Vacation Rental Blueprint: A Business Guide to Success in Short-Term Rentals

TC and I are back again to answer the questions you guys have been sending us. Keep 'em coming! 0:00 - Intro5:02 - How do I know what property to pick?12:21 - How can I lower my insurance premium?16:51 - How much should I pay for cleaning?25:05 - OTAs or direct website?28:12 - How do I find a good CPA or bookkeeper?32:42 - What's the problem with bunk beds? And what's the solution for bed bugs?39:37 - RecapConnect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/Check out our How-to Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@strconsultantsCleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

Today TC and I are talking to Thomas Castelli, a real estate tax advisor. In this partner profile, Thomas lays out how the IRS thinks about self-managed short term rentals and what steps you need to be taking TODAY so come tax time you'll sleep like a baby.   0:00 - Intro6:15 - Tax benefits you don't want to miss12:58 - Tracking and recording your material participation34:48 - How to calculate your expenses43:43 - RecapConnect with Thomashttps://thomascastelli.com/https://www.therealestatecpa.com/Connect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/Check out our How-to Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@strconsultantsCleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

You guys have been sending us tons of questions lately and we're loving it. But we noticed a couple questions kept coming up again and again. TC and I decided that instead of answering them privately, we're going to share these questions and our takes with everyone. 0:00 - Intro2:57 - What's the hardest part of owning an STR?8:57 - How do you handle negative guest reviews?16:50 - How do you de-risk occupancy and seasonality fluctuations?23:28 - Which amenities are must-haves?31:22 - How do you manage guest communication?43:42 - What technology tools should I be using?53:33 - RecapConnect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/Check out our How-to Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@strconsultantsCleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

Today TC and I are recording on location from one of our properties in South Florida. Why? Because we have a punchlist of odd jobs that is part of the natural wear and tear of vacation rentals. But instead of just contracting the work out, we're getting our hands dirty and bringing you along with us. 0:00 - Intro3:21 - How to stay ahead of maintenance problems5:46 - DIY Safety: Mounting extinguishers, pool safety equipment installation, and outlet covers12:16 - Be your own plumber and save $$$17:23 - Drywall repair, squeaky doors, and loose hardware19:50 - Hanging artwork and securing tippy furniture26:02 - RecapConnect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/Check out our How-to Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@strconsultantsCleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

We did it. We took the Short Term Rental Safety Course to become Safety Inspector Certified and now we're spilling the goods. If you want to know the 3 actions that lower the majority of your risk, listen on. We'll also tell you the things we're doing to our properties THIS WEEK to make them safer and--guess what--lower our insurance premiums.  0:00 - Intro6:02 - Follow State and Federal Safety Regulation 14:30 - Preventing Death: Fire Alarms, Pool Safety and more17:11 - Preventing Injury: High Chairs, Bunk Beds, and Night Lights34:26 - Safety Cards 40:29 - Improving Rental Agreements 48:07 - How to lower your insurance premium55:12 - RecapConnect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/**To take advantage of the Safety Program promo code mentioned in this episode, reach out to Tim at [email protected] - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

Today TC and I are talking with Justin Ford, a short-term rental safety expert and Director at Breezeway. Justin is here to lay some horror stories on us (many of which have happened within the last 12 months) and put a spotlight on the areas and features in our vacation rentals that are waiting for disaster to strike. But here's the thing: these disasters are avoidable. Listen to find out how.  0:00 - Intro8:10 - Why STRs are considered more dangerous 17:02 - Things you can do today to make your STR safer24:43 - Details you're probably missing28:43 - How to be your own inspector42:06 - RecapConnect with Justinhttps://www.breezeway.io/safety**To take advantage of the Safety Program promo code mentioned in this episode, reach out to Tim at [email protected] with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/CleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

Today TC and I are talking nuts and bolts of cleaning contracts. How much should you expect to pay? What additional services can you ask of your cleaning service? And what dirty little industry secrets do you need to be aware of? Find out in this episode.   0:00 - Intro6:30 - Avoid this trap13:34 - Dirty Little Industry Secrets20:36 - Checklists, photos, and inspections34:34 - RecapConnect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/CleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

Today TC and I are talking about the market and whether rental owners should be playing defense or offense in today's economy.   0:00 - Intro6:16 - Don't panic, do your research, have perspective12:54 - Maximize revenue potential30:22 - Referral-based marketing43:13 - RecapConnect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/CleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

Today TC and I are here for a sanity check when it comes to all the noise about Airbnbust. Anyone who is interested in the longevity of their STR will come away from this conversation with a strategy and things they can do today to make their vacation rental business future-proof.   0:00 - Intro1:23 - What's causing Airbnbust?9:19 - How to compete with hotels23:28 - Improvements you can make today34:30 - RecapConnect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/CleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.

Today TC and I are unpacking what it means to be properly insured as a STR business and owner. We have special guest, Nick Massey of Proper Insurance, to give us real data on claims in the short-term rental space and the different coverage scenarios that make sure there are no vulnerabilities in your risk.   0:00 - Intro5:00 - Why Homeowners insurance is NOT insurance for your STR23:17 - Why AirCover is supplemental coverage at best36:41 - Know your liabilities50:45 - In-house vs. Third-party adjusters1:07:00 - RecapConnect with Ushttps://strconsultants.co/Connect with Nickhttps://www.proper.insure/CleaningBnB.com - CleaningBnB is committed to providing short-term vacation rental owners with an array of service offerings, allowing them to self-manage and increase profitability. By empowering self-management and avoiding the unnecessary expense of property management, CleaningBnB is here to help your business achieve long-term success and realize a higher return on investment.  We offer a variety of services, including turnover cleaning, to ensure guests have an amazing first impression.  Reach out today via cleaningbnb.com and let’s find the right the right solution for your investment.