested in your rentals than just a turnover team or pool cleaner. Do you have any advice on finding a caretaker (also called a pro...

Kyle Stanley is an AirBnB operator out of Fresno, CA. Although he has been doing AirBnB since 2015, he didn't truly turn it into a business until May of 2019. When Kyle learned he could operate AirBnB's in homes that he didn't even own, he realized that he could scale the business quickly. In under 18 months, Kyle went from 1 listing to 25 listings, netting over $20K per month. Now 3 years into th...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Andy asks: Regarding insurance, how do we as hosts assess if the 3% fee we save with direct booking is worth the cost of purchasing our own insurance for our STR? Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and sen...

Danielle is a second generation real estate agent with a passion for helping others, investing and all things real estate. To say that she has been doing this career since she was in diapers is no metaphor. Danielle was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio where her family enjoyed taking advantage of the great lakes, the changing seasons and the opportunities in the glass city. Danielle received her MB...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Leslie ( @FoxandHenDen ) asks: Can you advise on the refinancing options when using the BRRRR method (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat)? Keegan asks: Where is the best place to start researching the rules and regulations for short term rental...

Jameelah Jordan is a biochemist turned real estate investor, broker, and digital nomad. For over 6 years, Jameelah has been honing her real estate skills, growing her portfolio which has enabled her to pursue her dream of helping others build generational wealth through real estate. Jameelah teaches property owners how to be hosts – not just someone with a door – and believes in diversifying your...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Brandy asks a few questions: Do you have a favorite outdoor lock that operates on WiFi, Bluetooth, or Z-Wave? What lock do you recommend for indoors, if you wanted to section off part of the home? Is there any reason why you wouldn’t use the sam...

Scott Graden is a passionate Real Estate and Hospitality expert with over 25 years of experience in Development and Sales and Marketing of for sale and for rent real estate. His visionary company, GoodNight Stay, has been setting the standard for the new breed of build to rent short term rentals that are seen in today's market. - Over $3B in real estate sales - Over $1B in assets managed  - O...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Susi from @WellDressedHome asks: I missed you at RESA con and came looking to see where I could purchase the course that you do (referring to the Stage To Rent Academy, vs. Hosting Business Mastery) Jessica asks: My husband and I recently bought...

Deborah Labi is a retired property manager with her fingers in many pies, sharing her experience via her consultancy, a podcast, a soon-to-launch second podcast, and co-director of The Book Direct Show. She likes to keep as busy as her brain; an OCC – or obsessive compulsive creative – she’s an ideas fountain.  Through The Guest Inn-Spector, Deborah has keyed in on the small details that have...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Jennifer from @PepinForestRetreat asks: Building unique properties that aren't typically “houses” is my passion, but we've found that funding and building codes and other restrictions can be really difficult to get for something that isn't a tra...

D. Brooke Pfautz (Fouts) is one of the industry's foremost experts in growing vacation rental inventory. He literally wrote the book on inventory growth – and it’s already a three-category Amazon bestseller. Brooke got his start in the industry in 2007 when he co-founded Vantage Resort Realty in Ocean City, MD and took an idea on a napkin to more than 500 properties in just five years. After a suc...

Welcome to our very first Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between. Paige asks: With a pending recession, does it still make sense to invest in short term rentals, if I'm financially able to. Troy asks: What data do you recommend using or filtering through when looking at short term rental data (for examp...

Avery Carl is the author of ShortTerm Rental, Long Term Wealth: Your Guide To Analyzing, Buying, and Managing Vacation Properties, and the host of "The Short Term Show" podcast. Avery went from a 37k salary to a real estate investment portfolio of 100 doors in 5 years through strategically investing in short-term and vacation rentals. This strategy allowed her to grow her portfolio much more quick...

Meredith Cowley is a passionate Social Worker turned Short Term Rental Entrepreneur. Following the birth of her son, then a diagnosis of breast cancer, Meredith re-evaluated her priorities and found a business that aligned with these. Meredith strives to keep a healthy balance between family life and a flourishing hospitality and real estate gig. Sometimes she gets it right, but it's always a work...

With more than 35 years of combined experience in vacation rentals, Alex Husner and Annie Holcombe have teamed up to connect the dots between inspiration and opportunity, seeking to find the one story, idea, strategy or decision that led to their guests' big A-HA moment.  As legacy operators of vacation rentals, Alex and Annie believe in direct bookings, and rental owners who are currently on...

Rose and her husband Brian own Your Family's Place. Their properties specialize in hosting multigenerational families and groups traveling together. Featuring large sized properties on expansive private acreage, guests experience vacations that are "open and go" with onsite amenities designed with children and family in mind. She’s a true owner-operator for her rentals, handling turnovers herself...

Good design is an example of “ONE thing” that will help your listing stand out. Implementing professional staging and unique decor in your short-term rental can lead directly to more bookings and higher revenue. Gone are the days of just throwing a rental together and hoping for listings. The industry is getting more competitive as boutique hotels and experience stays are gaining popularity. Focus...

We recorded this episode right after getting off the plane from Nashville, where we attended STR Wealth Conference . It was so amazing seeing our friends, colleagues, and listeners face to face. On this episode we’re sharing some of our big insights from the conference, and some key takeaways that our members also shared from their conference experience. Setting your listing apart from the competi...

This episode may be a bit controversial, but we’re here for it. There is extra work and extra costs associated with any short-term rental, and we believe this is work you should be charging for. After all, you’re not a hotel; if you’re running an STR, you don’t have the same flexibility as hotels do, and when extra requests lead to more work or put a strain on your team (or yourself), you should i...