Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between.

Chris asks:

What are best practices for washing bed linens? With a duvet cover, do you still wash the main bedspread after each guest?

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah & Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMA

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

It’s time for #strsharesunday! Today we are giving you a DOUBLE STR Share with The Catskills Mountain House and The Crest Beach House! Why two properties this week? We get asked all the time, "what do I do if I have two properties and they have different identities?" Look no further than Umi and her properties for an amazing example of how you can do it.

Umi has a mountain rental and a beach rental (the best of both worlds!) and in each of their instagram bios, the sister property is linked. This is a great way of telling potential guests, "Hey, we've got two different spots. We'd love for you to stay in each." When it comes to marketing multiple properties on social media, so many of us tend to overthink it, and we're here to tell you... don't overthink it! Do what feels right.

We love that Umi has her identity out there, people can follow along, they can book direct. So please go check out both of her properties, especially if you've been trying to figure out how to bring...

With a passion for researching and sharing the most important facts on real estate and economics, Kathy is a frequent guest expert on such media as CNN, CNBC, Fox News, NPR, CBS MarketWatch and the Wall Street Journal. She is the author of the #1 best seller, Retire Rich with Rentals, and host of two long-running RealWealth podcasts – “The Real Wealth Show” and “Real Estate News for Investors.” You’ll also find her on the recently launched BiggerPockets “On the Market” podcast as one of several co-hosts. 

"I just found millionaires and interviewed them, and it always came down to two things that made them wealthy: owning a business, or owning real estate. Then really it boiled down to one, which was business, because you've got to treat your real estate like a business."

You will learn:

1. How Kathy Fettke went from being a stay-at-home mom to becoming a real estate mogul, syndicating deals and owning a vast portfolio.
2. What Kathy...

Jeff Iloulian has been in the vacation rental industry for nearly a decade. He has set up, managed, and/or operated over 250+ vacation rental properties; from cozy cabins in the woods, to luxury mansions in Beverly Hills.

Additionally, Jeff has successfully grown several businesses and has a passion for interdisciplinary problem solving in emerging industries. He firmly believes that the further you push outside of your comfort zone, the larger that zone becomes.

With a background in Economics and Philosophy from Columbia University and a JD from UCLA School of law, Jeff spent three years as a lawyer practicing Business Litigation, Intellectual Property and Cybersecurity before becoming an entrepreneur.

Jeff is now CEO of HostGPO, THE buying group for hosts, which helps all STR business owners get access to the industry’s best discounts on furniture, linens, and everything you need to create long-term growth for your short-term rental.

Resources:

• Our listeners can get 3...

Welcome to another Ask Me Anything (Ask Us Anything?) episode! Each week we’ll answer your questions on STR, real estate, OTAs, and everything in between.

Today’s Question:

What do you recommend for accounting software for STR owners? Is there something specific for our industry or is Quickbooks still the gold standard?

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah & Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMA

Resources:

• Stessa
• Xero
• Wave
• Quickbooks Online

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

It’s time for #strsharesunday! Today we are sharing Northwoods A-Frame

This lovely couple bought 40 acres and built an a-frame on the property, and now they have started building tiny cabins too!

They also have a “maker space” in the a-frame, and it's decked out with any crafting supply you could possibly need. They encourage their guests to come stay at the a-frame and unwind and provide artistic outlets for journaling, drawing, painting, etc. What a cool space! That's something we've never really seen before.

Finally, they have done a great job leaning into the work-from-home spaces and catering to guests who may want to get away and relax while also still getting some work done. Getting clear on who you want to come and stay with you and utilizing your messaging accordingly will help draw in potential guests!

Well done!

Northwoods A-Frame on Instagram

Book Direct: Northwoods A-Frame
•
We would love to feature YOU, so don’t forget to use #STRsharesunday...

Today we’re reviewing Airbnb’s new winter updates as we move into 2023. If you have Airbnb listings, we always recommend logging into your account regularly to see what’s new on the platform, and be sure your listings are up to date with Airbnb’s requirements and able to perform well in the search algorithm.

Here’s what’s new:

• Total price display for guests (nightly rate + all fees), and Airbnb is now prioritizing total price over nightly price in search results
• Pricing tools for hosts to help them understand pricing and fees and how to set competitive prices
• Improvements to guest checkout, and requiring that checkout requests are visible during booking. (And, guests should not have to do unreasonable checkout tasks like stripping the beds or doing the laundry).
• Guest identity verification is becoming stronger
• $3 million in damage protection for Airbnb to reimburse hosts, now including art and “invaluables”
• $1 million in liability...

It’s time for #strsharesunday! Today we are sharing La Khabine

There are three things we want to highlight about this beautiful Canadian property:

1. Their electric car changing station. They're located in a ski community, and if people are driving there with electric cars, we're guessing there aren't many places with that amenity, so what a way to stand out in the crowd!

2. An outdoor sauna. After a long day of skiing... yes please! ‍

3. A glass deck. The deck itself is wooden, but the railing is glass, so that when you're standing on it, it just kind of flows into the amazing surrounding woods. The cabin itself almost all glass, so if you're sitting on the couch, relaxing in bed, drinking your coffee, etc., it really helps you feel at one with the beautiful surrounding scenery.

This property is such a stunner, and will definitely put you into the cozy winter spirit! Well done!

La Khabine on Instagram

La Khabine on AirBnB

•

We would love to feature YOU, so...

Kacia & Seena are brand new to STRs and real estate investing, but they have a BIG vision of where they want to take this, and how they are going to use the power of community to build out an STR brand. After 13 years together and three months into their marriage, they are taking a deep dive into real estate investing.

Kacia has 9 years experience as an entrepreneur, and Seena left his career as a dentist one year ago when he realized that career path was no longer aligned with their shared vision. They are both big dreamers who are driven by creating legacy for their future families, as well as long-term generation wealth.

They have a huge vision of where they want to take their goals with STRs, and feel it's so important to keep people looped in every step of the way to teach and inspire others who might have similar goals.

Resources:

• @Peachhouse.Denver on Instagram
• @Ghet.Investing on Instagram
• KaciaGhetmiri.com
• @KaciaGhetmiri on Instagram
• @Seena.Ghetmiri on Instagram
• The...

It’s time for #strsharesunday! Today we are sharing East Atlanta Studio

We talk about digital real estate a lot inside our membership and on our workshop, and this is a cool STR share because they have converted their short-term rental into a creative space for photography and videography!

They were hosting strictly short-term rental overnight stays and then they've transitioned to a studio, and there's multiple ways that you can do this!

Remember, you don't need to transfer your whole entire space into hourly, but we always want to make you aware of all the different ways that you can earn income off of your property, and we think @east_atl_studio is crushing it.

We love what you're doing for your community by giving creatives a space and love how you pivoted your short-term rental into super short-term rental by making it hourly!

East Atlanta Studio on Instagram

EastAtlantaStudio.com

•

We would love to feature YOU, so don’t forget to use #STRShareSunday to get...