The comfort of your guests during their stay inside your vacation rental is paramount for the success of your business. Whether your property is in the US, the EU, or Canada, your AC or HVAC unit(s) needs to be working optimally to make it comfortable and convenient for your guests. This way you can not only keep guests happy but also keep a tab on your monthly energy bills.

Monthly Cleaning of Filters

Filters in air conditioners catch a lot of dust all the time form the environment. It is imperative to clean the filters of your air conditioners once a month to make sure that your air conditioning is working at an optimal level.  Because you may or may not be in your unit all the time, you need to come up with a way to remind yourself and your maintenance staff to change these filters every single month like clockwork.  If your STR is in your home, you can install thermostats with lights reminding you to change the filters.  This is especially necessary...

SHOW NOTES & LESSONS

OVER 5 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE LEFT CALIFORNIA NOW DUBBED "THE CALIFORNIA EXODUS"

Although people are moving into the state while others are moving out, Cali has still lost more than 1 million people and the population continues to shrink.

Who's moving in?

Those making $200,000 plus per year with higher education from tax-burdened states like New Jersey, New York, and Illinois (also seeing massive Exoduses).

Who's moving out?

Those making $55,000 and below with no college education.

Where are they moving to?

States with much more affordable housing like Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.

CALIFORNIA HAS 5 OF THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE RENTAL MARKETS

What a One Bedroom Rents for in:

Los Angeles $2249 month

San Francisco $3400 month

Las Vegas $925 month

Phoenix $945 month

What a Two Bedroom Rents for in:

Los Angeles $3200 month

San Francisco $4500 month

Las Vegas $1122 month

Phoenix $1137 month

...

SHOW NOTES & LESSONS

COMPARE INCOMES FROM A SHORT TERM RENTAL TO A LONG TERM RENTAL

2 Bed/1 Bath

Long Term Rental

1 Year Lease

$1200 month

2 Bed/1 Bath

Short Term Rental

Daily Rate

$87 per night

82% occupancy

$2140.20 month

2 Bed/1 Bath

Short Term Rental

Airbnb's Weekly

10% Discount

$609 for 7 days

-$60.90 discount

$548.10 per week

rent out 3 times

$1644.30 per month

A Loss of $495.90 mo

or $5950.80 per year

2 Bed/1 Bath

Short Term Rental

Airbnb's Monthly 

28% Discount

$2610 for 30 days

-$730.80 discount

$1879.20 per mo

 100% occupancy for

$1879.20 per month

A Loss of $261.00 mo

or $3132 per year

Use Vacancy Instead

Short Term Rental

Our Monthly 

18% Discount

$2610 for 30 days

-$469.80 discount

$2140.20 per mo

Same as your original Single Day!

WHERE DO I FIND MY PER DAY RATE AND OCCUPANCY RATE?

If you've been a host more than a year, use last year's numbers.

If you haven't been a host for a year yet, then use...

SHOW NOTES & LESSONS

Forums are a Great Place to _____________.

A. Learn from other Hosts.

B. Bitch to and with other Hosts.

C. Learn from Guests' Experiences.

D. All the Above (Hint: This one!)

Nest is a great way to control your units when there's no one in them.

An AC unit works best when it's set no lower than 68 degrees.  Under that and you're asking for trouble because that's when units will start to freeze up, which could potentially harm your unit.

What is the definition of Host?

What is the definition of Guest?

Be a gracious host and allow your Guests to be comfortable.

A locked thermostat screams, "I don't care if you are comfortable!"

Stop the Madness!!

• No more War and Peace sized Rules
• No chore lists for Guests (they're not your kids!)
• No "fixing" the washers and toilets so they use less water (unless they are BUILT that way, ie. Energy Efficient)

You only need a few rules.  Here are mine:

01)  No Smoking

02)  No Pets

03) ...

Running a vacation rental business seems attractive and easy but it is not a cakewalk for most owners. You must be prepared to face stiff competition from not just hotels and hostels in your area but other vacation rental owners in attracting guests to your property. You must spruce up your property and provide amenities that appear attractive to potential guests.  

Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when launching your vacation rental business.

Use More Than One Platform

I use two platforms for my properties.  One is great in the west and the other is better in the southeast.  The success of your vacation rental business depends upon whether you can reach your target group of guests or not. By using different platforms, one at a time or more, you can make sure that your property becomes visible to all tourists coming to your area whenever they conduct a search online. In addition to listing your property on Airbnb and other short-term...

SHOW NOTES & LESSONS

Sole Proprietor vs LLC Liability

Issues for the Sole Proprietor or Single-Member LLC

Insurance to Cover Liabilities

Protecting Real Estate through Multiple LLCs 

How many rentals in each LLC?

Looking at the Big Picture

Estate Planning Issues

Protecting your Assets through a Trust

Every State Law is Different

Every Foreign Country Law is Different

Every State Taxing Authority has Different Rules and Regulations

Every Foreign Country has Different Tax Laws

Can a Trust own the LLC (or Corporation or Partnership)?

Understanding State and Foreign Country Probate Laws

Avoiding Probate with Trusts

USA Reporting Requirements for your Ownership of Foreign Real Estate

Get This Episode's Show Notes in a pdf form...

Go To Our Download Page 

Show Transcript

[00:01] Over the last two centuries, nearly 90 percent of the world's millionaires have created their wealth through real estate. Here to tell you how you can ride this wave...

SHOW NOTES & LESSONS

Advantages of the LLC

Especially in Real Estate Investments and International Real Estate Investing, there are countless advantages of investing through legal entities.

Other types of Legal Entities that Protect Assets

Multi-series LLCs Corporations

For-Profit Partnerships

General and Limited Non-Profit Corporations and Charitable Organizations

Trusts 

Living Trusts

Asset Protection Trusts

International Trusts

Get This Episode's Show Notes in a pdf form...

Go To Our Download Page 

Show Transcript

[00:01] Over the last two centuries, nearly 90 percent of the world's millionaires have created their wealth through real estate. Here to tell you how you can ride this wave with less risk and less capital while creating greater income, is your host, best selling author and Speaker, Michelle Russell.

[00:21] Hi, this is Michelle, the Master of Money Mindset, and you are listening to the Short Term Rental Revenue Podcast...

...

SHOW NOTES & LESSONS

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

What is a Limited Liability Company?

How is it formed?

How is it taxed?

Who can be a member of the LLC What is a disregarded entity?

Single member LLC vs two or more members

Why do you need an Operating Agreement for your LLC?

Liability in the LLC Funding the LLC

How much funding

Capital contributions

Loans

IRAs

How to open a bank account for the LLC

Get This Episode's Show Notes in a pdf form...

Go To Our Download Page 

Show Transcript

[00:01] Over the last two centuries, nearly 90 percent of the world's millionaires have created their wealth through real estate. Here to tell you how you can ride this wave with less risk and less capital while creating greater income, is your host, best selling author and Speaker, Michelle Russell.

[00:21] Hi, this is Michelle, the Master of Money Mindset, and you are listening to the Short Term Rental Revenue Podcast...

Speaker 1: (00:27)
and in today's podcast...

SHOW NOTES & LESSONS

For Safety and Security:

01) Emergency Contact Card (Contact Information Sent by Email, Text, and Posted Clearly)

02) Fire Extinguisher (Right by the Stove)

03) First Aid Kit

04) Smoke Detector

05) Carbon Monoxide Detector

For Guest Comfort and Overall Happiness:

06) Super-Fast Wifi (Password Sent by Email, Text, and Posted Clearly)

07) Comfortable Mattress (Consumer Reports #2 Rated is only about $500-$700)

08) Smart Television (Plus Cable, if High End)

09) Bluetooth Speakers

10) Charging Stations

11) Smart Locks for Easy Entry (For You as much as Guests)

12) Climate Control Directions (Keep Your Guests Comfy)

13) Coffee, Coffee Maker, Filters, and Cream/Sugar

14) Hair Dryer

15) Iron and Ironing Board

16) Washer and Dryer (a MUST for Long Stays or Active Locations)

17) House Rules, Contact Information, Check-in, and Check-out Times Clearly Posted

18) High-Quality WHITE Sheets and Towels

19) Spare Sets of Sheets and Towels

20) A...

Get our free Excel Spreadsheet here that has the complete descriptions and costs of every item used to furnish and stock a 1 bedroom/1 bath STR from this week's episode.

[00:01] Over the last two centuries, nearly 90 percent of the world's millionaires have created their wealth through real estate. Here to tell you how you can ride this wave with less risk and less capital while creating greater income is your host, best selling author and Speaker, Michelle Russell.

[00:22] Hi, this is Michelle, the Master of Money Mindset, and I'm here with episode number five of the short term rental revenue podcast. And in this episode we are fulfilling a request by one of our listeners who asked for a line by line description and price itemization of all the furniture and items that we put it inside one of our short term rentals. And so luckily we have a short term rental that we have been doing a type of experiment on down in Tucson that we literally had that for. And you can get...