074: Building Short-Term Rental Experiences with Alex Jarbo

If you love going on vacation and staying in rentals instead of a hotel, you might have considered purchasing a short-term rental at some point along the line. You’re definitely not alone since short-term rental properties flooded the market by using services like Airbnb and VRBO to market them.

On this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, short-term rental developer and manager Alex Jarbo joins Jonathan to talk about this investment niche and why it appealed to him from the beginning of his real estate career. A former Marine, Alex also hosts a YouTube channel and is the founder of Sargon Investments.

Jonathan and Alex dive into how Alex creates experiences with his short-term rentals--not just a place to sleep. You’ll also hear how he chose his investment market, Asheville, North Carolina, his unique choice to build an A-frame property, and the downturn in the vacation rental market. Alex also explains the role courses, books, podcasts, etc., have played in his path to success in this real estate niche.

Satisfy your curiosity about short-term rentals with this in-depth conversation with Alex Jarbo.

In this episode, you will hear:

Alex Jarbo’s earliest exposure to real estate and some of the “aha” moments he experienced
His transition out of the military into a real estate career and his struggle with a lack of structure as an entrepreneur
How he honed in on his real estate niche
Why Alex settled on Asheville, North Carolina, as his investment market
His interest in A-frame homes and what makes them great rentals
The downturn in the vacation rental market and the blurring of the lines between vacation rentals and hotels
How technology is changing the vacation rental market
Why the short-term rental market is saturated and overflowed with investors who shouldn’t have gotten into in the first place
Alex’s goal with the development he’s purchasing and what makes it unique
The importance of viewing your rental properties as a business and the resources Alex used initially to learn from
Finding value in paid courses, what Alex would advise people about paid courses, and why masterminds are crucial
How he evaluates other markets for future investments.
Alex Jarbo’s advice for those who want to get into short-term rentals and how to manage your expectations about it
Why short-term rentals are a viable alternative to long-term investment properties
Leveraging social media to create an email list as a business asset

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