Blue Gems Podcast

On today’s episode we’re welcoming Brandon Blake, owner of The Staging Company. Brandon went from being a sales associate to owning The Staging Company and learned a lot on the way. We’re talking about his journey, how he manages his work life balance, anddropping blue gems along the way. Learn more about The Staging Company on their website at https://thestaging.co/

Blue Gems Management: https://bluegemsmgmt.co/

[00:00] Episode teaser

[00:12] Show intro

[00:45] Welcome to Blake

[00:57] Brandon’s journey and how it gets to STRs

[04:50] What happens when The Staging Company gets the keys

[06:41] A price breakdown from start to finish

[11:25] What pushes the ROI up?

[13:05] How long it takes to furnish an average property

[18:04] Where does The Staging Company go to?

[19:47] STR set up vs. staging a house

[21:23] How big is The Staging Company and how big will it get?

[22:36] The things you need to build a company

[26:00] Brandon and his wife’s Airbnb goals

[27:07] What is a day in the life of Brandon?

[30:25] Number #1 lesson from building a company

[33:23] The last blue gem

[34:17] Wrap up and close out

Today’s episode we’re talking to the STR hero and regulations guy, AKA Theron Lewis. Theron started his business in short term rentals, and then an STR ban almost took it away. Learn how Theron and his team work to stop these bans in cities all over the country by listening in.

Reach out to Theron or his team members at thestrregulationsguy.com LEARN MORE Blue Gems Management: https://bluegemsmgmt.co/

[0:00:00] Episode teaser

[0:00:23] Show intro

[0:00:58] Welcome to the STR hero

[0:01:23] The STR hero’s origin story

[0:07:30] How go about changing the regulations in a city

[0:09:09] Is the STR hero investing?

[0:11:09] Legal background or legal teams?

[0:14:37] After the association, what’s next?

[0:17:16] Blue Gems Management

[0:17:43] Cont.

[0:20:29] What happened in Philly? (Plus how to repeat it elsewhere)

[0:46:16] Can you reach out to the STR hero for advice?

[0:48:52] Where is the STR market heading in the next 5 years?

[0:50:58] A day in the life of the STR hero

[0:55:09] The last blue gem

[1:03:56] Wrap up

[1:05:16] Short term rental meetup

On today’s episode of Blue Gems we’re talking to Jeff Wilson, co-founder of Jupe. Listen in to hear all about how Jupe’s are upping the game in the short term rental market. Jeff gives the details about how Jupe can benefit anyone who is interested and leaves those blue gems along the way.

Find out more about Jupe online at https://www.jupe.com/

ALL NEW: For all your short term rental management needs, check out blue Gems Management. Make your short term rentals passive income today by checking out our website: https://bluegemsmgmt.co/ Free short term rental meetup:

[00:00] Show Teaser

[00:47] Intro

[01:22] Who is Jeff and what is Jupe?

[02:29] Jupe’s units and scalability

[04:45] Where are Jupe’s units?

[05:33] How to find sites for Jupe to set up

[07:08] The Jupe model

[08:51] How Jupe manages regulations

[10:53] Will Jupe start renting out for events?

[13:51]Getting Jupes, other uses for them, and new things coming

[17:16] New announcement

[17:43] Cont.

[20:17] Space per Jupe and how many you can get

[22:20] Furniture included

[24:03] What weather is withstandable

[25:31] Roof, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical for Jupes

[29:10] Feedback about the guest experience

[33:01] A day in the life for Jeff

[35:47] If Jeff could go back in time, what would he do differently?

[37:35] Where did the name Jupe come from?

[41:02] How is Jupe helping the STR community?

[43:57] The last blue gem

[45:29] Outro

Follow Blue Gems instagram and stay up to date! https://www.instagram.com/bluegemsgroup/

On today’s episode of Blue Gems, we’re talking to Jeff Iloulian who is the co-founder of HostGPO. Jeff was intentional in his real estate strategies, and went from arbitraging and vacation rentals, to being the CEO of HostGPO. Listen in to find out how HostGPO helps short term rental managers and how Jeff chose his markets.

Find out more about HostGPO on their website at hostgpo.com

[00:00] Episode intro

[00:41] Show intro

[01:33] Jeff’s real estate journey

[02:55] The current portfolio

[03:30] What’s a group purchasing organization?

[05:09] When to sign up for HostGPO

[06:04] Reasons to go for quality

[08:58] Highest ROI furniture pieces

[11:51] Criteria for partners of HostGPO

[14:04] Advice for hosts: functionality tips

[18:16] Automation tools on HostGPO

[19:31] HostGPO’s journey

[22:06] The size of the HostGPO team

[23:24] Biggest challenges in scaling Host GPO

[25:14] Is Jeff’s portfolio growing?

[26:16] Markets Jeff would be interested in

[29:19] How many markets Jeff is currently in

[30:55] What is a day in Jeff’s life?

[33:42] Where is the short term rental market heading?

[36:38] The last blue gem

[38:56] How to find out more about HostGPO

[39:40] Outro

Follow Blue Gems instagram and stay up to date! https://www.instagram.com/bluegemsgroup/

This episode of Blue Gems we’re talking to Wayde Hall! Wayde is a realtor in central Florida who has a goal of retiring in 4 years at the ripe old age of 28. An investor himself, Wayde talks about what he looks for in an investment and strategies to stand out from the rental down the street. Tune in for this and more on Blue Gems Podcast.

[00:00] Episode intro

[00:20] Show intro

[00:53] Wade and his real estate journey

[01:57] How is Wade planning on retiring at 28?

[02:50] How dropping out of college played out for Wade

[04:41] The sales pitch formula

[05:29] Why real estate?

[07:32] 35 under 35: the sacrifices Wade made

[09:08] Mindset or pure determination?

[10:26] The first couple deals and future goals

[12:25] Pros and cons to short term rentals

[14:28] Running the numbers on a short term rental

[17:40] Theming: why do it and what is it?

[21:08] How much to invest in theming

[24:44] Saturation in the Florida market

[26:58] Should agents focused on investments buy their own properties?

[27:56] Long term vs. short term rentals

[29:05] Goals for the near future

[30:12] Advice for new short term rental investors

[31:00] How to choose a new market

[32:03] The last blue gem

Follow Blue Gems instagram and stay up to date! https://www.instagram.com/bluegemsgroup/

Today on the podcast we’re talking to Brandt, a realtor who specializes in short term rentals. Brandt began his real estate journey in 2014, so tune in to hear how he’s sharpened his craft and honed in on his market of choice.

[00:00] Episode teaser

[00:28] Show intro

[01:14] Brandt’s journey in real estate

[03:45] Pros and cons of different real estate markets

[04:48] Tennessee to Florida

[05:50] Considerations for short term rental markets

[07:18] Advice for agents who want to help investors in STRs

[08:32] What are factors for the legalities of STRs?

[09:26] Number crunching 101

[10:17] Maximizing the ADR

[11:38] Self-managing or outsourcing

[13:15] Self-managing tips and tricks

[14:31] Pricing strategies

[15:33] Brandt’s goals as a realtor and investor

[17:09] Where is the market going?

[19:31] Trends and types of loans in an STR market

[20:33] Getting a vacation home loan

[22:14] DSCR loan for the STR market

[24:39] Buying a property vs. running a business

[25:58] How do investors scale and buy often

[28:27] What separates the doers and wishers

[30:07] #1 tip for getting in the short term rental space

[30:50] One last blue gem

[31:44] Outro

Follow Blue Gems instagram and stay up to date! https://www.instagram.com/bluegemsgroup/

This week on Blue Gems we talk with Ryan Bakke about the nitty gritty details of how to leverage real estate investing to get to most out of your taxes. Ryan works with a CPA firm specializing in real estate investing with a focus on short term rentals. Both a tax account and an investor himself, Ryan knows the ins and outs of the trade. Check out his website learnlikeacpa.com for more information.

[00:00] Episode intro

[00:21] Show intro

[00:56] Ryan’s background and how he got into real estate

[03:53] Why does the IRS incentivize real estate investing?

[04:47] Passive vs. active income

[06:45] What are the tax rules for someone who does househacking?

[07:51] How can a real estate investor compensate for loan qualifications?

[09:14] Depreciation and where to add it back

[11:29] The great tax benefits of short term rentals,

[17:30] Does the short term rental loophole affect your tax return?

[20:45] Loophole in long term rentals

[22:39] Why don’t people househack or get into other real estate?

[25:10] Cost segregation studies and their benefits

[32:19] What can you write off as a real estate investor?

[35:54] How your spouse can be a big asset to your investing

[38:24] Call Ryan for those blue gems

[39:34] What does Ryan look for in clients?

[41:56] Understanding rules and tax codes as an investor

[43:37] Ryan’s portfolio

[46:58] Advice for people new to real estate

[48:23] What separates the doers and the wishers

[49:43] The last blue gem

[52:06] Outro

Resources: https://www.instagram.com/bluegemsgroup/

This week we have TJ dropping blue gems on the podcast! Ex-engineer turned short term rental pro, TJ is dropping life, short term rental, and arbitrage advice. Listen in while TJ talks through his portfolio and the strategies he used to get to the place he’s at today. Find TJ on instagram at @tjtijaniand check out his event coming up on August 19th at rental-summit.com

[00:00] Episode Intro

[00:34] Show Intro

[01:10] How TJ got into real estate and short term rentals

[06:09] What is rental arbitrage?

[08:00] TJ’s portfolio

[10:21] How to finance multiple units

[12:36] What markets are TJ looking at?

[13:17] Marketing and networking strategies

[16:56] TJ and speaking engagements

[19:50] How TJ’s personal life affects his business life

[23:29] What it was like for TJ to go from a W-2 to entrepreneurship

[26:17] The most challenging part of climbing the ladder

[28:22] What is TJ’s why?

[30:30] Advice for the new people in real estate investing

[32:15] What separates the wishers and the doers?

[32:49] How do you figure out what market to target?

[33:32] One last blue gem for the audience

[36:03] Where to connect with TJ

[37:27] Outro

Resources: https://www.instagram.com/bluegemsgroup/

Welcome to this week’s episode of Blue Gems! We’re talking to Taylor Jones, an expert in short term rentals. Dabbling in both personal short term rentals and managing short term rentals with a firm, Jones has a wide array of experience in multiple markets. Find Taylor on Twitter at @MrJonesSTRs to connect and learn more.

[00:00] Episode Intro

[00:16] Blue Gems jam time

[00:52] Welcome to Taylor, learn about his story

[05:24] How Taylor underwrites his yields

[06:30] Why invest in short term rentals with a firm?

[08:03] What’s the minimum contribution vs. the yield?

[09:27] Automation of short term rentals and why people are still important

[15:05] The best markets to be in as of today

[17:33] The financial/legal limits of working for a firm

[19:20] If Taylor had to buy a property with his wife, what market would it be in?

[22:44] Short term rentals are in the 2nd inning: let’s explain

[27:53] Thoughts on a luxury short term rental

[32:50] Mid-term rentals?

[34:53] Best advice for newbies in short term rentals

[36:58] What would you do differently than when you first started out?

[38:11] Where is Taylor Jones in 5 years?

[39:28] The last Blue Gem for the audience

[40:52] Reach out to Taylor on socials

[41:31] Outro

Resources: https://www.instagram.com/bluegemsgroup/

In this episode we meet Alberto Nikodimov, a realtor, investor and property manager. We learn why it's important for agents to own real estate, the ins and outs of managing short term rentals and explore Alberto's recent house hack deal!

[0:00] Episode intro

[0:24] Show intro

[0:59] How Alberto got into real estate and his journey thus far

[10:11] Mentor advice: put your money where your mouth is

[11:20] Alberto’s experience with househacking

[21:24] Multi-family appraisal challenges

[23:24] Advice for someone who wants to do a househack

[26:46] Things they don’t tell you in real estate

[30:36] When to outsource to people, know your boundaries

[35:33] Managing airbnbs and how to set yourself apart (blue gem in there too)

[45:34] Advice for investor newbies

[47:22] Long vs. short term rentals

[49:48] Where Alberto will be in five years

[51:22] Is it worth it to hire a short term rental property manager for your properties?

[56:57] The last blue gem of the episode

[58:40] How to reach out and connect with Alberto

[59:24] Outro

Resources: https://www.instagram.com/bluegemsgroup/