Cold open

SPEAKER_00 0:00

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

SPEAKER_03 0:11

Hello, hello, hello. And welcome back to another exciting episode of Live Let Thrive.

SPEAKER_04 0:21

Hey, what's up, Michael Mann?

SPEAKER_03 0:23

I am good. How you doing, Steve Stack?

SPEAKER_04 0:26

I'm doing great, man. I'm ready to tackle this episode 129 of your favorite Airbnb BRBO, home away, Uber, all that lift all every you know, check economy podcast. Are you ready?

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_04 0:39

We have a guest today, Sarah Abernathy.

Sara Aber: four LTRs, four STRs, and the direct booking mission

SPEAKER_04 0:42

Y'all want to know about Sarah? I'll tell you a little something about Sarah. Sarah's been doing buy and hold real estate since 2007 and owns four LTRs and four STRs. That's long-term rentals, short-term rentals. She also has a day job as a marketing consultant for a Fortune 500 company. She is launching a website called vacationstays.com to promote direct booking for vacation rentals. Give it up for Sarah.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Hi. Yay! Nice to meet you guys.

SPEAKER_04 1:11

Yeah, nice to meet you. Cool. So you're all about turning uh this is this, I guess we're gonna go heavy into this show about the direct booking um aspect of vacation rentals.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:25

What makes you want to focus on that?

SPEAKER_01 1:27

I think um, you know, I started doing uh vacation rentals through Airbnb, and that's kind of how I got my start, and it was great, and it's it does make it easy to kind of get started. But once you start to scale and you realize how much money you're leaving on the table, um, and then how much control you're giving up, it just doesn't make sense anymore once you get to a certain point. Um, and even before you get to a certain point, you know, there's when there's opportunities to cut out costs, there's there's no reason not to do it. Um, so with the rentals that I have now, um Mill Creek Cabins in Finger Lakes, New York, um I have a website, I drive people to the website, and I've achieved 80% direct bookings, um, which has been great. I mean, it is a really good website and it's um has really good SEO, so that really helps. Um, but I also think there's uh you know, I would love to close that gap, especially this year. Like, let's close the gap, make it 100%. Um, and so I would love to see a lot more hosts achieve that. Um, and it may not be 100% right away or it may take time, but I think that moving in that direction can just benefit everybody.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

So I have a question um real quick.

Finger Lakes, New York - the county with the fewest COVID cases in the state

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Where are your short-term rentals located?

SPEAKER_01 2:48

So they're in the Finger Lakes, New York, which is central New York. It's about four and a half hours from New York City. Um, it's a relatively rural area um with a lot of wineries, 200 wineries and a lot of waterfalls.

SPEAKER_03 3:01

So when COVID hit, you were you weren't hit as hard then, were you?

SPEAKER_01 3:05

So I was not hit uh as hard. The the county I was in was that had the least number of COVID cases in all of New York State. But um the the county also didn't have a lot of hospitals. So they actually asked us to voluntarily shut down, um, which I was I had guests that really wanted to come. I own cabins. They they're a great place to go and kind of get away, you know, great place to quarantine and kind of get away from everything. So I had people that really, really wanted to stay, but I realized that one thing you cannot change in real estate is the community you're in. So I was, you know, they asked me to do it. So I I closed down um and I reopened May 22nd. Um, it it's a drive location, so I've been gangbusters. I'm completely booked through the end of August. So it is, you know, it is an unusual year for sure.

SPEAKER_03 3:58

Okay. And so you're you're located on the outskirts of New York. And I heard everyone on the outskirts was doing pretty well because they were away from Bustle. And so, and you said you're uh 80% direct bookings.

How to hit 80% direct bookings with Facebook and a strong website

SPEAKER_01 4:10

80% direct bookings.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

How did you do that?

SPEAKER_01 4:14

You know, it's it's definitely about having a strong website, but then also the social media has been really, really helpful. Um, for me, it's been Facebook, um, especially for my target audience. My target audience is a drive from the cabins, three to four hours. Um, it is it actually tends to be a little bit older, um, which I actually really like. Um, I when I bought the cabins, I thought it was gonna be like millennials glamping and all of those things. But turns out, you know, millennials who like to glamp, they only like to glamp on weekends or in the summer, and those are booked already. Um, I realized that retirees are actually much better for my business. Um, so the older generation, you know, really strong on Facebook. Um, so if I have anything open, I'll post it on Facebook. It is booked really, really quickly, especially right now. Um, but yeah, it's been social media, um, and then just really optimizing the website and Google ads, that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 5:14

Okay. And you said on Facebook. So you mean like you you just post on, hey, we have availability, and then they click on it and they go to vacationstays.com?

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Well, they go to right now, they go to fingerlakescabins.com. So they go to my website. Um, so I have basically been building for the past three years this um formula for how you kind of can get these people to book on your site. And so that's what I want to bring to vacationstays.com. I want to take that formula and I want to make it global. Um, I think that if we want to as hosts kind of take back the control, I think it needs to be on a global scale. I think there's a lot of regional sites that are doing it really well, but right now I don't know that there's a global solution that um is gonna help hosts really be able to get a strong, um, strong set of bookings from outside of outside of the OTAs.

SPEAKER_04 6:11

Now, is it um really hard to create your own um

Lodgify at $700 a year for four listings and a channel manager

SPEAKER_04 6:14

booking website and uh listing website? And uh how much does that usually like how much does that cost? And and what all do you need to do to do that?

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Yeah, there's so many different ways to do it. Um the way I chose, um I I researched it, I chose it. I don't know if I have the best one. I use Logify. Um, and for me, I have um four listings and it's maybe 700 a year. Um, but I have a website, channel manager, everything's kind of built into it. Um I I think Logify is great, but there's a lot of other places that do it. Um, owner res is another one that people use. Um, and then you can also kind of put it together yourself. You can do Wix. Um, there's a lot of ways that you can build a website that are pretty inexpensive, especially for the value that you get.

SPEAKER_04 7:04

And they're integrated with Airbnb.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Yeah, so it's just you use the ICal integration, just like you know, whenever you do between Airbnb and VRBO, that iCal integration, you can do that with uh with Logify. So um, and then you can also do it, and that's how I do it for my website, but then you all could also can use that ICal for vacation stays as well.

SPEAKER_03 7:26

So Logify, how much do they charge you per listing?

SPEAKER_01 7:30

Um, I don't really know actually. I I think I just signed up. I think I had a bundle that was like one to four, and mine was 700. Someone told me the other day that they got it for a lot cheaper, but I don't know um, you know, if there's different options or if things have changed since I've signed up.

SPEAKER_03 7:45

And Logify, they they do pretty good SEO for your website and all that.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Logify does um Logify does some SEO for the website, but also you know, me having content on there and updating pictures and things regularly really helps as well.

SPEAKER_03 8:00

Wow. Because I'm I'm currently, I just signed up with your porter and it's been doing pretty well because I'm just doing I'm just running ads to it, but I still haven't got a direct booking yet. So I'm still focusing on that's what I'm like really focusing on how do I do it. And then I was I I found myself kind of getting lazy because Airbnb started picking back up and I'm like, yeah, I don't want to depend on that, you know.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

Yeah, I mean it I I think especially

Cutting Airbnb to three months out - let direct bookers go first

SPEAKER_01 8:25

in the beginning, it kind of has to be an and strategy. Um, so the way I have it, um I now have you can only book on Airbnb maybe three months out. That way people have a chance to do direct book first, and then I only do Airbnb for you know the random I have an extra, you know, two night stay on a Sunday, Monday. Airbnb will fill that. So that's how I that's how I've been managing it.

SPEAKER_03 8:50

Oh, so you just cut Airbnb out the picture at some point.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Yeah, yeah. And so if I just keep it, you know, I'd love to kind of move it to to less and less, and maybe I go away from Airbnb, or maybe I always have them as kind of the um, you know, the safety net for um for when I, you know, can't fill it up with direct bookings.

unknown 9:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:12

And you oh go ahead, Steve.

SPEAKER_04 9:14

Oh, sorry. And now like um on your profile pick on Airbnb since you still kind of use it. Do you did you you thought you put uh like a logo or something that kind of like would tell the people, hey, go here instead, you know, instead of save some money?

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Yeah, I mean, there is sometimes, you know, I there are people that will come on and then ask if they can go off and we'll try to like hint a little bit, but usually if they're there on Airbnb, I don't, I don't necessarily try to, yeah, I don't try super hard to get them to leave just because, you know, that's where if that's where they're comfortable, that's fine. I don't want them to think I'm doing anything unsavory by pulling them off of the platform. But um, I think, you know, it's more about building up this um kind of persona for personality for the cabins that people are really attracted to. And then they actually feel a little bit more um, it feels like a little bit more of an authentic experience when they're direct dealing directly with, you know, myself or Rebecca the manager, um and being able to kind of sort out all the details. Um, with the virus, I have to say the the difference in cancellations was it was incredible,

COVID cancellations: refunds with conversation versus Airbnb's policy wall

SPEAKER_01 10:28

the way that they were handled. So, any with my direct booking customers, a lot of them had to cancel. We had to cancel some of them because we had to close. Um at least half of them we were able to convince to reschedule. Some of them couldn't. They said, oh, you know, it's a wedding and now it's not gonna happen or it's gonna happen somewhere else. You know, can we cancel? We gave them a full refund. I had no problem giving people full refunds. Um, but on Airbnb, there was no conversation. There was no, hey, you know, we're thinking about um canceling, is there are there any options? They just canceled because the the cancellation policy took the conversation away between us and the guests. And that's the part I think that made me the most upset about it is it wasn't about giving back the money. I was gonna give back the money regardless, but it was about the fact that there was no relationship there and I wasn't able to kind of solve any problems with that.

SPEAKER_04 11:25

Made you feel like a cheap hotel, right?

SPEAKER_01 11:27

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Whereas with my direct bookings, you know, I have next fourth of July booked, right? I've got, you know, people move them to the fall, they move them to next year, and you know, and they were, you know, we asked for a 50% deposit down, and they're like, yep, that's fine, keep it, we'll we'll come back next year. Made things a lot, made things a lot easier. Um, and you know, I look at the hosts that you know rely on Airbnb, and they what I experienced and how I felt with Airbnb is how they had to feel about their entire business. And that that I think is unfortunate. I think that's not the best way to, you know, you don't want to feel that you're out of control when it's your business, it's your life savings that you put into it, it's your loving care, your design, everything's everything about that experience you created, and then Airbnb just kind of takes away that that connection.

SPEAKER_04 12:25

You love um you love hosting, don't you?

SPEAKER_01 12:27

I do. I do it's really fun, it's really fun. I don't love cleaning, I don't do the cleaning. I can't.

SPEAKER_04 12:33

I'm not I hate cleaning too. Well, I think we all do. Um like like um that's cool. I didn't I see the joy in you about it because like there's so many burned out Airbnbers or short-term rental rental short-term renters. It's just like, yeah, I mean, they just it's such a it turned into like a business that they hate, you know. But I see that you just love doing it, like the whole design and you're treating people good and all that.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Yeah, you know, when I I was looking for kind of my next um the next one, and I was looking at at one listing that I was looking at buying, and it had in the first sentence all capital letters that was just like you, you know, I don't remember what the rule was, but it was like you must do this or that, and it was the very first sentence of their listing, and I'm like, they're burned out, they're done. They they just because the the the property was beautiful. I'm like, what what why aren't they, you know, being successful with this property? They're just done with it. So sometimes I I can see how it really gets to people.

Avoiding burnout by building the right team

SPEAKER_03 13:34

Yeah, people don't put like certain systems in place. A lot of those people have the end up having a party house, they don't know how to put systems in place to avoid it. So yeah, they get burned out real quick. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 13:44

Oh, how do you how do you keep from getting burned out? I mean, I'm sure you've been through some bad situations. How do you get that to not affect you so badly?

SPEAKER_01 13:51

Um, honestly, I I put a really strong team in place, and that took a lot of different iterations. The first team was not the team that I have now, um, but getting the right people in place and then building the processes around it and you know, having the right communication systems, it just made it a lot easier to manage. Um, you know, and I have Rebecca manages all of the um guest communication, um, and she does a brilliant job of it. She absolutely loves doing it. Um, and so I think, you know, just have honestly, that's really the thing is the people, when you build the right set of people, it just everything becomes easier.

SPEAKER_04 14:37

Now, what's the most important component? Who's the most important person like in this team that you're building? I I think I know the answer, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

I think it's um it can change. So I think a year ago, I had a caretaker um that he did the landscaping and uh, but he also was the emergency contact. So he was the one, if people had a problem, he would come over and take care of it. And I had cleaners too, but the cleaners they came in, they cleaned, and they they left. Um, the caretaker at that point was the most important because that was the person taking the ownership over the whole guest experience. Um, and now that's shifted. It's actually the person who cleans now does the customer service, and now she um, you know, she's the one who's invested and she's making sure that all the money's coming in. So it it it really changes. It's the person who cares and like takes the ownership of the guest experience that is the most important. And then the rest of it's you know, I've plug in the landscapers here and there, plug in the maintenance, um, that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_04 15:45

Nice. Because I guess in what I'm going through right now, because I I I've had I've I had a two a couple of Airbnbs up and running, and then both cities that they were in got shut down. So I hadn't done it in a while. This house that we live in, we went we went out of town last last week. We got back a couple days ago, went to South Padre Island. And um I was like, you know what? I'm I'm gonna Airbnb this house out while I'm gone, and I did it. And I used the old same reliable you know cleaner that um I've always that I've always used. And um and and she did one more cleaning before we came home, and I got home, and I'm like, and I guess uh you get you kind of get used to like you said, you you change your team a few

The cleaner who became the manager

SPEAKER_04 16:25

times. I I guess when she was doing my Airbnbs, I'm not going there all the time. You know, I just trusted that she did good. When I got home, I was like, oh, really, this has been my cleaner the whole time. And I'm like thinking, uh uh you kind of you kind of have to pay the money and get a good rock star cleaner because that's like the most important in my eyes.

SPEAKER_01 16:43

Yeah, I think that's when you have the right people, you have to treat them really, really well. And, you know, with with my team, like it is money, right? Making sure paying them well. You know, when we have a good year, we get a super host, you know, I'll give bonuses and things like that. But it's also just about um giving the ownership as well. I feel like them having ownership and having pride and and you know, being excited about getting the review rather than the review, you know, rather than me being the one that's excited about getting the review, them being the one that's excited about it. Um, I think that makes a huge difference in in you know what the guest experiences.

SPEAKER_04 17:24

How do you give them ownership? Do they get like a bonus if they they hit five stars, or what how does that work?

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Yeah, I mean, that can be that can be, I think it depends on the person and what motivates them.

SPEAKER_04 17:37

So I think money, me, money.

SPEAKER_01 17:39

It can be money, right? Yeah, it's it can totally it can be money. Um and yeah, I mean it's pride. I think you know, with with the team I have now, it's really about it is about pride and it's about you know loving that we get all these great reviews and and yeah, absolutely compensated for it too. But um finding what really motivates people is is really important. Um, you know, I I did I realized that um had I laid off my staff, um, my staff is part-time, had I laid them off, they actually probably would have gotten more money in unemployment. Um, and I talked to them about it. I was like, ooh, should I have laid you off? And they're like, and then I wouldn't have been able to leave my house. No, I don't I wanted to leave my house. I wanted to get out and I wanted to do things. So, you know, even when we were shut down, we had a long list of things that you know we just needed to get done, and I was able to pay them to get it done because I got the PPP loan and um and it worked out great.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

So nice. So you you got the PPP.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

I did, yeah, got the PPP. I didn't get that one. You didn't.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

No, I got the SBA, but I didn't get the PPP.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Okay. Well, I mean, um I'm in I'm incorporated as an S-corp. I pay them through um, you know, they're W-2 employees for me. So it was it was pretty clear cut. Um, that and I I fortunately work with like a regional bank. I think if I had been with a large bank, it would have been a little harder.

SPEAKER_03 19:09

You know, and that's a good thing that you pay them W-2. See, mine are all contractors, and that's definitely a good thing. One thing I learned pay people W 2 so then you can get the extra benefits, you know. Yeah, that's one thing I've learned.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Yeah, I mean, uh at the end of the day, though, it's probably more expensive to pay W-2. Probably. Um, but yeah, there's definitely benefits to it as well.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

Um where are your long-term rentals at?

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Oh, scattered through Pennsylvania. So I have one in Philly, one in Hershey, and then one in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Um, each of them were owner-occupied house hacks. Um, so lived in Philly, rented out the three three other rooms. Um, I was, you know, in my early 20s and it was great. And they paid the mortgage, and I was like, this is the life, this is fantastic. Um, I moved out of town, made that a rental, and then um when I've lived in cities, I haven't bought. So I've I I just don't, I don't buy, I didn't buy, I lived in Chicago, I didn't buy there, didn't buy in DC, didn't buy in New York. But when I lived in Hershey, PA, I bought there, and then um Mechanixburg is near that as well. So I bought in Hershey, and then I moved to Mechanicsburg, bought that owner occupied, got a duplex. Um, and now I until March 15th, I lived in New York City. Um, so I I I don't buy in New York City. I like to buy, I'm a small town investor. I like that better.

SPEAKER_03 20:40

I'm moving that route too. Finding the joys in that route. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

Yeah. I read an article that um that small town investing is like blowing up right now. I'm like, well, that makes sense why I can't find anything. I've done nothing.

SPEAKER_03 20:56

I've literally small town investing is heating up because I've been, I think I've bought two so far since the the coronavirus in smaller town. I bought one and I have one under contract, so it's it's it's heating up because I think a lot of people, like especially on the short-term rental side, they seen what wasn't hit by COVID and then what was hit. And seems like these small towns where you just drive through, they didn't get hit as hard. So yeah, definitely heating up.

SPEAKER_04 21:24

Especially living in an environment like that, living in New York City or a big city with the COVID just going crazy. You know, you people are just people gonna start moving, man, going to the small towns again or the suburbs.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Yeah. I lived in 300 square feet and I made it 48 hours. I I was I got I had been traveling, I traveled a lot for my job. Um, I was in Chicago, Boston, and Mexico, like the three weeks leading up to COVID. And then I went to my apartment and I'm like, all right, this is where I'm gonna be for the next three months. And I looked around after 48 hours, I was like, I can't just get I left when my lease ended in April I packed up I I had all my stuff packed up it's in storage somewhere I'm I'm not I'm not going back anytime soon I might go back next year you know if my company opens up their office again but I'm in no rush oh so you live you live in one of your cabins no no because they're they're really books I'm with family now oh nice I mean honestly like coronavirus kind of gave me permission

Selling the Philly house hack and 1031-ing into more Finger Lakes cabins

SPEAKER_01 22:29

to come home and live with mom and dad and like this is great saving all kinds of rent you know this would be great for my next investment I can't wait oh yeah so do you plan on growing getting any more uh short-term rentals up yeah yeah so I actually um that first Philly house I literally sold it today on accident I didn't mean to sell it because I'm a buy and hold investor but they called I got a call from a realtor that had an offer um and you know three four days after he initially called they looked at it they put an offer on it I'm like okay sure I'll do that so I'm gonna 1031 exchange that into more short-term rentals in the finger lakes which I'm really excited about because it's such like a nerdy tax thing I love the 1031 so okay so where are you look where are you gonna be looking to expand to particular do you have any particular city in mind? I really I love the team that I have in the finger lakes so my my goal is to um I literally I'm looking in commuting distance of my existing team so um you know the finger lakes there's Seneca Cayuga Lake um looking in between those two um and I'm looking at I'm looking at a few different things I might buy land and then put like a little tiny house community on it um or I might buy something that's existing that you know I can then expand but the most important thing is that I'm able to add value to it um with my expertise and what I know about the market and what I know about um you know about short-term rentals so that's uh in that region wow I didn't think about it that because I was thinking like where should I expand to I've been buying in one area but then I'm kind of like how many Airbnbs or short term rentals is too many for one area because I noticed like the Saunders the lyrics they had so many in one place they went bankrupt. Yeah well I think it's about you know knowing knowing what your market can handle but also knowing you know what do you have to offer so I know in in my area what people are going for. They want a romantic getaway so when I was in Hershey people wanted you know kids um they want they were going to Hershey Park and they had families and things like that. So whenever I would go out of town and I'd Airbnb my place I'd have families come in. This place it's not families it's people want to bring their dog they want to drink wine um and they they want privacy um the best amenity that I have is a fenced in backyard. One of my cabins has a fenced in backyard which I kind of thought looked a little cheesy because I'm like oh cabins are supposed to be like more rustic I thought about taking it down but then people started coming they're like I can let my dog out in the backyard. This is great. It is my top performing rental people love having a fence and now I'm adding fences to the other ones because

Fenced backyards and dog-friendly STRs

SPEAKER_01 25:22

that's you know this like one amenity is just clinching it for people.

SPEAKER_03 25:26

So it's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

So you do a lot of pets I yeah I do it this particular area um it's very necessary but I also um I haven't had there's the joke that like a lot more problems with people than pets um pets are usually you know I think I've had maybe one dog that did chew up some furniture but over the course of the the time I've owned it not a lot of problems with that.

SPEAKER_03 25:54

It's fun well the reason why I asked that is because I just started allowing pets I just started doing it. I've been hearing a lot of people and I was like I'm gonna try it and I've been doing it and I'm like hey we have a backyard and I just kind of they were like because that's what most people see they see you have a backyard they're gonna ask so I'm like okay so and that hasn't been too bad so far.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

So yeah no I like it I mean and you can charge a little more for it and people are like more than happy to pay for it because bringing your dog on vacation is is so great. You know you don't have to you don't have to get a sitter you don't have to do rover um you know they they just kind of get to hang out with you and make them happy and yeah it's a good I think it's a good all around good all around thing. Now now when the when the COVID thing was starting to go crazy and um well they started cancel on did they start canceling your listings right away you know I it took a little while um people were were not sure whether they're they were going to cancel the first um people to start canceling were um people from Canada that couldn't come and then people in the military that couldn't be far away from their bases. So that's when I was like okay how am I going to handle this? In those situations like well they absolutely can't come so I'm going to give them full refunds. And then as things progressed and then people have started having to cancel for all kinds of reasons that was just when I decided like I'm gonna do the full refund thing and it's fine. And at that point I didn't know that there would be any government support for it. But um I do feel grateful that I was you know because I've set up as an S-corp and I you know have done everything you know I was able to get the disaster loan and things like that. So it kind of offset some of um not all of but some of the the pain of that.

SPEAKER_04 27:47

So when it started to shift though like people okay cancellations and also no everybody wants to go there now to get out of the city right and so so but at the same time you're um the city they're in the the finger lakes it called yeah they didn't they wanted y'all to not to not host people anymore right they wanted me to not host in um start beginning of April to end of May.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

Oh okay because they didn't have any hospital beds. So they you know they were like if you if you bring people here especially from there you get them from New York City you bring people here then they get sick we can't take care of them that easily so it's just too much of a risk to the community to kind of bring people in. But yeah as soon as May 22nd hit um I've been completely

Turning down $10,000 offers during the voluntary shutdown

SPEAKER_01 28:31

booked. I do put a night in between each day which has been a little bit hard to manage because I had had pre-existing people that I then had to like move and change and things like that to make everything work. But um I am doing like a a night in between just in case.

SPEAKER_04 28:49

Because I guess my question was did you get like um that that period where you couldn't you know host anybody were you still getting people like hey just I'll give you $10,000 just let me stay for the whole just let me let me sit this whole thing out you know at your place or did you get any requests like that?

SPEAKER_01 29:05

Oh every day every single day it was so painful to turn down money every single day. It was like people like come on please you know and I think the one um the one in the beginning that made my mind up is they called and they're like well you know my um my wife has is immune compromised and I want to get out of where I am to kind of make sure that um the person doesn't get sick and I'm like but there's no guarantee they could come here and they could still get sick and now they're further from a hospital and it just made me feel like you know what I don't want to have to you know be in this position of you know suddenly the neighbors are having to like help these people get to the hospital. I'm not gonna do it. I'm just gonna shut down um and and just not have to worry you know I'd rather worry about money than worry about people in that in that situation. So but yeah calls every single day people win it's a good problem to have I guess it it was a good problem to have but it was just um it you know more painful than now we're booked and and we have to tell people no I don't mind that at all. Oh no sorry we're booked like I don't mind that at all but having to turn down the money at that moment when we actually really needed it it was hard but it was the right thing to do.

SPEAKER_04 30:30

There you go as painful as it was so um what tips uh let me see what tips advice would you give to somebody that wants to try to start dipping their toe into the um you know self-promotion self-owned website stuff like that well I mean what I mean it's a kind of a big jump for people you know they're afraid like who's gonna back me if they destroy my house you know well so I think there's a lot of things that um that I think every short-term rental owner needs to have anyway and I think that's having the right insurance um so a lot of people will rely on Airbnb's insurance but then Airbnb doesn't necessarily cover everything um and then if if they don't cover it and you go to your regular insurance they might say to you hey we what do you mean you weren't there when this happened?

SPEAKER_01 31:20

Who was there? Why were they there? Now they're not going to cover it either so I think you know having the right insurance in place is really really important. So I think making sure those ducks are near making sure your contracts and um and your vetting process is all set up I think once I think you do need to get your house in order first before you go out on your own. But once your house is in order it can be as simple as creating a Facebook page. You know you don't have to go all the way to making a website if you're not ready or you're not sure how it'll work. But as long as your house is in order I think make a Facebook page you know it gets really fun starting to make the ads and boosting them and then seeing the results

Vacationstays.com - the global direct booking site with no commission

SPEAKER_01 32:04

come in. It's I mean I I guess I'm a marketing nerd so it's like really really fun to kind of see that kind of thing happen. And then I do think the direct booking sites are really helpful. So there's regional ones in a lot of different regions. So vacation stays is the one that I'm launching and then there's also halfy and I don't think it's either or I don't think it's you know book on vacation stays not halfy put put your listings on both. The more you can get your listing out there the better. For mine it's gonna be about the marketing angle like really pushing the marketing we're getting influencers on board and um so we're really excited about that part. I hired a college student to do some of the marketing so I now have a TikTok account. So you know trying to find you know where I do not have strength hire that you ain't out you ain't out there TikToking. I'm not I'm not TikToking but I do watch the videos and I do appreciate them.

SPEAKER_03 33:07

So so with okay can you kind of go into what Vacation Stays is and how you're doing it because you said some pretty cool stuff earlier about it before we got hopped on.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

Yeah so vacation stays it's a it's a listing website and you can put your property on there you can put your website if you have it if you don't have a website you can put your contact info um you know there's a a small listing fee to to sign up but then once you're on um for a year it's it's really about us doing the work. We need to put you on social media we need to um do Google ads so we're trying to leverage um a broader number of people that are going to get your listing in front of them it is pretty small right now we have 600 listings um but that does get us started because with 600 listings you know yes maybe you're maybe the first or second or third in your area but then when people are looking in your area you're the one that's there. You're there first that you're the early adopter so there is a benefit to being an early adopter. So with on yours your website Vacation Stays they can come directly to the host they're not going directly yep yeah so you know I thought about in the beginning oh you know I should do a commission model um because then you know people are paid for bookings and things like that but then I'd have to chase I'd have to be like oh did you go off platform and and now we have have this like contentious relationship. I don't want any contentious relationships um on this site so you know people pay the annual fee to come on it's between $25 and $75 depending on the size of your listing um you come on and then it's you know people might message you through vacation stays or they might just see you on social media and go straight to you. So there's no pride of ownership where it came from it's just about getting you as many direct leads as possible. So you're running ads for the people that list with you running ads for the people so people list with me we'll run we'll run ads for them you know once we have a lot we'll have to find you know what's the rotation of getting people you know getting people on but you know it's it's those listings that people want to see them. So yeah that'll that'll also just be what gets us traffic when we put really cool listings on our social media and draw people to us so you're a you're a self-proclaimed marketing nerd.

SPEAKER_04 35:38

So what are some what are some badass marketing tips to give to our listeners?

SPEAKER_01 35:44

You know I think it's really the biggest thing especially in this industry is about authenticity and just being as um kind of real as as possible um and and you know making that bringing that authenticity throughout the entire experience. So you know my cabins are a bed and breakfast. I do not make breakfast no one wants to eat my breakfast but I do have a lady named Mary who makes a fantastic breakfast and she brings breakfast um every single morning in a picnic basket. And it you know it just it adds so much to the experience and it's about you know I know knowing what people want and then authentically providing what they want. So you know it it goes back to really like knowing your customer really well. So I think you know marketing test would be knowing your customer you know authentically providing an experience and um you know and there's some there's some hustle there's definitely hustle around it but um once you kind of have something that you're excited about you kind of can't help but talk about it and can't help but you know post and share and you know like you guys you're talking about real estate all the time because you're passionate about it you know create something you're really passionate about and and the marketing kind of just comes along with it.

SPEAKER_04 37:12

I love that you're you're sparking my joy for this industry again you know it we've been we've been talking to a lot of people and a lot of people are on to like you know like like 100 units a thousand units I mean they're they're getting crazy with it and it's become like a business and we talk business and stuff but I forgot like I kind of lose track about what I love most about it you know it's the it's the small things making the place really cool making it nice the connections with the people yeah that's the stuff that gets me uh my juices flowing yeah yeah it's fun and and that you know that energy you know flows through to the gas they can tell they can tell if they can tell if people enjoy it you know people will will you know talk about the the little things that we'll do like we'll write them a note on the chalkboard and things like that and they'll just they absolutely love that it's those little things that um you know and it comes from enjoying what you're doing. So yeah I I'll bring it up real quick and and I and I

Breakfast in a picnic basket and knowing your customer

SPEAKER_04 38:05

already know kind of your answer to to this a little bit. I I I'm on the same wavelength. Because we when we stayed at South Project we stayed in a cool place. It was a nice place. It was you know two bedroom two baths it's it was kind of big and um got a good deal because we booked it while the whole everybody's afraid of COVID. Now but now everything's packed again you know it could it's funny how it went and everything went down and shot like crazy up and um and so we got there and it's funny because like because like the way the way things used to be run in Padre in a lot of beach communities was like hey you know uh enjoy the place uh bring your own toilet paper bring your own paper towels bring your own some of them bring your own sheets bring your own towels you know I mean like like that but now people are like having to transition to do things the Airbnb way so okay we'll give you um one roll of toilet paper in each bathroom kind of like and one trash bag in each trash can and I like and I'm like oh yeah this place is still kind of backwards a little bit but they're trying but I and so and and then you know because I I gave them advice I still gave them a good review but I gave them like you know the private revive advice and said you know we're staying there for a week you could at least you know give us like a couple more trash bags a couple more rolls you know just so we won't have to go oh freak we got to go to the grocery store later because you know things quick when you're on vacation so I I know you approach it differently do you give them a lot of supplies or enough supplies?

SPEAKER_01 39:26

Yeah I mean honestly I think my answer is actually about like the economics of it. So if I go to a place and I'm spending you know less than $100 a night I really wanted a good deal um you know and I get one roll of toilet paper I'm like yeah but I gotta steal on this place right but if you're gonna go and spend $250 a night and you know and spend all of your time going there and and going then you know give people decent toilet paper and give them enough for their stay. So I think it I think it's actually economics that would drive that um the only other thing that could drive it like with the sheets and things like that that can actually be a municipal municipality thing. Like there's some if you provide sheets versus not provide sheets it can actually change your taxes um in certain places which is really interesting.

SPEAKER_04 40:19

Yeah I've never heard of that that's that is interesting. Yeah but like I got to me I was kind of in my mind I was thinking okay well they're used to because they live kind of like next door to these people who have these condos and it's like a little fourplex and they're used to just um they say oh you know we'll clean them for you kind of thing

Toilet paper economics and the difference between $100 and $250 a night

SPEAKER_04 40:35

they're not really they'd still do their own business kind of thing you know they build sand castles which is cool too hey man that could have been a freaking great um Airbnb experience I would have paid for that but anyways they didn't add that um so the so that was like I was thinking well they must be lot used to a lot of the like weekenders you know and they're not gonna give a whole bunch of supplies for weekenders but we're staying for a whole freaking week you know we're paying a nice chunk of money you could have throw a freaking couple couple bucks more for some toilet paper you know what I'm saying it goes a long way it goes a long way yeah well and I think it's also it that can really be down to your processes too right because it may have been a cleaner who is always going in and always leaving one role versus you know I know Rebecca knows the who's coming and she knows when they're staying for a long time or they know she'll say hey you know this group has six people in it so we need to make sure that we stock up for them.

SPEAKER_01 41:25

So I think you know that kind of that kind of thing is is pretty thoughtful. So I think um if your processes are we leave one roll of toilet paper between each stay because they're always two night stays, you know, then you then you're gonna miss some things whenever you know you have a group that maybe is there for longer or a larger group that is also bringing in a little bit more money right so something to think about.

SPEAKER_04 41:49

And what do you what do y'all do with the half and quarter and thirty three quarters rolls of toilet paper. Sorry I'm digging real deep into toilet paper right now but this is important questions people need to know.

SPEAKER_01 41:59

I'm not sure I think they probably end up at my staff's house but I I think that's fine. You know what like if not if they want to take that as their bonus that's fine. Doesn't bother me at all.

SPEAKER_04 42:12

And anything left on the fridge is theirs too right in the fridge is anything left in the fridge.

SPEAKER_01 42:16

I do get some pictures sometimes of like you know people went to um like one of the creamery and get like a block of cheese and leave them a whole block of cheese or like a whole bottle of wine and I'm like getting a little jealous but hey that's their tip.

SPEAKER_03 42:31

So yeah I I I went to my cleaners I went to a cleaning of one of my places about a couple weeks ago and yeah they have so much stuff that they take home I'm like geez you got alcohol everything but I was like I forgot because I don't clean it anymore but it was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

Yeah yeah no and they you know sometimes you know sometimes they'll get some good tips too and sometimes the you know bottled wine is the tip and you know that's great. That's great. I mean I um it's hard work cleaning I'm really glad I don't do it. Um I did it for I had an issue you know but I was between staff a couple years ago and I went and did it I got complaints like every day. I always missed something or didn't get something right or like forgot the towels and I'm like oh this job is hard.

SPEAKER_03 43:24

Yeah because it's no longer a part of your routine. Yeah forget it's the cleaners get better at it than you were and that's really the goal. That's the goal is to get them better at it than you are. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:33

Yeah yeah and they've got it you know top of mind and they do it all the time and um you know they don't they don't miss stuff because they know you know I do think it's important to have you know to have the same you know at one point I was kind of patching together like I'll have this cleaner come on this day and then this cleaner coming this day and um it didn't quite work because there wasn't that consistency of like always knowing they would maybe forget different things or You know, not have all the processes down.

SPEAKER_03 44:02

So with you having four short-term rentals, how many cleaners do you have on your team?

SPEAKER_01 44:07

I just have one. I just have one right now. One and then she has a couple backups. You know, if if there's if there's a day that we have to turn over all four, um, you know, she has she has backups. But when I um do my next purchase, which is gonna be sometime this fall, um, she's actually gonna pull back and do more management, which is really kind of cool. And so she's gonna be kind of running um, you know, a couple, a couple cleaners running around, which I, you know, that's that's you know, it's kind of like in my day job, whenever someone that's working for me is like successful and they get promoted, like she's gonna get promoted when I buy more of these.

SPEAKER_03 44:46

So yeah, that's what my primary cleaner is doing now because we're doing a rehab and she's actually over the rehab, and then she actually just trained a cleaner. So she's over two cleaners, and then she's doing a rehab, so it's like I can't beat it, I can't beat that.

SPEAKER_01 45:00

So that's yeah, yeah. I mean, you have someone who knows what needs to be done and you know takes the ownership, and that's everything.

SPEAKER_03 45:10

Yeah, teamwork make the dream work, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 45:14

Now, now um, have you have you reached a financial independence through your rentals and short term and long terms? Have you got close? So do you is there a jumping off point where you say, I'm gonna just quit my job and do this?

SPEAKER_01 45:27

I want uh first of all, I love my day job, but I also kind of want like I want like a fancy life. Like I don't, you know, I could, I guess, but I I think I could be financially independent if I was kind of there doing the cleaning um and I was there, you know, running it, but that's kind of not what I want to do. Um, I have a day job that I absolutely love, so I'm not looking to leave that anytime soon. I am looking to be financially independent from it so that I can live like I'm not donating my time by any stretch. Um, you know, financial independence is probably a few years away from me, but I don't I don't know if I I don't know what that's gonna look like. I think it could still look like doing the job that I'm doing, but instead of you know working 40 hours, maybe I'm working 20 um or like only taking on a few projects a year or something like that, um, so that I have more time to do real estate projects. But yeah, no, I haven't reached financial independence. No.

SPEAKER_04 46:25

And so what is uh what is a fancy life to you?

SPEAKER_01 46:29

Well, you know, I so I listened to Clayton Morris and he said something about um, you know, if you cut out the fancy coffee every morning, that's not in and of itself gonna make you a millionaire. Find something that is going to help you afford that fancy coffee. And that's kind of how I look at it. I'm like, I don't want to have to cut things out, you know, I do live below my means because that I think is important for every every single freedom finder type of mindset. I absolutely live below my means, but I think what I want to be able to do is is not have to really think about those things, you know. If I want to eat out, you know, go to a restaurant or things like that, I want to just be able to do it and not have to, you know, check my bank account. So um I think if I were to stop my day job now, I'd have to check my bank account to make sure that I could afford to go out to dinner, you know, as often as I want to. But so that's kind of what I mean by like a a fancy life. Like I don't, you know, I don't want to have I I want to create something where I don't have to question whether I can afford the coffee.

SPEAKER_04 47:37

Okay. That's a good answer. I want my fancy coffee. Your fancy, your fancy Folgers Plus.

SPEAKER_02 47:45

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 47:47

Um I guess I I ask I ask a lot of uh a lot of people to hop on here. Like, okay, I'll ask you, I was gonna say I ask them all a Sarah tip, but they're not all Sarah's. Uh what would be like a Sarah short-term rental tip? Something that you something that you when you were doing, I don't know, when you're doing short-term, either when you were like more hands-on or whatever, you you figured something out. You're like, wow, this is if I do this, it this happens, you know. This you know, what is like something that jumps out at you that's like just like a you thing?

SPEAKER_01 48:13

You know, um so about a year ago, I

The private hot tub unlock that changed the cabin business

SPEAKER_01 48:18

had I had like one um central hot tub for all of the cabins that they all shared. Um, and that thing went down. And I was like, okay, we just don't have a hot tub anymore. That's fine. Like I can rent these without a hot tub, right? No, people started canceling left and right. They're like, we want our hot tub. And I I think in that moment I realized, you know, by listening to my customers, I realized how important that hot tub was. And I was like, well, what would happen if I actually put private hot tubs at each cabin? It went, I mean, change game changer for my cabins, like absolute game changer. Um, and so I like I first put it at one, and then people that were staying at the other two were like, but we want a hot tub too. And so I put it at two, and I was like, okay, well, I have one kind of low-cost cabin. No, every they all want the hot tub, and they're willing to pay a little bit more for it. And um, you know, I have the hot tubs like at a I don't know why it's a zero APR loan on it. I'll take zero APR all day. So I'm like, this is great. It more than pays for what the hot tubs cost. So that was like a huge unlock for me, where it was just like that doesn't necessarily mean it works everywhere, right? But for this particular trip, for this particular group of guests, like there's a set of things that unlock the perfect experience for them. And it's about privacy and hot tubs and dogs and wine. And that works for this group.

SPEAKER_04 49:50

Whatever floats their boats, man.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

That's that's what works. That's what works.

SPEAKER_04 49:54

You know, it's funny when you when you said the hot sub thing, because like my buddies, uh, I have friends that go, they go every year, January. They they go to well, I don't know about this year because of the but, anyways, they they go to the Colorado and and they do like this. There's a they do a Texas country fest in Colorado, I believe it's in in Colorado Springs or something like that. But anyways, the first pictures they always send us, the the ones that don't go, is the hot tub from their from their balcony. They all every single room has its own personal hot tub, and like that's the first picture. You see the beer sitting there, you see the snow, and that was like that's that's it, man. I mean, they they would not rent a room without a hot tub. And I was like, man, just that's that's some powerful stuff. Just like a to me, because my house has a swimming pool, and and I was like, man, I I totally mean I I booked it for a price that I thought was you know reasonable. I was going out of town, and booked up the whole week was booked quick. I was like, oh crap, I booked it too low. And then uh a friend of a friend of the show that she's been on the show, she's she said before, she's like, What? You should be charging at least double what you put on there for. You have a swimming pool. And it said, right now it's COVID, everybody wants to do the staycations, but now everybody wants to go do the I want to have a hot tub, man. I mean, just things like that. It seemed like it has to be too expensive, too much maintenance. Man, they'll make you so much money.

SPEAKER_01 51:07

Yeah, I mean, that and that's it. Like where yours are, it it's the swimming pool. That's the unlock. That's gonna, you know, go from a mediocre, um, you know, I'm discounting sometimes. People are asking for discounts to like fully booked, and you know, I I still I sometimes I'm like I could raise my prices more because I'm so booked, but then I'm like, I I I still try to think about like, well, you know, would I want to pay that? I'm not sure if I would. So I try to think about like what do I think is is fair for it. And um yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:43

I don't know, hear about that fancy life. I do like it.

SPEAKER_01 51:48

I want my fancy coffee, I want my own, you know, I want my Uber. I want to Uber to places.

SPEAKER_04 51:54

Ooh, Uber Black? No, no, okay, not that fancy.

SPEAKER_01 51:58

Not that fancy. No, live below my means, you know, regular Uber, Uber pool.

SPEAKER_04 52:05

Oh no, Uber pool.

SPEAKER_03 52:08

Not right now. You know, MTA, so Uber takes like 20 minutes to get one person nowadays.

SPEAKER_01 52:15

Yeah, oh really? Oh I'm not in the country now. I haven't been in an Uber in months.

SPEAKER_03 52:20

I've went I went in two so far. It takes like 20 minutes to get an Uber driver now. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 52:26

No one would want to take public transportation now.

SPEAKER_03 52:29

That's true.

SPEAKER_04 52:30

A lot of them hopped on that unemployment though, because they were allowed to hop on the unemployment plus the $600 a week. They were getting that's $2,400 for doing nothing, plus whatever you made, you know, doing the Uber thing.

SPEAKER_03 52:42

Uber is they they get they got an SP, they can get SBA. If you did Uber any type of yeah, you can get SBA. Wow, so you can get unemployment and it man. I know people live in the I know people live in a fat life right now because of that. They used to do Uber and then they stopped and they got the Uber, the SBA, and the man, it's but I don't know. You might I think you have to pay it back some of it. I don't know from what I'm thinking.

unknown 53:07

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 53:09

The PPP, you you shouldn't have to pay it back the PPP. The um the disaster loan, though, I think it's it's a very long time you have to pay it back.

SPEAKER_03 53:20

I think mine was like 30 years at 3.75.

SPEAKER_01 53:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 53:24

It was crazy. So I'm like it's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 53:26

I'm like, yeah, I'll take that. Of course. I love good financing. Like good financing gets me so excited.

SPEAKER_03 53:32

Exactly. I can't. I was like 3.75. I was like, I can live that at double, you know, but yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:38

Disaster loans, 0% APR hot tubs, and 1031 exchange, like those are the things that get me like all nerdy.

SPEAKER_03 53:45

You're not see you're a tax nerd like me. See, I'm a tax nerd. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:49

I like well, I mean, we've got real estate is it's one of the it's one of the ways you make money, right? It's just by being smart about taxes.

SPEAKER_04 53:59

Boom. So Sarah, you dropped some serious knowledge on us

How to find Sara and vacationstays.com

SPEAKER_04 54:03

today. We want to thank you for coming on the show and sparking my um enjoyment factor, the thing that got me into this in the whole first place, you know. It's you you got that joy in me, my juice is going again. So I appreciate that. And um, yeah, so yeah, would you how can people find you?

SPEAKER_01 54:20

Um, so you can find me, you know, vacationsdays.com. Um, you can get me on Instagram at at vacationstays or is it s-t-a-y-z? Yeah, s t-a-y-z. Yeah, vacation stays with a Z. So find me there. You know, I'm you're monitoring the Instagram and the Facebook. So if you reach, if you reach out there, you'll get me.

SPEAKER_03 54:42

Yeah, and by the way, she found us on IG.

SPEAKER_01 54:44

So I did.

SPEAKER_03 54:45

Yeah, she hit us up on IG.

SPEAKER_01 54:47

So that that was that was I'm getting better at Instagram. I'm working on it.

unknown 54:52

Me too.

SPEAKER_03 54:52

Um I actually love IG, actually. I I love it. It's yeah, it's a really great way to connect with a lot of hosts. I mean, see their places, things like that. It's it's really great.

SPEAKER_04 55:02

Of course, of course, Micah finds a way to automate everything too.

SPEAKER_03 55:05

So yeah, that's that's my thing on the automation. I'm an automation guy.

SPEAKER_01 55:09

I would love some tips on that.

SPEAKER_03 55:11

Oh, I automate everything. If I can automate it, if I can get a VA to do it, I'm gonna do it.

SPEAKER_01 55:18

So nice. Nice.

SPEAKER_04 55:20

Well, cool. Well, thank you, Sarah, for hopping on. Anything else you'd like to add or should say to our fans, listeners.

SPEAKER_01 55:27

No, thank you guys so much. I really appreciate it. I really I I think that direct booking is is the way of the future for the vacation rental industry. So um, you know, if you don't join vacationsdays.com, find another way to kind of create some independence because I think that it will it will be really satisfying, it will give you back control, um, and it it will there'll be a financial uh benefit as well. Sweet.

SPEAKER_04 55:58

All right, well, thanks a lot. Thank you for seeing good luck.

SPEAKER_01 56:02

Thank you. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_03 56:06

That was a good episode with uh Sarah Abernathy with Vacation Stay. She hit us up on IG.

SPEAKER_04 56:12

A great episode.

SPEAKER_03 56:13

Yeah, great episode. That was a really good episode.

SPEAKER_04 56:15

You can tell she loved what she did, you know. We get we you know a lot of people come on here, they want to vent. They're uh like our very first big guest. Remember, um, the treehouse guy. He he just straight up was oh, he took he that was back when we were just starting out Airbnb and he would just like went to the woodshed with it, man.

SPEAKER_03 56:33

He hit me up not too long ago. Yeah, he hit me up not too long ago, man. He hit me up not too long ago. He hit me up, and uh man, he he uh he's actually gone through some stuff. He almost died. He came back and uh he's uh he's doing pretty well. But yeah, he's he's I think he's still got that tree house. But it's like a lot of people took his idea afterwards, man. A lot of people throw it in the tree houses, man. But I think seals is still number one, but yeah, man, it's it's cool, you know. Yeah, you do have to fight, fall in love with it, find something about it you love. Me, I'm I I'm really finding the part that I love is the acquisition part, like seeing how I can get a good deal, the acquisition. And after that, after it's acquired, throw it to the management team and go to the next one. That's my excitement part.

SPEAKER_04 57:14

So acquisitions. I like that.

SPEAKER_03 57:17

Yes, sir, man. Yes, sir. How was that Padre trip?

SPEAKER_04 57:20

That was fun, man. We need I needed a refresher like that. Yeah, yeah, it was cool. Just some good beach time, laid back, chill, little did a little cruise, a little um in the bay right there, did a little sunset cruise. I mean, it padre's cool, man. It's it's it's a cool place, not too far from us, you know.

SPEAKER_03 57:37

Yeah, and hit Miami in two weeks.

SPEAKER_04 57:39

Miami.

SPEAKER_03 57:40

Yeah, be in Miami in two weeks.

SPEAKER_04 57:43

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 57:43

122 bucks. Oh, just see the what 122 bucks, three nights, five-star hotel, and the flight. What that's that's nothing. I'm out of there, bro. Hey, I got that. I was like, yo, I'm out. I holla at y'all. I was like, I had to give COVID the finger on that one. I'm sorry, no.

SPEAKER_04 58:06

Just show up in a full mask to the airport.

SPEAKER_03 58:09

Yeah, I'm gonna be masked up. Mask, mask, gloves on, but uh Miami, we coming, baby.

SPEAKER_04 58:16

So yeah, now uh, you know, that would be a that would this would be good advice to give to our our listeners who plan on who plan on um flying right now or going somewhere. Go to Republican states because they're they they ain't closing down for shit. And uh don't go to Democrat states because they they're shutting everything down, they're gonna quarantine your ass when you get there. I don't I'm not being political, I'm just saying do that.

SPEAKER_03 58:40

So I have family in town. Uh my uncle just flew out there. I have family in town. They came from a liberal state and everything's closed. And he was they got here, they're like, Man, everything's open. I'm like, Yeah, you can go wherever. They were like, dang, you know, they've been going out. But that's true. I've been telling people if you want to travel, travel to a Republican state right now. If you, you know, yeah, don't travel liberal, it's still closed down, you know, they in different phases, but you know, Republicans about their bread, so they ain't giving no damn. They don't give a damn, you know.

SPEAKER_04 59:10

You don't see Trump with a mask on, so you know they're all following his lead and shit.

SPEAKER_03 59:14

Oh man.

SPEAKER_04 59:17

So that's a that's a tip you only get on Live Lead Thrive. Go to travel to Republican states right now.

SPEAKER_03 59:22

Yeah, if you're trying to kick it, that's the truth.

SPEAKER_04 59:25

Go to the liberal states.

SPEAKER_03 59:26

Yeah, they ain't my family got here, man. They would gas mask on, everything. I'm like, hey, yeah, like it's COVID month one, but you know, I mean, I don't like people to wear masks, I still wear my masks every now and then, but I ain't gonna lie, I've been going out. I went to um I went to a bar, you know. I went to but it it was there's not people out though. People ain't out, like everything's open, but people aren't out, so it's like you know, it is what it is. But yeah, Miami, I I gotta hit South Beach one time, man. 120 people, I can't beat it.

SPEAKER_04 59:57

There's a oh man, I I'll find the name of it. There's like a mixed drink place like right there on the beach.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:03

Really?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:03

Uh well that it's a frozen drink. It's a frozen drink place, anyways. Uh it's at Miami South Beach, right there, right at the corner. You know, you see all the all the bars and restaurants all lined up across you know, right across the street from the beach. Oh man, I'll I'll figure out the name too. I bet there's people listening like, oh, I know that one, you know. But um, I mean yeah, yeah. If you if you um if you get one of them drinks, man, because oh, they're freaking strong, dude. Don't get too you you'd be like, man, this tastes good, but don't uh don't do too, man. Because I did it, we did like uh a we we we went to South Beach because we had like a four-hour layover from the airport. We're going to Barcelona. So my buddy there, he's like, I'll pick you up and I'll drop you off at South Beach for a little while. Y'all can check it out and everything. And it's just like the movies, dude. It's like what you know. I don't know about now because of COVID. Well, now it's a Republican state. Everybody, nobody gets it.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:53

Yeah, bro. Only reason I'm going is because I've been watching people on Facebook. I'm like, man, man, they out there hanging out, like it ain't nothing happened, man. It's but the cases, of course, are going up.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:02

It's just like, it's just like the hottest people on the planet walking down everywhere with buck naked, man. It's just like it's just like the movies, man. It's just like it's like it's it's just like that. And so um, and so the yeah, that I'll send you that place, but these they make these really, really good frozen drinks, man. And they're so ooh, though, ooh, you just need one, you'd be feeling all right. You get another one, then you you you might not remember things.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:27

Oh yeah, for 122 bucks, man. I'm gonna have plenty of spending money, so uh I think I'll probably buy buy about two or three of them, you know. Yeah, but it's crazy, you know. So, but I'm happy to at least there's some vacation stats we can go to and you know get your mind a break from everything that's going on, you know. Remember you saying one time, vacations are what a cleansing to the soul?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:48

Yeah, something like that. Yeah, they clean the clean clean your mind and your soul, you yeah, you feel refreshed, you know. Yeah, I think uh it makes you want you like, oh man, I I kind of I kind of want I need to figure out a way to not have to work anymore, not to go punch a time clock anymore because I like this. I like being able to do whatever I want, whenever I want. You know, they're they're inspi they're inspiring too, you know, they get you out of a rut.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:09

And and like when you were asking her, you asked Sarah about uh you know financial independence and all that. You know, I've kind of grown to that. Like I'm kind of patient on it, but I because I have a clear-cut goal. Like I just need, I'm going for 10, I'm trying to own 10 houses, and I know I can do it. I have the knowledge to do it, you know. I have everything in line. I've been reading a lot, so I have the knowledge to do it, so I just need 10 houses, and I can just, I don't have to just quit my job or anything, but it gives me that leverage, you know, or you know, hey, I don't have to work, or you know, you have that that leverage. So, you know, we got one under contract right now, and we bought one, we got a rehab going. This is like the most I had going, and it's it's stressful at times. Shit, it's just stressful, man. It's like, man, you got one under contract, this one's getting rehabbed, I got one and I'm refinancing. It's like, dang, you know, so and they're out of state too.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:54

So that's a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:56

But that's the fun part, is like once you get that confidence of buying something out of state that you ain't one of them I bought, I ain't never seen it. Didn't lay my eyes on it, but we got it, man. It turned out to be a really good property, you know. You have to go in there with your mind, you know, knowing, hey, this is a good idea. But yeah, so it's fun though. I I like start to see what those people on bigger pockets are talking about. Once you really get into it and get that momentum on it, it's fun. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:20

Keep it, yeah, keep it rolling.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:22

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:23

Well, it's a good up, great up, yeah. We had an awesome guest, and yeah, back at it, man. We're back at it.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:30

Yes, sir. COVID ain't stopped nobody. Especially us in this Republican state.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:38

Yeah, stay in the red states if y'all want to give some nice vacations right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:43

What I think the only good red states right now to go to, what Florida, Texas, Carolina, probably, Texas, Texas, yeah. If you want a beach though, Carolina, South Carolina, yeah, all around the coast, all along the coast. Yeah, the coast, pretty much, yeah. The south coast, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:57

The south coast, yeah. Don't go to the west coast now. They're locked you down.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:02

Uh yeah, it's locked down. Yeah, because a matter of fact, I was on a consulting call and the dude said, Man, I'll walk through LAX, man. I just walked straight through, man. I was like, LAX he's like, bro, it's dead. I was like, wow, that's crazy. If LAX dead, you know it's liberal state thing.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:19

They're locked they're shutting down again over there, man. They're shutting down again.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:22

But talk about shutting down again here.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:24

In Texas. Yeah, well, well, the Govs, the Gov said some words the other day, but he didn't say the shutdown stuff. He said some more, he's encouraging people to be cool. Yeah, hey, be cool, and I want to do nothing. That's what he's saying. And um, other states are like, no, nope, we're shutting it down, you know. Nah, he's he's just man.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:42

The governor had me rolling though, man. Dude comes up, he's like, Yeah, man, the cases are out of control. People are uh he goes, Yeah, every hospital beds are getting full, but do what you will with that information. Like day. Dude, that was like day, you know. It's like, but I don't know, man. I I've got I've learned I've found two people that have gotten it that are pretty thirty early 30s, you know, but I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:09

Yeah, younger people are getting it now. And so the but which that's making the death rate drop a lot. It's not as deadly.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:15

Well, because it's out there, is what you're saying.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:18

Protecting a lot of the more, you know, old the the older and the more susceptible ones are being more careful.

unknown 1:05:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:25

At first, no, nobody was being careful. Now they are, you know, the youngsters are still going out doing I want to go single restaurant, go to a bar, whatever. So yeah, they're catching it, but then most likely they're not gonna die from it. So the the mortality rate is actually dropping, even though more people are getting it. So that's that's one positive, I guess. Yeah, my agent, um, South Padre, I don't know how to say her name or nothing. Her or her mom, her mom has it over there. Yeah, so that's that's she's she had to go to the hospital and stuff. So I that's kind of getting you, you know. At first we were like, I don't know anybody. Do you know anybody that has it? Blah blah blah. Now we're starting, now it's starting to get a little closer, a couple steps closer to it.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:03

Yeah, it is, it is like, oh snap, you you you I know you, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:07

The first person I I that I like saw that had it. Remember, we did that um mastermind that mastermind Zoom call. Yeah, and and it was that girl in um New York. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. She recovered and everything.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:21

Yeah, she's good out in Jersey.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:23

What about her parents?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:24

Her parent I haven't heard about her parents.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:26

Yeah. Then but yeah, I've known some people that a couple people have passed from it. You know, they were older. So I I have been avoiding like the older going around older people knowing that I haven't been knowing that I've been out and about because I've even had to go to my job a couple times. So, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:42

I got I work, man. I work with the high seniority workplace, man, and all the these old people are still going to work. I can't understand it, man. I need to stay here as at home, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:52

Do they give them a choice to do that though?

SPEAKER_04 1:06:56

Uh if they it it's a weird deal. I think a lot of them just want to keep going to work. I don't think it's I think if they put in the right paperwork and put in this and that, they could be able to stay off and and they, you know, they'd even be able to get some assistance. But a lot of them are just they just I don't know, they don't want to be home. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:14

I feel it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:16

But this craziness, man, it needs to stop, need to find some vaccine.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:22

I don't know if I'm getting a vaccine, man. Yeah. That's just me. I don't know, dog. I don't know about the vaccine, but hey, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:34

Yeah. Um, what's his name? Bill Gates will make sure you get it. Don't worry.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:42

You go into the DMV for something, they'll say, pink, gotcha.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:45

Yeah, it'll chip your ass. Oh, man. Oh man. But yeah, man, that was a good episode. Sarah, she's done a good job with the uh vacation stays. She actually hit us up on IG. So yeah, man. Y'all keep listening to us, living, letting, thriving. Um, if you got any uh issues with funding SBAs, go check out the episode before this one. Uh, dropped the little how-to on how to use that SBA loan money. Be careful with it because it's a bunch of strings attached to it, a bunch of fine print. Um, I just dropped an article too about the Department of Justice about to start investigating the loan. So make sure if you got a loan, make sure you got it based on your tax returns, not no forged up numbers you made up. So yeah, so but yeah, but other than that, yeah, what was he saying?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:31

I just send it back in an envelope. There you go. I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:35

Yeah, I'll just bullshit. No, but yeah, man. Uh, but yeah, other than that, man, y'all keep living. I'm happy everybody's thank you for continuing to listen to us. Yes, sir. We are out later.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:49

Peace. 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 impills. Bye bye.