Ocean City childhood dream becomes first $269k property

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Live Let Thrive, a podcast about the Airbnb life, the share economy, and everything in between. Here are your hosts, Micah and Steve. Ocean City, Maryland.

SPEAKER_03 0:13

No.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

I'm sure a lot of your um podcast listeners have, if they're on the east coast, they've gotta have have heard of Ocean City, Maryland, because it's a pretty popular uh vacation rental resort town um in uh on the east coast. And it's it's you know, basically everyone from Connecticut to New York to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Virginia, like, you know, know and go to Ocean City. It's um it's it's pretty awesome because you know, they just have not only do they have like the nice beaches and everything, but they just have an amazing nightlife. They have amazing restaurants, they have just lots of things to do. So a lot of these resort beach towns up and down the coast, it's kind of like not a whole lot to do besides go to the beach, which is great. But if you want to like have a night, you know, go out to some really cool bars, um, go to some, you know, craft breweries and go to some really nice restaurants. So a lot of these places don't have as um much to choose from, but ocean city is just like packed with stuff. So that's why the draw there, a lot of people like to go there. So that's where I grew up going to on vacation as a kid, you know, ever since I was literally in the womb. We went to the same vacation rental in Ocean City that we still go to to this day. And um, it was always kind of a dream when we would stay there. Oh, wouldn't it be so cool, you know, to take this place and renovate it and like you know, have it for ourselves and you know, rent it out ourselves and stuff like that. But um, it's kind of crazy. It's actually kind of the dream has kind of come true. Although it's not that house that we got, we got another one, but um yeah, so that's where we're all being on in Ocean City. So that's where our first property was.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

So you yeah, so uh explain your first property when you got it and and how you got started.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yeah, so um so I was a full-time nurse before I

Stay-at-home mom pivots to vacation rentals with twin toddlers

SPEAKER_01 2:06

joined the vacation rental uh world that I'm now in that I love. Um, and I um got pregnant with twins, and so that kind of um shifted my my career path a lot because um it was actually always my dream, my dream ever since I was a child, as long as I can remember, my dream was to be a stay-at-home mom and just to raise my children and um you know be there with them, you know. And so when I got pregnant with the twins, it was like now I have a double reason that I can be a stay-at-home mom. So I can no excuses for my husband. I'm I'm getting I'm not gonna go back to work. I'm staying home with these qu twins. And I mean, I definitely need to. I mean, paying for two twins to go to there's just no way. And then um it was just it was always the thing that we wanted to do as a family anyway. So I um started just being a stay-at-home mom with them, you know, twin infant twins is is a is a lot of work. I mean, it's a full-time job. Um, but kind of once they got to like around one year old, um, I started kind of realizing this dream job of being a stay-at-home mom. Like I just was made to, I I was getting antsy, like I just needed something, I needed an outlet, I needed something to do, I needed um, I needed to, you know, just express myself and and find something to to kind of fill in the time a little bit and and also just um yeah, I mean, potentially have a side job that I could help financially in our family. And so um I was at that time where we were on our summer vacation in Ocean City and I run, so I was running around and I just like to kind of explore um what I'm running and I found this adorable neighborhood. Um, this so this was in the fall of 2017, and um I was running and I saw this adorable neighborhood, and I was like, this is just the cutest thing I've ever seen. How I wonder what it, you know, what these houses cost. And um it was around that same time my husband and I um had kind of well it was a few years prior to that, but we we had done our first Airbnb experience where we like stayed in an Airbnb um versus a hotel and used Airbnb, and like it was kind of a bad experience, like it was way early in an Airbnb and it was kind of like a dirty place, but the host was really nice, and so you know, overall I'm like if if I could, you know, I could do this. That was kind of initial

Property sat on market over a year, dropped from $400k asking price

SPEAKER_01 4:35

thought. So it was kind of in the back of my head, and so when I was looking in this neighborhood, I was like, you know, this really seems like you know, this this is something that could work. I mean, because it's really close, it was on the bay side and it was on the water on the bay, but um, it was like you know, walking distance to the beach. And so I went and looked on Zillow and I saw the price and I saw that it was on the market for like over a year at that point. I was like, yeah, wow, you know, and the price had gone down and gone down. Initially they were asking like 375, um, like 400 or something like that. And by the time I had seen it, um, in like you know, September of 2017, the price was down to like 315. And still, um, I was just like, well, you know, maybe if at that time I was like I was full-time home at home, and I'm like, if I go back to work, you know, 20 hours a week, like we could pay the mortgage there. And um, if it if I can't make this work, you know, if I try this Airbnb thing, this vacation rental thing, and I we can't pay the mortgage, um, I can go back to work and I can pay it, and we'll just have a nice house on the water that you know a lot of people just pay for a second home out of their pocket. So I was like, you know, we might as well just try it and see. And our initial thought was um we'd be paying out of pocket for a few years before we kind of figured it out, and then maybe we could kind of cover the costs and that would be it. And that's all we thought about it at that point, and um, so we decided to go for it. We did a really low ball offer. We asked like um, what did we ask? Like 250 or something. Um, and they countered at like 275, which was a crazy wow.

SPEAKER_06 6:18

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Yeah, and so then we got it for like 269, um, which is uh insane. I mean,

Mad Men Beach House mid-century theme and $20k renovation

SPEAKER_01 6:24

it's insane. So um we got the house and we did like a full renovation. So right at the same time, I also started an Instagram and Facebook page for our um vacation rental. So it wasn't at that point, I don't even know what I called it. It was just I knew that I wanted the house to be Mad Men Beach House. So if you guys have seen the show Mad Men, yeah, yeah. With Don Draper, it was like on AMC. I mean, I loved it. I was actually um while I was like nursing my children, my twins at night, I binged watched it like the entire season. And and I just fell in love with just the aesthetics of it, the mid-century modern. I loved that whole thing, and so um I wanted to have the whole house be a beachy mid-century modern theme. So I thought I would call it Mad Men Beach House because I thought maybe it would be catchy.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Um minus the cigarettes, right?

unknown 7:16

Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

They smoke, they smoke nonstop on that show.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

Yeah, they do. I know, and I wanted to have like a really cute, like um whiskey or like kind of air bar, but then I didn't want to encourage like tons of hard liquor drinking either.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

Put some iced tea right there.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Um yeah, so I uh we did like a three-month renovation. It was completely outdated. I mean, just really um everything in the house. It came fully furnished, but like we sold everything. We refurnished everything. I did I bought almost everything on like Craigslist and Marketplace and like refinished things myself um just to but make sure that we had like, you know, because we were on a really tight budget. Um and so um we put about 20k into the renovation and then we went live March of 2018. Um and we um, you know, started getting bookings. I mean, and initially the first two weeks you're on Airbnb, they kind of boost your listing a little bit. Um, and then it kind of slowed down. And um I decided to become I listened to all these podcasts on vacation rentals, and they said you should be dog friendly because that really, you know, you'll have this niche, n niche, niche, whatever you call it. Um so when I became dog friendly, we just got like booked, like booked, book, booked, like fully booked

$25-per-night offseason deals to build reviews and occupancy

SPEAKER_01 8:35

all the way through like um October. And then once we got to October, we got like pretty much fully booked all year round. I mean, it was just like we would have a few night vacancies here and there. Um, and when I did have like a few night vacancies, I would have these crazy deals where I would like offer to my uh Facebook and Instagram people like $25 a night. Um, and they would then like so I just got all these reviews, like because I'm like, I'd rather have someone in there than not anyone in there at all that I can at least pay part of my cable bill or something like that. You know, I mean that's just my way of thinking. I know a lot of people are like, oh, wear and tear, you know, close down in the off season, but like that's my bread and butter, the off-season. So um, and the reviews, I mean, that's like just so key. So it's like if I can have someone in there that can leave a review, especially if it's someone that I trust and I can give them a deal, they're gonna leave me a good review, and that's just gonna help my, you know, boost my ratings and get me more seen by more people. So why wouldn't I do that? So I um and I still do that, I still offer like crazy deals. Um, if I have like a one night vacancy, which I'm not gonna fill, I don't offer one nights on like the listing sites because I don't know what they're gonna do at a one night reservation because I've had bad experiences with that. So um, but I'll like I'll offer to my like followers on Instagram and Facebook um because in general I I um I trust them more and that and you know, so they'll book and then they'll leave me a review and stuff like this.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

So, anyways, that was Mad Men Beach House and um and um that one real quick, it was um I'm I was looking at the pictures of it right now. I pulled up Mad Men Beach House. And yeah, I like I like the design. It's like crisp and clean and and you know, not too busy. And um and I I and you how you how you staggered the pictures between you know, pictures of the outside and uh the deck, and then you mix it in with the inside, and you go kind of go back and forth. That's interesting. I haven't seen like someone post pictures in that order, but it's it it's cool because it tells a story.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

Yeah, we have like a geometric wall design. Um, that because again, we're on a budget, and so I was

Geometric wall designs done with painter's tape across all properties

SPEAKER_01 10:40

looking at Pinterest and like trying to figure out what we could do, and it was like you can make this really cool geometric wall design, and you just use paint, and I could do it myself is with like painter's tape, and it's like a huge wall that now has this really cool design. I don't want to buy a huge piece of art for it, and like it's a hit, everyone loves it. So, um, and then I decided to do that for all my properties, have like a geometric wall design to um, and so we did that at our next property at um it's called Mad Men Magic Kingdom House. So that one is in uh Florida by Disney World.

SPEAKER_02 11:15

Okay, so the first one's I'm sorry, uh the first one's Mad Men Um just Mad Men Beach House, right? That's the very first one. Okay, so the next one's Mad Men Magic Kingdom House. Magic Kingdom House, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

Because I thought I wanted it, I mean, it was we it was in right outside of Disney World, so it had that whole thing, and a lot of um, you know, a lot of the houses down there have themes and stuff like that. And I thought it would be fun um just to have the

Mad Men Magic Kingdom House: eight bedrooms less than five miles from Disney

SPEAKER_01 11:41

whole house themed off of the Magic Kingdom. Um, and then that kind of would lead me open to maybe um like having another house that was themed off of um like another one of the parks, you know, like an Animal Kingdom house or a univers, you know, um Universal Studios house or whatever that we did, you know, not that I'm gonna do that. Oh yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

That's a great first picture because like it shows in the pool chilling, you know, uh and it has like a and they have a projector go with the with Moana on the screen. It's like wow, that's I could picture my family. That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

Yeah, we have an outdoor movie experience that that was a that was a COVID uh purchase. That's awesome to bring in the staycationers that you know because no one was going out to a movie theater and everyone's looking for something to do, and a lot of people were looking for a vacation rental that had things at the house so that they didn't have to go anywhere.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

So we said y'all in the pool.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

No, it's one of our guests. I I asked them, I was like, we weren't even down there. Um, and because you know, it's it's a it's a flight away or a 15-hour drive away. So I I asked the guests there. Um I told them, I said, we have this new awesome experience because they didn't know we had it yet. You know, I hadn't gone live with it yet. But but I said we have we bought this projector and this projector screen, it's really cool. Um, we would love, you know, for you guys to have this during your stay. But, you know, um, what do you think about us taking some shots of you guys look watching it? Um, and they were like totally down. She's like, oh my gosh, she's like, I'm on in I'm on Instagram all the time, and like she sells stuff on Instagram, so she's like totally like has her kids on Instagram and stuff all the time. So she was totally okay with it. They were so nice, so they let us use them as our models, which was so cool. So that's like real guests watching.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

I love that. The princess room, that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Yeah, yeah, that's yeah. We have a castle bed with a dungeon inside.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

Um, yeah, yeah, stepped up your game on this one. This is nice.

SPEAKER_03 13:49

So, your magic kingdom house, how far is that from Disney World?

SPEAKER_01 13:53

That's less than five miles.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

Oh really? I'm um because I'm going there in September. I'm taking my son to Disney World.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

I was oh man, our September calendar is wide open. It's like the only month that's wide open. So you definitely let me know, I'll give you a deal.

SPEAKER_03 14:06

September 2nd through the 6th.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Yeah, we're we we are I we we're getting really booked, which is great. Um, you know, we're pretty much fully booked. I mean, we have like a few weeks, basically one week in June, one week in July, one week in August, like you know, just like one week. They'll get we we get fully booked, we get like 100%

COVID strategy: essential workers at $75-$100 per night kept 100% occupancy

SPEAKER_01 14:26

occupied all year round at in Disney too. So we will get booked, but it's just a matter of how soon we get booked, if it's way at far out or if it's you know now one week out.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

That makes brings me up to another question, man. Since you guys are so close to Disney, how did COVID affect you and how did you change your strategy to take stay alive? Because I know if you guys were were you guys heavy depending on Disney?

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

Oh man, yeah, Disney was rough. I mean, it was um it was it was so crazy. I mean, with Disney closing down, um, I mean, one it it was tough. I mean, I I was like hustling like crazy. I mean, uh a lot of people were just like kind of closing up shop and like, oh, okay, um, we have to wait this thing out. And I I couldn't, I mean, I couldn't afford to wait things out. I couldn't just sit back and like wait for everything to open back up. Like I had this huge mortgage I had to pay and like, you know, bills and and you know, the the heat and electric and the utilities for that house, it's an eight-bedroom home. And it's big, you know. I can't like our utility bill is like bigger than my, you know, bigger than my mortgage, my primary residence mortgage. It's it's insane. It's insane the utilities that that house. So um I was just really um, you know, they they made a you know, a kind of a clo like a claw, I don't know, some kind of a a loophole in a sense for if you are an essential worker, you could still rent out your space. And so I just went crazy trying to find these essential workers that would stay with me. Um, and so I, you know, and and the other thing that's kind of interesting about this essential worker thing is that they also said that if you are a government employee, it doesn't matter what you do, um, you are an essential worker. So um that was like, you know, because when you think of essential worker, you think of a nurse, a doctor, um, you know, something like that, you know, someone in the healthcare field. Um, but you don't always think about, you know, just so like any government employee, you know. Um like teachers are government employees, you know, or they're counting, but you know, so like I just went trying to find so I was able to stay pretty much fully booked still, um, even in Disney, um, hosting these essential employees, even though I did lower my prices crazy. Like, I mean, when usually I was asking like, you know, $200 a night, $250 a night, $300 a night, I was asking at that point like $100 a night, you know, $75 a night sometimes. Um $150. So I I lower my prices down almost over 50% sometimes to get these people to come in. And basically people would contact me because I still my my sites were, you know, I was still like listed on Airbnb and I was still listed on VRBO. And people would say, Can I book here? People were still interested, but I just said, Can you show me any documentation that you're a government employee, an essential worker of any kind? Like, give me anything. I don't care. Just show me something that and I will let you stay with me. And they and and I basically um was able to stay booked.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

So I would have been printing things out for them myself. You're a doctor today.

SPEAKER_03 17:54

No, but I I like I like that strategy though. You you had to switch it up, you found a way. Yeah, that's what a lot of people didn't want to do, and a lot of people were jumping ship and closing down shops. So you made it work. So now you said the one I also see you have a lake house that's coming. Um, you're with all your rentals, it sounds like you buy them all, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:13

Yeah, yeah. So it's like we I um, you know, having like a family and like

Why she only buys properties instead of managing for others

SPEAKER_01 18:19

my kids, and it's like I, you know, this is like I put my heart and soul into our properties, like blood, sweat, and tears. I I put so much into thinking about every single thing, every aspect. I really, really try to have the best vacation experience for our guests. And um, I really try to think of everything for them. I really try to make them feel like really cared for and taken, like I want them just to be blown away when they come and stay with us. So it's like I put so much into it. Um, and and then the renovations, I mean, I've been doing renovations now basically since 2017 when, you know, or 2018 when we bought our first property. It's like I've been in a constant kind of either I've been looking for a house or I've been renovating a house. And so um we've been doing this this Deep Creek project for over a year now. Um and so it's just because I put so much into it and I know what I put into it, I know what it what it's what it's gonna take to get it to where I want it to be, the time and energy for me. It's like I cannot stop, I can't really see myself doing that unless it's my my own property. It's like I mean, and I I maybe there's people that can, but it's just like, you know, I don't know, kind of like I don't I don't want to I don't want to put the analogy in like you know, you're a teacher for like children versus like your own children, you know, it's like there's just gonna be something else you put into that, you know, obviously. And so I feel like it's the same thing for like properties. I mean, I put so much into it, my time is valuable because I I'm the about the what the time I'm putting into this business, I'm taking it away from my family. So it's like I I can't, it's like if I'm not doing that for something that's gonna really better our family in the long run, then I just can't justify it personally. You break now.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

You bring up a really good point because something happened to me this past weekend. See, we mean uh me and my partner Federico have been getting into these arbitrages, right? And so before that I did Airbnb at my own houses until the cities that I was doing it at got shut down. And um, anyway, so I started back up. Uh dipped my toes in the water again. I'm gonna try the arbitrage thing. And um, so and and as as we do these arbitrages, which means we rent out a place and then we furnish it, fix it up, make it look pretty, and then rent it out, you know, online to some uh rent it out on Airbnb or whatever. Um and and part of the deal is you you say, hey, you you tell the landlord any little problem comes up, I'll fix it. Don't worry about it, anything under a couple hundred bucks. So um stuff has been coming up, and I've been over here resealing toilets, and I've been over here um switching out garbage disposals and and fixing um um uh uh dishwashers and and and on my hands and knees covered. I'm like, this isn't even my place. And I'm like, I was telling Federico, we gotta figure out a different way. I know it's whatever, it's even we're making profit, but I'm like, man, it just it just hurts to do this for someone else, and then in a few months I'm gonna be gone from here, anyways, right? And it's like if it was my own, if we owned it and I'm I'm putt whatever blood, sweat, and tears, like you said, put into it is going in towards you know raising the value and building equity. Yeah, I could see that. But over here, you know, fixing someone else's toilet that you know I ain't even gonna use in a few months. I just when you said that it really, really got me in the heart, man. I'm like, I need to get I need to get back into the buying real estate thing instead of you know the arbitraging thing. But you know, that's just my that's what on my mindset is right now.

SPEAKER_03 21:53

And then I you bring you both bring me up to a good point. So with you, Rebecca, how so you're 15 hours away from. your place. How are you who handle who's your boots on the ground and hand how do you handle issues and oversee cleaning?

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Oh man, this has been a tough year really. I mean um we have gone through count it for cleaning people

Remote hosting from 15 hours away: four cleaners fired in one year

SPEAKER_01 22:14

down there in the last year. I've had to and and I'm not used to this. I mean like running a business is just still so new to me. So like having to like fire someone and then hire someone is just like I'm still like what the heck what the heck am I doing? You know like who do I think I am? But um but yeah I mean it's been tough. And so I've been I've been I've been managing it just myself and like hiring a cleaner and then having like just I have a handyman that thank God for Frank I mean he um is just an amazing uh handyman down there that um I met when I was doing the renovation, you know, I we did a four month renovation down there for Mad Men Magic Kingdom house and um met him through in that in that situation and like so now I call on him. And so um basically it was just a cleaner and a handyman that I had really and that but with everything that's been going on and like the fact that I've had to go through so many cleaners I have now added a property manager down there that um what she does is she checks on the cleanings or it's a team husband wife team they check they check the clean so their cleaners are their cleaners but they check the cleans after each guest to make sure that it's up to my standards that I have set set out for them like what I really want to be done. And then they also will like do ash you know tell me if like there's any damage or if there we need to buy new towels they will go out and buy new towels and things like that. So that's been like a game changer for me. And I it's definitely it's something I haven't brought to Ocean City I don't think I need to do that there because I have a really great relationship with my cleaner and like we've been doing really well just the two of us but um in Deep Creek I'm gonna also look at having a property manager that does that because when you have a house as big like um for our Disney property like I said it's eight bedrooms our property that's going to be in Deep Creek Maryland is going to be a six bedroom home and that's still on the big side so um it's just there's too much at stake um and you know it's just it's it's it's hard to to to get the cleaning standards really is what it comes down to right now. Are you doing everything are you dealing with individual cleaners or cleaning companies um they're cleaning companies um but they're com kind of like they're not like national cleaning companies they're kind of like local cleaning companies so um so yeah I mean I have so many little things that I do specifically for our properties that are just kind of unique for our properties like we have like a record player that we turn on before with a guest leave I have a chalkboard that we like write out for each guest that has like you know specific things um to welcome them uh some you know things that I might have found out that like oh they serve in the military so I say thank you for your service or oh they're celebrating an anniversary so I say happy anniversary so there's like there's lots of little things that um you know that I do where like some of the big I don't know the bigger companies just like don't do that kind of stuff.

$250 per month property manager includes pool and pest control

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Um it's just like so I I I've I I don't so yeah they are cleaning companies they're legitimate they're licensed and all that um right right but they're just uh you know they're they're like just loc they're local ones so now I have another question so your property management company how did you go about finding them and how much do they charge you um so for our one the one of Florida um we uh I I'm on I'm on a few Facebook pages for vacation rental um homeowners so um there's um an Orlando vacation rental owners uh page that's just like you know or l if it's like Orlando area vacation rental homeowners um or vacation rental owners so I'm on that page as well as there's a few what like national ones that I'm on um that I asked and basically just said this is what I'm looking for this is the kind of guests that we have this is the expectations and um so that was kind of like just um because that's the thing that's kind of we are the guests that come and stay with me like because I have so many good reviews like I I have just I have a lot of really good five star reviews I'm you know like a top performing property um in in Ocean City and in in Disney and so um the expectations are really high and so on top of that um you know I I kind of know my you know who my who my avatar is too you know and like what they're expecting and so I know um these are kind of the standards that I need so I just laid it out there I'm like you know I didn't want to sound like a B I T C H or anything but I'm like you know like I this is kind of what I need this is what I'm looking for and like I mean kind of like if if that's something that you you know think can you recommend someone um and basically I got a few recommendations and then you know and that's basically how I found it so um I I this one woman that that actually runs the page um is the one that is a recommendation that I took so I I just kind of saw the fact that she gave me that recommendation and she's the one that runs this whole Facebook page um she obviously is you know doing something right you know I mean she she's invested in this business and she's not just doing it as like kind of a side thing and um not really that you know doesn't care. You know she obviously cares. So I felt like that would be a good person to um to accept that recommendation from um and you know there's a few other people on that page that also recommended them. And so then I talked to them and I told them kind of what I've been dealing with with the past four cleaners and then what I need and they said they felt like they could take this on. So um it's it's it's kind of like you know like I said I've gone through I had another property manager before that actually and that was the first time I had a property manager and she actually said we can't handle this house um because it is an eight bedroom house. Wow and her her cleaners was just like a one it was a one woman team but she also had her husband help but he couldn't always help my house just needs two people like you can't one person can't do it. It's too big and um so so yeah so I took that recommendation and thankfully so far it seems like it's a really good fit. So she charges $250 a month. Yeah that's a steal so what she does with that and that also that includes my pool cleaning which I was paying eight ninety dollars a month for that. So that's a one week um one one time a week someone comes and cleans your and cleans your pool and like puts the chemicals in and checks the filter and rinses out the filter and also they will like kind of rinse off the the pool deck. So that's that I was paying $90 a month for that. So that includes that and that includes pest control which I also was paying like around $30 or $40 a month for that um with another pest control company. So I could cancel those two things. So it's really like not even $250 if you think about this you know the other the stuff that they're doing. So I mean it is crazy like but that that's I don't think that I think that's not common. I think that's Florida because it's such a um the market is so saturated right um down there in Orlando and stuff and and just it's it's just the vacation rental mecca of the world I think down in Florida. I mean with with Disney World and all the beaches and Miami and everything. So um and and you know and it so the prices I don't know it's like I I'm sure it would cost a lot more if I um yeah I I I'm I'm actually in the market now for a property manager in Deep Creek because I I'm and so I'm I'm talking with some people and no one's really given me a price yet.

SPEAKER_02 30:44

We got someone we can send your way. Oh yeah yeah yeah she was a guest on the show in Deep Creek? Oh well I don't know she's she's close to uh she she manages properties in the Orlando area.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

Oh in Orlando yeah yeah yeah yeah so the that 250 that 250 includes like do you pay them the cleaning fee too or oh yeah yeah then there's a cleaning fee okay so yeah that's pretty good that's good though 250 and then the cleaning fee and they clean the pool oh man well well that's like no well I mean uh I'm I want to make sure that um okay like we also pay them the cleaning fee like yeah yeah yeah so so our cleaning fee is like two hundred and twenty five dollars a clean for each cleaning each clean yeah that's worth it then yeah yeah and then um so we like we don't make any profit like we just like we just give we pay the cleaners the what the guests pay in the cleaning fee um so you don't charge like 250 and then pay the cleaner 225 and you take like two 25 bucks off the top I think I actually do charge 230. So I charge an extra five dollars because um the reason I do that I mean I I honestly if if I could charge an extra 25 dollars that'd be great because not because I like want to just pocket that but just because things happen all the time with guests when it comes to they didn't clean you know because we also we have a grill and they're supposed to clean the grill if they don't clean the grill then we have to pay our cleaners like $40 to clean the grill. And that and I don't really always track down my guests and like hey you didn't clean the grill I want you to pay me my $40 like I just kind of let those things go. And and things also where like if there was if there's like damage because they're being um irresponsible I'll ask guests to pay for things because I know if this was irresponsibility or if this was just an accident and and accidents happen all the time though. And so we have things break all the time we have damage all the time that happens that's just an accident I for me I just see it as part of the business but having that extra five extra dollars goes into the pot for that kind of uh those little damages that we end up paying for that we don't ask a guest to pay for yeah I'm starting to notice that people will pay like a hundred and fifty to two two to three hundred dollar cleaning fees when it's six or more people I've started to notice that because we went went to um actually um my uh VA who's actually Steve's friend uh Federico he was just like hey we should raise these cleaning fees and I was a little hesitant on it but people pay it was I was like okay people pay those high cleaning fees because you know when I look for Airbnb too I kind of like I don't want to be paying $500 cleaning fees I've seen it and I'm like people pay it though so you know yeah I know I I mean I we actually um for our Disney property this is kind of a little tip uh for your listeners um I that I um I started doing that's actually really helped me a lot with my

Eight-bedroom listed as three separate Airbnb listings with locked rooms

SPEAKER_01 33:44

Disney property because it is eight bedrooms and the our cleaning fee is $225 $230. That's a big cleaning fee so if you're only going for two nights for instance that cleaning fee is basically the cost of a whole night you know um so what we do is we actually have our property in as three listings on Airbnb and on VRBO and on and so we have our listings as an eight bedroom uh four and a half bath a six bedroom four and a half bath and a four bedroom uh three and a half bath and we lock the doors so we have locks on all the doors and that what that does is that it allows our cleaning fee to be lower because if you're if if there's like say just a family of four or two families of four that are going to be going down to Disney and they want to stay in a nice house um they you know but they're only gonna use four bedrooms or six bedrooms they are going to be looking for those kind of you know that market that those kind of those number of bedrooms because if you're looking for an eight a an eight bedroom a 10 bedroom you're gonna be playing it paying a crazy cleaning fee you know for rooms you don't really need. So we created these other listings that were where we took out some of the bedrooms in the listing and we you know and we basically genius that's mark wow I thought about that this is a we and we say in the listing you know just so you know this is an eight bedroom home but we will lock two of these rooms or four of these rooms um so there's no confusion so we don't need to charge you an additional cleaning fee. And when we have those bookings we will lock the doors to those rooms um and then their cleaning fee is half the price. And so then if it's if it's a couple or a family of four, you know, then we're in we're now competitive in that market with those houses. You know, because like when we moved to the air when we bought the house like for instance our next door neighbor was like oh you know we're so happy you're here and you know we're not like competitive you're not even going to be a competition for us because we're only a a six bedroom home or we're we're a four bedroom home. We're not gonna you're not even we're not even in the same market with each other. You know markets. And I'm like oh yeah you don't know what I'm up to I will defeat you after your market um and that's uh that's really helped us a lot like especially with our um you know like closing in the gaps so like if for instance we have like a two-night vacancy or we have like uh you know we have you know smaller night vacancies and it's more last minute so like I'll lower my prices like I manually do my pricing so I'll lower my prices like five dollars a day when it comes to if it's that month of and I haven't been booked I'll start lowering my prices five dollars a day five dollars a day until I get booked and so um once I start lowering my prices too uh I also become more competitive for those um you know the four bedroom and the six bedroom because I'm more in those price ranges than I am for the eight bedroom. The eight bedroom price ranges are higher which is where I start my prices. But then when when if I'm not booked I'll lower my prices and then I start to really become competitive in the four bedroom and the six bedroom market and then I also have the cleaning fees to match those market you know so I'll I'll get booked um which is great because it's also less wear and tear too. So if I have like say a two-night vacancy on a weekend which right now I try to have a five night minimum in in Disney um but it's like if I have a two night vacancy I'll I'll try to get that booked. I'm not gonna like not I'll I won't do a one night but I'll I'll but I will try and get a two night vacancy filled but I'll I'll block my eight bedroom calendar and I'll only say that I'm I'm available on my my other lower you know four bedroom and six bedroom um calendar so that I can get booked so that I'm avoiding those party groups you know anyways so what what kind of what kind of locks do you put on each bedroom door that you can control from your from your phone or something? No I've looked into that I've I really I would love to have an electronic lock but a lot of these um ones that I've looked at where like you can you can do a code for instance like they automatically lock and stuff when you go in and out and so um I just have a regular key and a doorknob doorknob doorknob key. So some of them I had a deadbolt so when I first did it in Disney I put deadbolts um because I didn't want a little kid to lock himself in a room. I don't know I just like I try to think of of everything but at the same time you think of a lot of houses have door locks on their you know they want private you know they even have that as one of like um an amenity to have door locks because privacy you know so some people like having so I mean any any house that has a door lock could um lock a kid in their house but in their room but um but basically it's just like key you know so I I basically um you can buy like a set on Amazon like a six doorknob set that um and and you know just do keys so I have keys with the names of each one and I've like a number on each door so so so that that I'm just saying to discourage guests from trying to start using all the rooms if they only booked a three bedroom or four bedroom.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

How do you do that?

SPEAKER_01 39:08

Um I lock the doors to those rooms.

SPEAKER_02 39:12

Yeah but you're a remote host.

SPEAKER_01 39:14

Oh well I have my cleaners do it yeah so I tell my cleaners um yeah so I tell my cleaners the people the the guests arriving are gonna is is a four bedroom uh reservation so lock these four bedrooms um so I communicate with them about that and we've had you know um we've had to it it's it's something you really have to make you're really clear on those bedrooms yeah because it's uh yeah it it can be confusing so you have to it's like you really have to triple check that they lock the right bedrooms and stuff like that. But yeah it's it's it's worked it's worked really really well and it's definitely it helps me stay fully booked and it also helps me stay fully booked without the um the party guests which yeah um I I guess oh go ahead Pika oh well well I was just gonna say real quick so I like the model because what you've done is okay I have these huge eight bedrooms but I'm not limiting myself to hey you need eight bedrooms I can now compete in different markets.

SPEAKER_03 40:18

Now my my question to that was with you doing that what's your most profitable setup?

SPEAKER_01 40:24

Like is it when you offer three bedrooms or is when you offer four like what's the most profitable that you've seen oh I mean I can ask them like it I get the most money with the eight bedroom because um I mean I'll have people that pay the eight bedroom price I'll have families I'll family of four or a family of six stay and book the eight bedroom and and you know they'll separate listing so they don't just technically know that it's they could just go and book the ah okay. Yeah and so and because my eight bedroom is really high ranked on Airbnb and stuff like that because I have so many reviews and I've you know it's like I don't have as many reviews I don't have as many people booking so I I'm not as highly ranked for the other two listings. But if I also have a website and I book direct I'm really trying to like book direct right now with all of our guests and especially repeat guests. And so when I when guests are booking direct I'll tell them do you want to what you know how many rooms do you want because if you want less rooms I can save you some money on your cleaning fee. And you know saving someone a hundred bucks on their vacation I mean that's like a nice dinner out. So yeah um we also do it actually at our in our ocean city house our ocean city madman beach house is a three bedroom two full bath but we offer it as a one bedroom one full bath and because in the offseason the majority of our guests is um just a couple just a couple coming for a getaway it's not usually a family it's usually a couple a lot of times a retired couple um they don't need the other two bedrooms and again um you know my cleaning fee there is what like $130 um but if I can you know like you know I save them like 40 or 50 bucks to if they want to do a one bedroom and if they're just going for two nights saving 50 bucks that's you know that's a good amount for them to save for their getaway. So we we actually do uh we have we get a lot of one night booking uh one um one bedroom reservations in the off season I never get it in high season it's always the full um three bedroom in ocean in in Mammand Beachhouse but um but yeah we do it there and we're gonna do it at Deep Creek. I'm I'm I you know we're gonna offer it as a six a four and a two now a quick question going back to Ocean City um so well that that was your first one correct and and so is that a seasonal location and how do you deal with the seasonal seasonality yeah it's um it's definitely seasonal um where

Offseason Ocean City: first February that broke even instead of losing money

SPEAKER_01 42:58

the summer high season you know we we can we get like $550 a night um there but then in the off season I'll go down pretty low I mean now like I think people have caught on especially with with COVID they've actually caught on to the fact that like going to the beach and I mean I have people come I mean it's cold in Maryland. It's cold at the beach in Maryland in the winter but people go all year round they come I mean mid midweek February midweek January we are booked people are coming to stay at our beach house in Ocean City and we're on the water so there's that like really tranquil you know you know really relaxed kind of experience people get when they're just going somewhere to be on the water. So we get booked all year round but our prices are just a lot different you know in the off season. So um we lower our prices substantially I mean like a weekend is like $100 a night and then or $125 um and then like a weeknight A midweek is like anywhere from you know 50 to 75 dollars uh for a midnight a midweek. But like, you know, just to be able to, I think this is the first year I I'm still running my numbers because I'm I'm still like I I haven't gotten there yet. I have so many other projects and things I have to get to and figuring out like my profit and loss, you know, is like something I I I need to do that I just haven't gotten to to figure out yet, but this past year, but um I'm pretty sure that this last February is the first like February, which is like supposed to be the lowest um like grossing, you know, month at the beach that we would have. But I'm pretty sure that we're able to this year for the first time cover our at least break even that month when usually we we are at a loss. But of course, in the high season you're making a profit so that you can make up for that loss. But um, but to be able to like not make a loss on, you know, um to have a whole year where you not not one month you make a loss, it would that's like my goal.

SPEAKER_02 45:07

So that's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 45:08

And I had a question. I'm looking at your website. I like how you put on there when that you book directly, no fees ever. I love that. I was also wondering like, how do you how are you also driving traffic directly to your website and capturing guest information?

Hostfully pre-arrival form captures emails and triggers guidebook

SPEAKER_01 45:25

Yeah, um, okay, so this is another game changer. Um, is so we we have a I have a software that I use for our um to to send all of our messages on Airbnb. Like I have when someone books, I have a message to send. When someone like two days the day of their arrival, I have a message sent with their door code. Um so I have all these automatic messages sent out to the guests to basically help them get everything they need off the bat so they don't come asking me for anything. Um, and so that software also manages my calendars and helps me like keep all my calendars up to date with like all my, you know, Virbio and Airbnb and my three-bedroom and my two-bedroom and all these bedrooms, you know, so they can block each other off. Um and it also keep gets my, you know, helps me have my calendar on my um my website so that people can book directly on my website and and just automatically book on my website. So that is this, uh it's I use hostfully is a software um that I use. And so they also have this thing where they have a there's a pre-arrival form um that you can request you you send your guests a link to. And so I send all my guests. So I I set it up where the guest books their say they've paid, and I'm like, oh wait, wait, one more step. You're almost done booking your reservation. You haven't done it yet, you know. Even though it says you booked, you haven't fully finished your booking reservation. Can you please go here and take two minutes and fill out this pre-arrival form? And then we will send you our custom guidebook that has all the information you need on our home, on our community, on the resort town. We have insider recommendations, we have um everything you need to know about our home and about your vacation there. Um, that we will send to you once you send this pre-arrival form, that then is triggered once they fill out this pre-arrival form and they say submit, then our my guidebook is then triggered to send to them automatically as well. Um so that pre-arrival form has lots of very valuable information. And one thing I've learned in this business is the more you can capture and know about your guests, um, the better chances you're they're gonna become a repeat guest and and and a fan and a raving fan that tells all their friends and family about you so that you can get more um, you know, bookings that are direct and that are, you know, have this kind of authentic type of um thing. So so what I ask in the pre-arrival form is I ask for their email, I ask for, and I ask them in there because I know it's like a legal thing. Can I what I say is, can I send you um promotions and deals and in in the future? And 99% of them say yes. Sure, great, you know. So I asked for their email, I asked if I can send them um promotions and deals, emails. Um, and and so I also, you know, ask the information about them as well. Like, you know, what's an interesting fact about you? Um, and the other thing that's been really cool, I just I just started to add it, I just added a new one is why did you choose us out of all the out of all the vacation rentals that you saw? What was it about our property that made you want to book? And that information has been so interesting and fun to learn. Um so all that information just helps guide guide my you know my business and like what's important to guests. And um, and so once I have their email, um, I put them in a uh I have chip monkey. Have you guys heard of Chip? Is it Chip Monkey?

SPEAKER_02 48:58

MailChimp.

SPEAKER_01 48:59

Mail Chip. I always call it Chip Monkey.

SPEAKER_02 49:03

That's a new version we're working on.

SPEAKER_01 49:05

I think I think there's another like thing out there that's called Chip Monkey that edited.

SPEAKER_03 49:10

Uh uh Mail Survey, monkey survey, survey monkey, survey monkey. I think that's what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

Oh, is that it? Oh, I don't even know. Okay, so MailChimp is what I um what I have. And it's free uh for your listeners that don't know. It's like you put your mailing list in there and you they'll send out uh and and they give you like these formats that are really nice, really nice. And like obviously, if I was to just write an email to my guests, it would look like like a dork email, you know. This is like has a nice format to it where it already has pictures for you to fill in and like um it's just it's all set up in a way that makes it look more like a blog or like a newsletter, right? So um I put them in there uh and then I send a I send um newsletters out to them. Um so that's one way that I try to get them to book directly the next time. I also um and in there I say um if you book direct with me next time you stay with us, we'll give you a 10% discount. Um and so we I don't offer that on Airbnb and Virbio. I if if if a guest wants to and and I also say that um all over the house, I have these like laminated sheets that I put like in the bathroom, like everywhere, like, oh, I'm so glad you um I hope you're enjoying your stay with us. Uh next time, don't forget to book direct because if you book direct with us through our website, then not only are our prices lower, you don't pay any service fees, and we'll offer you a 10% discount off the nightly, off the the nightly rate if you book direct. So with that, like everyone books direct the next time they stay with me. So um, and then I also uh I write them a letter too that also tells them um all of our guests that leave me a five-star review. I will write them a handwritten letter and I say thank you for staying with us. Thank you for um leaving me a five-star review because it's really, really so important for our business. And I want you to come stay with us again soon. Please uh think about your next stay with us. And then on this postcard is it has like all the pro you know, it has like a picture of Disney, a picture of of like someone snowboard. It's it's like what you see, I think, probably on my website, but something like snowboarding, and then has a um a picture of an ocean scene where and it it says, you know, that we have these three properties, and it says, you know, um book direct and you get a 10% discount off your next day with us.

SPEAKER_03 51:40

Another thing with MailChimp that I just found out they do, they do skip tracing, so you can actually send postcards to your guests too. And I just I just started using, I was like, what? I didn't know that directly to their home address. So I was like, I've been using it.

SPEAKER_01 51:53

Oh wow, yeah, yeah. I like I'm like handwriting it out.

SPEAKER_03 51:57

Oh, really? Yeah, yeah. It's it has a postcard feature. Another feature that I found out that you could actually put on your website that I just put on mine, it's called Tidio, T-I-D-I-O. Like, if I don't know if you've ever like logged into like, let's say Smart BNB, and they have that little chat chat box at the bottom. You can put that on your website. I just did this. You can put that chat box on your website, install the app on your phone, and everyone who visits your site, you can just type them a message, right? Automatically. And if they respond, and let's say they're logged into Google, you'll get their name and email address, and that just from just visiting your site, you can grab

Stay Fi Wi-Fi captures guest data, retargeting ads through Facebook

SPEAKER_03 52:33

that information and automatically shoot it the mail chip. That's one I learned from one of our future who's gonna be a future guest, Peter Francis. And that is a really cool app. It's called Tideo. I was like, wow, and I've been using it.

SPEAKER_01 52:44

Yeah, I'm gonna have to write that down. Yeah, part of the ones where you have to, if they want to sign into their what into your Wi-Fi, they have to do their email. Have you guys got to do that?

SPEAKER_03 52:52

Stay Fi. Yeah, I use Stafi as well.

SPEAKER_01 52:54

Do you use that at your houses?

SPEAKER_03 52:56

Yeah, I actually today I actually set up the retargeting ads on fate on Stafi. So anyone who visits the page, uh, they get retargeted. So like they'll get my share BNB stuff popping up as ads on their computer, Facebook, and all that, and Instagram. Uh yeah, he he just implemented that. So that's a really powerful one, too, is uh Stay Fi.

SPEAKER_01 53:16

Yeah, yeah, that that is that's amazing. I haven't done that yet. I have to look it a little bit more into it. Um because uh I don't know. I I is it is it like do they say, do they check to say you can send me emails after this?

SPEAKER_03 53:32

No. So okay, so to log in, you tell them, hey, I require your first name, last name, and email. And then you can add on additional stuff like it's optional, but you can put your phone number in. Most people put their phone number in. Um, and then you can implement that phone number into slick text, whatever. Um, I noticed people don't usually mind email, but texting, yeah, they don't really like that. That's yeah, they're like, no, I'm gonna text this. So that's what I started noticing. So I'm kind of backing off on text and just sticking to the email.

SPEAKER_01 54:04

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:05

Dropping into the DMs.

SPEAKER_03 54:07

Yeah, they don't like that. Like they they really like people really feel like that's invasive when you start texting the folks. So I was like, okay, I'm turning that off. So I turn off the text feature.

SPEAKER_01 54:16

So yeah, I do I do text my guests. I mean, sometimes I'll I'll text them if they text me, of course, but um, like another thing that I've been doing, because I'm I I'm not really sure where the world of vacation rentals is going. And I what I do know is that um Google is still like king, you know. Um and like I feel like there's there's gotta be a future it with Google and Vacation Rentals.

SPEAKER_05 54:44

And yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:48

I mean, I've heard some. I've I've tried to keep up with it all, but it's hard to with taking care of my twins and everything like that.

SPEAKER_03 54:54

Yeah. Um go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 54:56

Yeah, so basically, like we're on Google Maps of, you know, I I I put myself on Google Maps, um, and um now I try to get my, you know, I feel like um, you know, because you can you can get your guests to go in and write a review on TripAdvisor. I don't know, that's like another, but I haven't gotten any bookings on TripAdvisor. So I'm like, I don't even think that's worth it asking them to leave me reviews on TripAdvisor. Um, but Google my Google Maps, like I've had a lot of people find me through Google Maps. And the more reviews, and so I feel like if I can get like a ton of all my reviews on there, then that like I feel like at some point, I mean, already I know it's helping me with direct bookings, but I feel like it's only I feel like it's I I just feel like there's something with that, you know, in the that's gonna happen where it's gonna be really, really valuable to have a lot of um to have be really strong, you know, with your Google uh business page. And so that's where I will, if I have a guest that left me a five-star review, um, I will send them a text and thank them for leaving me the review and tell them we want them to come back and say, Would you mind um this review that you left me on Airbnb? Would you mind leaving this on my Google Business page? And I say, I'll even I say, just to make

Texting five-star guests to copy-paste reviews onto Google: 50% success rate

SPEAKER_01 56:18

it really easy for you, I'm gonna copy and paste your review and I'm gonna leave it here so that all you have to do is copy and paste it. And so I send them the link, I send them the review that they sent me that they wrote me. I copy and paste it and I leave it. And that's been like I've I've I've tried to get guests to leave reviews on different sites in so many different ways, and nothing has worked. And this is the only thing that has worked for me.

SPEAKER_03 56:42

Oh, really it worked? The text?

SPEAKER_01 56:44

The only thing that's worked for me is to text them and only ask them for because I've also said, can you leave a review on TripAdvisor? Can you leave it on Google page? Can you leave it on all these sites? And that doesn't work either. So you're just asking for the one place, the Google business page, that's and and asking them to leave a review there, and just that's worked. It's worked, and not everyone does it. I would say 50% of my guests do it.

SPEAKER_03 57:06

I've gotten lucky with Google. Um, so you know how I put all the guest names in MailChimp. I actually like 20 days after they check out, I have an automated email message go to them to tell them to leave a review on their Google page. And then on my Google page, on my Google business page, I have all of my rentals listed as products. So then they can actually go and book, and it'll take them directly to the direct booking link for that product or for that listing. That's another thing. And then I run Google ads all the time.

SPEAKER_01 57:38

Yeah, I I I need to do more Google ads and and Facebook ads and YouTube ads.

SPEAKER_03 57:44

I YouTube ads, I haven't got into that.

SPEAKER_01 57:47

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 57:48

Oh, I gotta get into that.

SPEAKER_01 57:50

Yeah, yeah. We have a like our property video. We only have one our Mam and Magic Kingdom House is the only house that has a pro we're actually shooting our first property video for Mam and Beach House. Um, because we don't have a property video for that one yet, but we did do one for Mam Men Magic Kingdom House, and I put it on um on YouTube, and um, and so I've run ads on that. Um, so I I but it was only it was a limited time, so I need to go back and like redo the ad and like make sure I'm doing the right uh target people, you know. Um, and that's the thing that I think is is is valuable about um this pre-arrival form because I'll ask for their mailing address too. And so I I get to know I find out um where they are. And one thing, um, yeah, so it's like just knowing more and more about, you know, who it is, who it is, who is it that likes what we have what we have, you know, who is our audience, who is our our guest, um, I think is is really good, you know, information to have. Um, yeah, so um, but that's the only thing that's worked for me is to text because I've sent emails too, and they ignore, they seem to not really take to the email. But if I text them and I send them the link to my Google business page and I send them their actual review, that is what has worked for me.

SPEAKER_05 59:12

And it's been great.

SPEAKER_02 59:15

Nice, nice. Uh real quick question before before we wrap it up here. Um, so these three spots, the these three places that you have so far, they're in are they in places that you I mean you like to visit yourself, but do you visit your own places?

SPEAKER_01 59:29

Oh, yeah, yeah. These are like my favorite places. I mean, um, like I said, growing up going to Ocean City, I mean, I love Ocean City. Um, it's like a second home to me. And then um it as a young adult, I started going to Deep Creek Lake, which is so Ocean City is three miles on the east side, and Deep Creek Lake is three miles to the west of me in the mountains um in Maryland. And so I started going there and fell in love with Deep Creek Lake. I mean, and it's just like a really, really beautiful lake resort town. They have um a really nice uh ski resort in the wintertime called Wisp. And so it's an all-season, all-year-round um town, right? It's because it's like this the lake in the summer, they have the autumn glory in the fall, they have um and and they have the the skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and then in the um in the spring, you know, there's like hiking and there's mountain biking and all sorts of stuff. So um yeah, it's it's it's just like I I love, love, love those places. So it was like a dream, you know, to like a beach house, to have a beach house. It's like the question is always like, oh, do you want a beach house or a mountain house? And um or a bike house. And so and so for me, it was like was we we were initially thinking we were gonna keep stay all of our properties in in Ocean City because you know, we had Ocean City, and I'm like, it's gonna it makes more sense to have all our properties in one place, use the same cleaner, and it makes everything more simple. You know, only one place we're doing the room tax and all that nonsense. Um, but I couldn't find a property that could match what we did. And um, you know, we just got such an amazing deal for that first property. And so yeah, I we started looking elsewhere and then we started looking at Deep Creek. Um, but then we actually had a house that we had a contract on that fell through the day we were flying out to Disney World with our kids for the first time, and so that's when it was just like maybe we're going down to Disney for a reason right now. Well, this property in Deep Creek just fell through. Um, and we're going to the vacation rental Mecca. So that's when we when we were down there, we looked at how at houses um and we bought a house sight on scene like a month later. Um, so that um yeah, so basically, like I always I also wanted to have a place where I could go and escape the cold, harsh winters up here in in Maryland down south. And so, you know, the one that was like where Florida came in. I'm like, this would be amazing to be able to come down here and um enjoy the sunshine in the wintertime sometimes. Um so that was like really important for me. Um it was it's it's it it's we want to make a profit because the profit is what keeps the business going. It's what helps us put more value into the house and it also helps fund more properties and and keeping the business growing. Um although for me, I'm definitely gonna like keep it at, I don't think I'm gonna grow it anytime soon um after this Deep Creek property. Um so, but for me, it's just really important that I am really, really love and passionate about the locations because I I want, you know, when I'm going there to like work on maintenance and things like that, which I do frequently at all the properties, it's like I want to like go there and just be feeling, you know, just loving the the location, being feeling like I'm in a tranquil place, feeling like even though it's work, it's still a vacation for me, you know? So that's really important for me because I put so much into it.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:59

It's like but if the IRS is listening, it's work, it's not a vacation.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:05

Yeah, I mean, that's that's like uh the great what another great thing. It's like you know, we're flying down a Florida all the time to work on the house and check on things and you know, but also hey, let's go into Disney World for a few days.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:18

Yeah, yeah, make sure it's still there. Uh I I guess I guess what I what I was was hearing, and and it's like and it's what I've what I feel too is a lot of people like you said, how would it be more profitable to get another one in Ocean City than it? But why not build build the lifestyle that you want to live first and then the profit will come around that instead of building the profit first, and then you're not having the lifestyle you want, you know? I think you it could be a win-win situation. I think that's what you're doing. And that's really that's really inspiring.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:49

Yeah, I mean, it's it definitely staying in one location would be so much easier, but I feel like I'm still working on getting my systems all organized and intact and like and like I'm still right now, I'm working with my software so that they'll automatically send the cleanings to my cleaner instead of me having to constantly update my cleaner. So it's like once I kind of get everything automated and systemized, like it in the long run, it's gonna be just really, really amazing. I'm putting a lot of work into it now. I feel like I feel like I'm putting so much work into it now, but I feel like in the f in the future, like in a few years and in the long run, it's not only am I going to have everything is gonna be a lot easier to systemize, but also I'm gonna have these three locations that I love that I can, you know, visit and and share with people I love, um, which is you know a reason I love it so much, this business. So awesome.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:48

So hostfully does it send your cleaners' messages?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:51

That's what I'm working I'm doing. They they do have something, but I'm trying to work out the kinks right now. I I'm I've just started this past week trying to get that all done and figured out, but I actually they'll send it now, like they have something that triggers my for new reservations, but it's all the reservations I have already in my calendar. I have to manually go in and do it. And I have like like a hundred reservations on my calendar right now. So I have to go in each individual date and manually put in everything. So that's taking a lot of time. That once I'm done with that, I don't have to think about it again until unless I have to get a new cleaner and then I have to re-manually. Hopefully, I wanted to get a new cleaner, so I hope that the people I have now are I'm gonna stick with for a while. But yeah, it it should it should all work once I have caught up.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:48

And that's one more question too, because I've always I've always been fascinated with the vacation rental part of this this whole, you know, Airbnb or whatever. Um, because even when I we first started this podcast, I told I told Mike I Wanted a place in South Padre Island because we love going to South Padre Island. I was like, it just and here's why I went wrong. I kept seeing it as just uh just a profit thing. I was like, man, I just get another single family home here and it's more profitable and you know, appreciation and all that stuff. But I always wanted a place in South Padre Island. And and and it I guess it's I guess it goes back to it, it doesn't always you don't always put the make profit the first priority, put like enjoyment that your family's gonna have with this place because we could have already had our place there, you know, set it up how we wanted it, and gone traveled and spent like a few weeks there if we wanted to, you know, on the cheap. And and now, you know, prices are are going up on these uh vacation rentals everywhere. I guess you've seen it too. And and so I guess I guess what would what would you tell someone that's really considering to buy like a a property in a vacation rental uh area?

Buying vacation properties you actually want to visit

SPEAKER_01 1:06:54

Yeah, I mean, I think um, well, I think if are if you're are you asking about like a a place that they really love, like a place that like what you said. I mean, uh for me, I I know that when I go to my vacation rental locations right now, I am not on vacation. Even when like when we go down to Florida, like I like we will have days we'll go into Disney. So it's like I'm not working on the house that day, but the day before and the day after, I am working on the house. And it's it's stressful, it's packed, it's like so much stuff we have we got to do and get done while we're there. Um, as well as you know, when we're at Disney, like in in like I I've never just gone to the beach house and just relaxed with a friend. Invite I've even haven't even invited friends to stay with me there. Um, this we have just been on this train of like you know, trying to get the money to put into the next house that we need to pay off and like all these, you know, things that were, you know, because we were acquiring all these properties back to back. So um I would say definitely um don't expect it always to be a vacation um because there's always gonna be work to do. But I think that um at the same time, you'll go there and enjoy it more than you ever imagined. And and that is something that, you know, I think is priceless, where um like I would never be going up to Ocean City all winter long, you know, you know, in the winter and in in the fall and in the spring. And I mean, I used to just go one week in the summer and now I go all year round, uh, all throughout the year, and I'm really getting to see just how much Ocean City has all year round, all the cool things you can do, all the cool restaurants there are, um, different deals that go on in the offseason, different things and festivals that go on in the off season. And it's just really cool. I mean, I love Ocean City in the winter now. Um, and so yeah, just being able to you get to really get to know that place and and it's like becomes a part of you, you know? So um as long as you know it's not always gonna be a vacation, and maybe once you've paid down the mortgage a little bit and down the road, um, it's gonna be such a gift for friends and family that you can offer and have. Um, but I think initially too, when you're first getting you're getting going, it's not gonna be a vacation for a little while, but eventually a willy will. You know, slowly we're you know, we're able to enjoy it more and more.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:29

Nice. Well, thank you so much for hopping on, Rebecca. Um, where can folks find you?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:35

Oh, yeah, I would love for you guys to uh to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Um, we are at Mad Men Vacation Rentals is our um tag there. So um we're there.

Follow Mad Men Vacation Rentals on Instagram

SPEAKER_01 1:09:48

I'm very active on there. I share our journey, our vacation rental business journey, really. Um, so we have everyone, lots of people follow me there, lots of vacation rental hosts, lots of um people in the vacation rental business, as well as our guests and and just people that are interested in Ocean City or Disney and like are interested in staying in places like that. So we have all sorts of people that that follow me because not only do I share about our vacational locations, like I'll do um, you know, a restaurant experience in down by Disney World, or I'll do a um craft beer experience down in Ocean City. So I'll do these like experiences in our vacation locations, um, but then I'll also share like updates and things that we're doing at our property, what it's like to stay at our property, but then I'll also talk about the business side of things as well. And like um and definitely, you know, different ways we're staying afloat in this crazy time. And um, you know, so I I talk about all that stuff and I'm very active, you know. I post almost every day something and and I'm active on my stories as well. Um yeah, so I'd love for you guys to follow me there at Mad Men Vacation Rentals um is the best way to to and then you can send me a DM there as well if you have any questions. Um, I have you know, a good amount of people that have heard me on different podcasts, you know, contact me with different questions. And I love to help anyone that um, you know, just wants I had someone just the other day was like, Well, how do you get mattresses? You know, what do you do with mattresses? What what mattresses do you get? You know, how do you do the mattressing? And and I went through, you know, everything that I've learned over the past, and I've learned a lot about mattresses, and like I have a lot to say about mattresses, and so um I had a good conversation with this this woman on uh Instagram that just DM'd me and asked me some questions, and we had a nice conversation there about and I gave her you know things I've learned and what I what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:44

Yeah, people leave it free out by the curb, so it's it's perfect.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:48

That is true, they do that. I do that.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:54

Well, thank you for hopping on. It's been a great episode, and I am gonna ask you. I'm already following you. I'm gonna ask you with tons of questions, so be be prepared.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:01

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:02

Me too. Definitely gotta ask more about those systems because I like the few of them.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:05

Oh, I yeah, I'm gonna be asking you too. So uh yeah, be checking your inbox for my questions about all this stuff too.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:12

Feel free to hop in the DMs, I'll answer whatever. All right, Rebecca.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:17

Well, thank you so much for hopping on.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:19

Thank you so much, guys. You guys are awesome.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:21

All right, bye. Bye, see ya. All right, Stevie Stacks, man. That was episode what number?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:29

159.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:31

Your favorite Airbnb share being share share economy podcast, share B, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:39

Drop not on accident, but yeah, it was a drop at Mad Men Vacation Rentals. Yeah, she has some cool, cool spots, man. And um, that was that's inspiring because man, I I I look at Padre every day still. I'm like, why don't why don't I just go ahead and do it?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:56

I mean it's if you want to, eh?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:58

And if she what she's saying is correct, you know, it's it's you know, Padre always died a seasonal, and then you know, there's months where it's dead, but now with man, I meant to ask her that, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:08

That was my biggest thing. I wanted to ask her because you know she's in the vacation rental market. How do they survive those seasonal months? You know, yeah, that's someone to ask her. That would have been a good question.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:19

I kind of asked her that with the uh with the ocean city one, and she said it's been it because of COVID, it's been pretty heavy in the in the in the off months, too. So she said she might she might have her first, you know, um almost fully booked um Januaries and Februaries in the wintertime. So it's um like I said, COVID is changing the game.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:40

That's another thing. Do you think COVID's technically over with in Texas? Because I've been walking around, like I went to I think we've been to like two bars so far. People are taking off their masks.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:50

Oh man, it's just it's just you noticed it too? Yeah, it's just people are done, they're like, Ah, screw it.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:57

I know, like I noticed, I'm like, damn, people because I I remember like last with a couple Wednesdays ago, that's when they said, Hey, it's all clear to you know, do the no mask thing. And I think mahogany went out that night and she just kind of took a picture of the bar and she was like, Yeah, these people she went out for her with her friends for a birthday dinner. She's like, Yeah, these people ain't really wearing masks no more. I'm like, Yeah, I guess so.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:18

We're done with all that. Yeah, I think so. So I like now now.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:22

My question was, okay, do you think the COVID plays really effective in Texas now, or is Texas back to normal? Or do you have just people flying in like restrictions are tough out here? We're gonna fly into Texas.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:34

I think it might, I mean, at least for a few years, it might have made an impact on how people travel. Yeah, because you know, they don't want to go into these giant hotels with all kinds of thousands of people from all over the world. I mean, they want to get like a little house or a little condo somewhere, yeah, privacy, less people.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:49

I think Vegas wasn't really open, man. Oh no, nah, man. Like the buffets were shut down. You can go get you can go get food, but like you know, Vegas is what you love. You know, you get the buffets, you can go gamble, drink, walk, you know, but buffets were closed, and then it's like you can gamble, but it just wasn't they must have a Democrat mayor, yeah. Yeah, you know, you know, they're blue. You are they're blue all the ways. Texas don't give a yeah, Texas like so yeah, we it's crazy though, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:20

But man, you're still scrubbing toilets at your arbitrages.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:24

What's going on? I'm not scrubbing, I'm not scrubbing the toilets, it just knows the little water leak coming out of the out of one of the toilets, you know, started seeping some water out, you know, because after the freeze.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:35

Are you doing condos?

SPEAKER_02 1:15:37

Yeah, there's condos, there's people own condos, and and that's all them, you know, like you like you tell them, you know, anything under 200 bucks will take care of it. It's a five-dollar seal. It still sucks to freaking do that kind of thing. But if you the more I figure the more you keep the the mom and pop owners out of your hair, the more, you know, the better it is for you.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:56

Why don't you get some B O G?

SPEAKER_02 1:15:58

B O G boots on the ground. Boots on I am the damn boots on the ground.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:04

I gotta get out of that, man. Get out of that.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:07

Nah, yeah, yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:09

Yeah, you gotta get out of that.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:11

Yeah, I don't want to uh hit up ThumbTech.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:13

Just give somebody. Uh I just hired a guy who did uh a lot of the repairs for my condo when I was selling it off thumbtack. I'll get his information to you. He does like odd jobs, and he'll just you just hit him up and he'll come to you if you want.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:26

Cool, I'm done with that. Yeah, text me that info. All right, man. It's a good episode. Live that thrive.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:33

Yeah, episode 159. Catch us on IG, the mainly IG, Twitter, Facebook, all that good stuff. We're always commenting at us, whatever you want to do, and all that information is below in the descriptions. And uh hit us up. Already. We are out later. Peace.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:54

Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of Live Let Thrive. Be sure to tune in next week for all the latest in the world of Airbnb and all that entails. Bye bye!