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☆ Regular homebuyers feel they struggle to compete with investors who turn properties into Airbnbs and Vrbos. Government officials are trying to change that.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Atlanta lawmakers want short-term rentals to be licensed and to fine owners who violate city laws. In some cities, government officials are trying to regulate the number of short-term rentals that investors can purchase. The debate over short-term rentals in Atlanta is emblematic of similar debates in other cities. For instance, voters in Colorado towns like Dillon, Aspen, and Steamboat Springs this year approved measures to tax short-term rentals to help regular homebuyers afford homes. There are more than 1,300 short-term rentals in Joshua Tree, according to AirDNA, compared with a population of 7,700.

☆ A 48-year old Airbnb host breaks down how she used Facebook and Instagram to bring in $25,000 through direct bookings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amie Sommer, an Alaska resident, rents out a $1 million Arizona home that sleeps 10. When she launched her listing, she used Facebook to get direct bookings from family and friends. Half of those bookings she told Insider were from promoting her direct booking link on the social-media sites Facebook and Instagram. Lodgify provides Sommer with a central calendar that syncs bookings between her website, Airbnb, and Vrbo. When it came time to book her first guests, Sommer was looking for "guinea pigs."

☆ I'm a full-time Airbnb host in the Las Vegas desert. Here's how my husband and I set up a 6-property business we love without knowing anything about Airbnb.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sandi Croft and her husband own tiny homes, teepees, and a wagon that they rent out on Airbnb. Croft enjoys offering these unique living experiences on the Sandy Valley Ranch in Nevada. We now mange six Airbnbs on Sandy Valley Ranch in Nevada. He loved doing that, so he told me he wanted to build a tiny house. After building that second tiny house on HGTV, we put it on Airbnb.

☆ I've made $740,000 on Airbnb this year. Here's my best advice for beginner hosts to maximize success and avoid common mistakes.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Narina Exelby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

They bought their first short-term-rental property in 2019 and scaled while working full time. My wife, Jill, and I bought our first short-term-rental property in November 2019 after moving to Nashville. These are my best pieces of advice for beginners to avoid common pitfalls when investing in short-term-rental properties. Always plan for the worst-case scenarioI always use conservative numbers when I evaluate potential properties in my Google Sheet template. I rerun the numbers to see what the break-even point is and what the best potential profit could be.

☆ I bought a pre-built tiny house that now pays my mortgage. Here's how I set up the rental in my yard and for only an $18,000 down payment.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Jenna Gyimesi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

She bought and rents out a tiny house in her yard to pay for her mortgage. For example, the tiny house in my yard completely pays the mortgage for the home my fiance and I live in. My first tiny house was a converted detached garage already in my yard. Steph DouglassMy tiny house was $89,000 and fully finished insideI bought a pre-built, fully finished tiny house from a local place called Creative Living Solutions for about $89,000 which included delivery and tie-down fees (which secure the tiny house in place). And then once I pay the management fees, my mortgage, and the tiny house mortgage I'm basically breaking even.

☆ A 25-year-old built a 'tiny hotel' in Texas that's generated $500,000 in bookings this year. Check out the $3.1 million property.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Kiera Fields | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

French bought a small plot of land and built a "tiny hotel" made up of seven cabins. In March 2021, he bought a 5-acre plot that would become Live Oak Lake. Live Oak Lake has generated more than $500,000 in bookings since its opening, as indicated by screenshots of Airbnb and Stripe dashboards reviewed by Insider. At the time, he projected that the construction costs of building his tiny hotel would come to about $1.6 million. Isaac FrenchIn addition to the seven identical cabins, Live Oak Lake has a common area with a small dock, picnic tables, paddleboards, and kayaks.

☆ Check in, smoke up and tune out: Cannabis-friendly vacation rentals are catching on
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

At her bed-and-breakfast Nicole Butler hosts backyard potlucks with THC-infused food. Some hosts of cannabis-friendly rentals go beyond simply allowing people to smoke or consume weed on site. When he first started the site, Roby said his business partners were doubtful about whether people would buy into the idea of letting guests smoke cannabis on their properties. Deontae Mack has also been courting guests with his online startup Vibesbnb.com, where he lists cannabis-friendly rentals. However, the company does not allow users to directly search for cannabis-friendly rentals, or allow its hosts to list their rentals as such.

☆ Airbnb hosts' worst nightmares — fires, falls, or deaths — can leave them on the hook for damages. Here are 4 steps to take right now to make any property safer.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Avoidable incidents occur in short-term rentals, of course. Ford's safety advocacy began with a Facebook page where he highlighted news stories about accidents in short-term rentals to educate hosts. An example of virtual inspection on an app Ford designed. But many guests choose short-term rentals specifically so they can cook, increasing the likelihood of a fire, he said. Invest in pool safetyA tragedy in North Carolina was prevented recently because of proper pool safety.

☆ A 23-year-old entrepreneur netted over $750,000 in 2021 by renting out properties he doesn't own. Here's how he got started.
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-13 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

By 2021 — three years into his rental-arbitrage career — he told Insider he had more than 50 properties nationwide. He told Insider that at the time, he had $8,000 in cash saved from his server job in high school and his internship. He told Insider he received about $12,000 a month (netting a $4,000 profit a month) from this deal. By the time 2021 rolled around, Cheung told Insider he was able to pick up several units in one building in exchange for one to two months of free rent. He told Insider his nightly rates run between $101 to $223 on average.

☆ My wife and I made $407,000 in revenue last year on Airbnb. Here's how we used rental arbitrage to scale to 10 units in 4 years.
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-20 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Zev Forrest runs 10 Airbnb properties in Southern California with his wife, Melissa. Forrest runs several Airbnbs with his wife, Melissa Forrest, 33. Insider has verified their business' 2021 profit and 2022 sales revenue to date with documentation. My wife and I run an Airbnb business together. We make on average about $35,000 in gross revenue a month and have 10 properties, all in Southern California. When we started, we also would look for cheap used furniture online, but this took longer and wasn't reliable.

☆ See the 32 pitch decks that some of the hottest property-technology startups used to raise millions from top VCs like SoftBank and a16z
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-21 | by ( Alex Nicoll | James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

VC investment fell by 38% in 2022, but the technological transformation of real estate continues. investment fell by 38% in 2022, but the technological transformation real estate continues. Insider has collected 32 pitch decks that successful firms have used to raise funding from VCs and private equity firms. Clockwork AnalyticsThe pandemic laid bare the necessity of a technological transformation of commercial real estate. MosaicThe pandemic boosted traditional construction companies' interest in the high-tech corner of the sector.

☆ Airbnb hosts say they're fed up with how the vacation-rental platform treats them and favors guests. Some are planning to 'strike' or even quit Airbnb altogether.
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-18 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The host, Ryan Villines, is organizing a boycott, encouraging hosts to "snooze" their listings. Like Johnson, many Airbnb hosts and property managers are frustrated by what they describe as the vacation-rental platform's tendency to favor guests in disputes. Liz DeBold Fusco, an Airbnb spokesperson, said the new policy was meant to provide "greater flexibility" to hosts and guests. After outrage from hosts, Airbnb walked back the reimbursement component, but hosts said it's too little, too late. Airbnb host Ryan Villines is "snoozing" his listings in Missouri and Montana as a protest.

☆ Many people think Amex points are only good for flights and hotels, but my family saved over $850 by redeeming them for a vacation car rental
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-10 | by ( Katie Oelker | Jasmin Baron | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

My family needed a large rental car on vacation for six days, and prices were high. I redeemed Amex Membership Rewards points for a rental minivan and saved $856. Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards. Using credit cards to earn travel rewards points is nothing new to us, and in the past, we've mainly used these points for booking flights and hotels. As we looked at our vacation plans for 2022, we knew we'd need flights for our family of four, accommodations, and a car rental.

Persons: Read, — Organizations: Service, Hilton, Southwest Airlines, Hilton Head, American, American Express Locations: Savannah, VRBO, Alamo

☆ 11 tax deductions you won't want to forget about this year
▼ + stars: | 2020-04-09 | by ( Caroline Lupini | Freelance Reporter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Tax deductions like medical expenses, mortgage interest, and, in some cases, college tuition can help reduce your overall tax bill. Note that these types of tax deductions apply only if you're itemizing your taxes instead of taking the standard deduction, which increased as part of 2017 tax reform. Home-mortgage interestIf you own a home, you probably already know about this one — it's one of the most significant tax deductions available to most families. And keep in mind that you're paying both income tax and self-employment tax on your small-business income — so you've got an added incentive to make sure you're taking all the deductions you're entitled to. This is calculated separately from both the personal deductions and your business expenses, and additional restrictions apply above certain income levels.

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