✨ A couple DIYing our Airbnb 'The Seventh Ray House' in Joshua Tree, Traveling to Airbnbs around the world and chasing the California dream at home 🏠🌵 ✨
For business inquiries contact: kristenandmichael@influint.co
I’ve been following your journey, and I officially started with my Airbnb in Lake Havasu in February 2023. My Airbnb insurance nearly doubled and is due in October 2024. After watching this video, I literally went to Foremost Insurance, obtained a quote, and paid in full. I saved $1,500 thanks to you guys! ❤❤❤
We used to use GoPro exclusively for filming but we are in the desert and experience high temps all summer and the GoPro kept dying in the heat and losing video. I switched to a DJI Osmo Action 3 and have never lost any footage. If it overheats it will shutoff the screen and keep filming. I did have it shutoff on a long timelapse in the direct sun on a near 100 degree day and the good thing is that it saves your video before it shuts down. The GoPro 10 I had would just shut off and you lost whatever video was filming. So super happy with DJI and we have a older model. They just released the Action 5. I have no association with DJI just felt your pain with GoPro dying in the heat.
We sadly went away from STR with our cabin in Crestline. We did find a yearly tenant... Hopefully, circumstances will improve next year, and we can get back into the STR business in 2025. We hope all goes well for you in these last 3 months of 2024!
Oh man, thats got to be a big shift for you all. So glad you found a yearly tenant, at least you still own it and have the asset! Wishing the best for you guys. Were you affected at all by the fires?
Thanks, Kristen and Michael, for sharing your experiences. Your embracing slowing down is awesome. Recently, I heard someone say, "More money will always come, but what none of us can get more if is TIME". I am choosing to prioritize intentionally using my time in a way that brings me peace and joy over striving and constantly stressing about making more money. Like you, I have one STR, which I also love. I truly believe guests can tell the rentals that are loved and cared for over rentals that are just churning income. Best wishes on your continued journey!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and watching. We 100% agree, sometimes choosing joy is the best thing! Thank you for being on this journey with us 🤍
Finn when Kristen is putting on her boots! 🤣Congrats on the new insurance! Our home insurance (in NY) went up 25% this year! We are in an area where summer is the busy season, we haven't launched yet but intend to enjoy being shut down November to April. Thanks for the video! although I felt kind of guilty sitting here enjoying my coffee while Kristen was lamenting no coffee!!
Michael your intro is so spot on and eloquent, can be applied to so many things in life. So glad you guys slowed things down and took a breather. We don't think we could do year round rentals, we would probably burn out. Our season is May - September (every week), could be longer but we choose not to rent in the off season. It forces us to enjoy our house, work on updates etc. Gives us a lot of time to reset and prepare.
THE hold music song is called Opus Number 1. It means they have a Cisco phone system. There articles and pages about it. I sell phone systems and have won deals because people wanted that music. And the “24” Ring Tone.
OMG, you're a phone expert! Thank you so much. We had no idea! Now we can jam out to this beauty whenever we want: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N7xn5zeJ4D4.html
Have you thought to sell the house and buy a house in a different location and make that into a regular long term rental. Consistent income and fewer headaches…… thoughts? Thanks Mark
I try not to aggressively monetize my short term rental. For the past 3 years, I just embrace the slow season--Fall--and take almost all the time off. This year will be no different: I'll probably not have the place available on the various platforms for about 3 months. I'll only take direct bookings from awesome 5 Star return guests. I go all out whenever guests stay...but ultimately that means I need to feel that I'm not going to be burnt out. I also get to personally enjoy the space that I built!
I have an idea for that other room!! How about a sun room? Not sure if the Pergola is outside of that room but that would be perfect, especially if people are cooking on the grill, better access to the dining table or kind of quicker to the kitchen etc. Take out the window/wall for sliding doors, one with mesh for bugs then the glass sliding doors & them a Skylight window on the ceiling to look at the stars through the window at night. Also keep that second bathroom as a half bath. Immediately i had a vision for this room when you guys were talking about it lol. Hope you can see the vision too 💗
Aww thank you so much! We actually made them out of lamp post globes that you can buy online and then just put a light inside of them! You can watch the full process of us building it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I_RhmIwoZdY.htmlsi=jY166MAvSzjNGlaY
You guys are so hard working and determined! I have 2 airbhbs in the New Mexican desert. You keep me inspired when i feel burned out. Love your videos!
Have you ever thought to be owners of a long term rental in a different market? Take $ from sale of this place and in a different market, buy in to a house to rent out 1 year at a time…. Fewer headaches and consistent income …. Just a thought
Hi yes how does the hairs get into the fridge/freezer, we have the same problem in our holiday let in the UK. why do people not look after the property, some do but some just make a mess whats wrong with people, hey ho thats life, enjoying your yoube tube, would love to visit some time also to meet you guys. john & leslie from llamedos {sod em all } backwords, we have sykes as our agent in the UK.
Managing your own Airbnb takes a toll. I do it myself too and I literally have nightmares about problems arising at the house. Like maintenance issues that need to be addressed. I see now why people pay for property managers.
It seems you are doing a lot of “busy work”, not really something income generating, more of a net-neutral activity like a hobby. And with the real estate market crashing all over the country and property values plummeting, it doesn’t seem like you are building much equity for long term wealth either. It is understandable if this gives you a sense of purpose, pride of ownership, and emotional fulfillment. But if it causes you a lot of anxiety and feels like a chore having to go there all the time just to make sure everything is ok, then maybe it makes more sense to pivot and focus on activities that generate net positive income?
Since you use the closed off bedroom/bathroom already, that seems like a good enough reason not to renovate them. If you couldn't use the room for storage, you'd have to make room in the garage for all that stuff and it must be nice to have the option of using the pink bathroom and leave the guest bathroom clean while you're there or the cleaners are there. You probably did this, but if you find a dead animal, best to bury it in case it was poisoned. Other animals, both wild and domestic could eat it and get sick or worse. Anyway, I'm here for the Finn content! He's such a cutie pie!! 😍
Love how you summarize what most hosts feel, the rollercoaster of worries, the lows and then highs after we leave and everything is perfect. Such a vicious wonderful cycle.... Luckily we only rent May-Sept and get 7 months to enjoy and work on things. Can't imagine year round.
I'm totally with you on the anxiety of visiting the property. We're 12 hrs away from ours and visit every couple months. We're going next week. Lists have started and of course praying for the best. Like you said it lasts a day or two only 😊.
I really wonder, the amount of money invested initially and the constant maintenance costs, not to mention your own time spent managing the place (incl. commute). I can't possibly imagine it's a better investment than just piling that money into ETFs on the stock market. I understand the value of the real estate itself will also go up over the years, but is the overall ROI more than 8-10%? :) no hate, but really wondering because i've also considered doing this
We put around 60k of our own money into buying and getting the thing started. Since then we haven't paid any of our own money out of pocket to run the business, its all been self sustaining. Now we have about $100-150k in equity after 3 years that we can use to get another place. I doubt ETFs or stocks can deliver that kind of return.
I have a hammock as well and I got sick of dealing with the s hooks so just bought a hammock kit on Amazon and it’s been fab! Don’t know if the desert weather would eat away at the straps but just a suggestion!
