Bob Wohlstrom is a seasoned property owner with over two decades of experience in property management and real estate investment. His career began as a superintendent, overseeing apartment complexes, and evolved into buying, fixing, and selling houses. After retiring in 2012, Bob transitioned into the world of mid-term rentals, purchasing a duplex in Tucson and transforming it into a lucrative investment. Through strategic remodeling and a partnership with Furnished Finder, he has created a thriving mid-term rental business. This article explores Bob's successful journey, insights, and strategies, providing valuable lessons for property owners interested in mid-term rentals.
Bob's Background
Property Management Career
Bob Wohlstrom's career in property management spans over two decades. Starting as a superintendent, he quickly climbed the ranks to become an area manager, overseeing 800 apartment complexes. His hands-on experience in managing various properties, dealing with tenants, and understanding their needs gave him a unique perspective. He learned the importance of responsiveness, property maintenance, and tenant satisfaction. After nearly 20 years, he shifted gears, buying, fixing, and selling houses for eight years. This phase further honed his skills in property renovation, market analysis, and understanding the dynamics of real estate investment.
Transition to Mid-Term Rentals
Bob's retirement in 2012 marked a new chapter in his life. Moving to Tucson, he sought investment properties that could provide a steady income. He purchased a duplex in 2017, remodeled it, and began renting it out. His expertise in property management and construction guided him in making the property appealing to tenants. Bob's transition to mid-term rentals was a natural progression, leveraging his extensive background to create a successful business model. His choice of mid-term rentals allowed him to tap into a market that offers more stability than short-term rentals while still providing flexibility. This decision aligned with his desire for consistent income without the daily demands of short-term rental management.
The Duplex Strategy
Property Details
Bob's duplex (opens in new tab) consists of two units: a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom. He lives in one and rents out the other. His remodeling efforts included installing new ceramic tile, air conditioning, a furnace, a hot water heater, and solar panels on the roof. These upgrades not only enhanced the property's appeal but also increased its energy efficiency, making it more attractive to environmentally conscious tenants. The choice of a duplex allowed him to minimize expenses while maximizing rental income. By living on the property, he could also ensure timely maintenance and build a rapport with his tenants.
Solar Panels
A 25% tax credit and the potential for long-term savings were factors in Bob's decision to install solar panels. This wise investment not only adds up to 10% value to the home but also leads to free electricity from solar energy. The solar panels have become a unique selling point, attracting tenants interested in sustainable living and reducing utility costs. It's an example of how strategic investments in green technology can pay off in the rental market. The decision also reflects a broader trend towards sustainability in real estate, aligning the property with modern consumer values.
House Hacking
Bob's house hacking strategy—living in half of the duplex while renting the other half—stemmed from his previous experience with rental income properties. He initially tried Airbnb but quickly shifted to Furnished Finder, valuing the longer-term tenants and easier management. This approach allowed him to cover his living expenses while enjoying the benefits of property ownership. It also provided him with on-site access to manage the property, ensuring quick responses to tenant needs. House hacking is a strategy that can be particularly appealing to new investors or those looking to reduce their living expenses, as it provides a way to generate income from your primary residence.
Success with Furnished Finder
Quick Results
Bob's experience with Furnished Finder was immediate and positive. Within six hours of listing the property, he had a tenant for a month. He continued to attract tenants, including nurses, doctors, and interns, with stays ranging from four to 16 months. The platform's focus on mid-term rentals provided a steady stream of quality tenants, reducing vacancies and ensuring consistent income. Bob's success highlights the efficiency and effectiveness of Furnished Finder in connecting property owners with reliable tenants. It also underscores the demand for mid-term rentals, particularly among professionals in transitional phases, such as relocating for work or temporary assignments.
Rental Income
Bob charges $1475 per month for rent, covering his mortgage and all utilities for both units. This income stream has significantly eased his expenses, enhancing his retirement lifestyle. The pricing strategy reflects the property's quality, location, and convenience offered to tenants, making it a win-win situation for both parties. Bob's ability to set a competitive price while still covering all his expenses demonstrates the financial potential of mid-term rentals. It also shows how understanding the local market and positioning the property to meet specific tenant needs can lead to optimal pricing.
Tenant Experience
Bob's tenants enjoy the comforts and upgrades of the property. He accepts pets, ensures a comfortable environment, and even allows tenants to decorate the place. His current tenant, Shannon, has stayed for 13 months, truly making the place her home. Bob's attention to detail, willingness to accommodate tenants' needs, and focus on creating a homely atmosphere have fostered a positive rental experience. This approach has led to longer stays, positive reviews, and a strong reputation as a landlord. It's a testament to the importance of tenant satisfaction in building a successful rental business, particularly in the mid-term market, where tenants often seek a more personalized and home-like experience.
Remodeling Insights
Energy Efficiency
Bob's remodeling efforts prioritize energy efficiency. He replaced all windows with argon-filled, low-E glass windows and installed granite countertops and ceramic tiles, enhancing the property's appeal. These upgrades not only improve the property's aesthetics but also contribute to lower utility bills, making it more attractive to potential tenants. Bob's focus on energy efficiency aligns with a growing trend among renters seeking sustainable living options. It also reflects a broader movement in real estate towards green building practices, recognizing the long-term savings and environmental benefits of energy-efficient design.
Murphy Bed
Bob's creativity shines through in his decision to build a Murphy bed into a closet in a narrow bedroom. This innovative solution maximizes space and adds flexibility to the property. It's an example of how thoughtful design can transform a small space into a functional living area, adding value to the property. Such unique features can set a property apart in the competitive rental market. It also illustrates how understanding tenant needs and creatively addressing them can lead to innovative solutions that enhance the property's appeal.
Advice for Property Owners
Bob's advice to fellow property owners emphasizes focusing on energy efficiency, attractiveness, and comfort when considering upgrades. He also stresses the importance of upgrading to a standard that you would enjoy living in, as it helps in charging a premium rent. His insights underscore the importance of understanding the target tenant market and tailoring the property to meet their specific needs and preferences. Investing in quality materials, thoughtful design, and tenant-friendly policies can lead to higher rental income and tenant satisfaction. Bob's approach reflects a philosophy of treating rental properties not just as investments but as homes for tenants, recognizing that a happy tenant often translates to a successful rental business. His advice serves as a valuable guide for property owners looking to enhance their properties, not just for immediate returns but for long-term success and tenant satisfaction.
Episode 11 Transcript
Welcome to Landlord Diaries where we talk about midterm rentals and the opportunities behind them we'll share landlord stories talk about maximizing investment potential and discuss how to live the very best landlord life this podcast is proudly brought to you by furnished finder the place for everything midterm rentals remember to like And subscribe if you enjoy our content hello everyone this is Kelly Bailey your podcast host thank you so much for joining us today we are excited to share today's episode reminder I am in the Austin Texas area and have a handful of midterm rentals on Furnished Finder and just can't get enough of it and hey everyone I am Katie I am also a landlord and property owner but I am located in the Denver area um we are so excited to share Bob's episode with you today Bob has set up like a classic house hacking situation for himself um and with a background in property management and construction he has some really great tips for anyone who is interested in pursuing house hacking or anyone who is even maybe already doing it and just is looking for some tips and tricks [Music] thank you welcome to the show Bob how are you today I'm well Kelly thanks for uh yes we're very excited what I you know really what I want to know first is I am most intrigued by your career in Property Management so why don't you give us some details about about your experience I had a career back east in Property Management I started out with as a superintendent on this is ages ago um for a uh awesome based management development company worked my way up within a year I was assistant manager and then I started with a doing rent UPS of rehab schools and Office Buildings and that sort of thing that they converted into elderly private Section 8 housing for the elderly and handicapped from there I went to Hartford Connecticut and worked my way uh we had an 800 apartment complex there and then I I was uh became wow uh area manager for the boston-based firm in Rhode Island as well and then I got a job offer in Greenwich Connecticut and worked there for five years and then by that time let me see that was about almost 20 years of work I decided to leave property management and started buying houses fixing them up selling them and I did that for about eight years until I moved to Bermuda for two years working at Michael Douglas's Resort aerial Sands Beach Club stayed there a couple years came back and I retired in 2000 and 12. and moved out to Tucson sounds like a fun life it's been interesting yeah yeah so yeah move down to two yeah what took you to Tucson and what kind of property were you were you looking when you went there well originally when I got out of the Marine Corps in 1972 my brother asked me to come out and visit him because I wasn't doing anything exciting after I had gotten out of the service I ended up uh when I left Connecticut there in February there was three feet of snow on the ground and I got out here and it was 83 degrees and I went I think I'll stay here so I did and my future wife who was from New York and uh we we uh moved back uh East in in 1980 after eight years out here so it's it has been interesting and I've got other family so 1980 is that how long you've been in Tucson since 19 80 no actually I'm I moved back from uh to Connecticut in 1980 from uh Tucson where I had lived for eight years and then uh move back here again in 2010. now when you made that move back to Tucson were you looking for an investment property or was it something that just kind of had happened by chance I was yeah looking for investment property and uh I ended up uh like retiring after a couple years bought bought another property sold it bought this one when did I buy this one 2017. and uh I I moved into the the one bedroom which I'm renting out now completely remodeled it gutted it pretty much and then I'm um didn't renew the lease to my uh tenants that were living in the two bedroom and I'm in the process now of remodeling the two bedroom and I'm about half done it's one of those things if you own a home so it's a duplex yeah yeah two units this is a two bedroom that's the one yeah awesome and you have uh your uh remodeling background um so what improvements have you made uh on the duplex while you're living in half or even while guests are renting the other half I completely I tore out all the vinyl flooring that was it throughout the uh the one bedroom and completely put it I covered it with a new ceramic tile put an air conditioner in new new furnace new hot water heater um put solar on the roof solar panels um and this place I'm putting up crop I'm in the process now of putting up crown molding in the uh back bedroom which I'm in the middle of remodeling uh I put a Murphy bed in there and I had I had all the lumber cut and I built the Murphy bed and put it in and it's just it keeps me busy I'm but I can't wait to be finished I want to do some traveling oh nice where where are you planning to travel to Well if things calm down in the world Europe Eastern Eastern Europe I've been a Europe three times but I I there's a lot of countries that I have that I've missed so yeah Italy I'd love to go to there I've been I was in Greece when I was in the service in Athens for three weeks and then turkey and awesome my husband grew up in Greece oh no kidding yeah yeah great spot got my pictures yeah I got a picture on the wall over there the Parthenon when I was there sounds great very cool oh cool well you said you said a few things that really intrigued me on your upgrades solar panels that is a Hot Topic that you know so many Property Owners decide should I or should I not so what made you choose to move forward with solar panels the tax credit when I got it it was 25 still now they've dropped it down I think they're continuing it but it's not as lucrative as it used to be it from what I've heard and read and like everything else I look into it before I jump into it um it can add as much as 10 to the value of your home and of course uh oh you know you get eventually when it's all paid for you get free sold her I mean electricity from the solar right so it's yeah it's it's awesome and you're probably using a lot of electricity down there Arizona summer yeah let me see it's a hundred and 101 in the shade right now uh I'm like and the other day it'll probably be about the same it's about a high of 105 but they lie I think I think it's a lot higher than that again today yeah it's not my favorite time of the year oh my God yeah I guess it gets hot but that's why we I put in air conditioning we used to have the old swamp coolers you ever heard of a swamp cooler it right oh yeah oh yes it's an evaporative effect yeah and outside actually a lot of restaurants and things they have what they call misters and they spray a mist of water into here and that's the evaporative cooling as well but it's not really it's good in the summertime but it uh when it's very dry and it but in the uh when it gets now that we've got the monsoons officially starting tomorrow and um that's when the Dew Point's a lot higher and it and the evaporative coolers just don't work as well so uh the uh yeah the air conditioning that's mandatory uh yeah as are the high high electric bills now not your first time with an investment property obviously if you 've been improved them and sold them so what made you decide this time around to get a duplex and kind of go the you know the house hacking strategy of living in half and renting in half versus buying one unit just for yourself and continuing to do the flip my experience in owning uh properties that uh provided rental income and uh it it worked out I didn't let me see I had the my tenants in the two bedroom for I think three years before three or yeah three years before I I ended up going with what I started out as an Airbnb and that lasted for okay that lasted for a month and I I I'm going to be honest with you I don't remember exactly how I heard about furniture finder I lucked into it I guess and right because I'm curious how your Airbnb experience guys come down from well I've listed the property and six hours later I had a tenant for a month with Airbnb nice wow I know that's what I said I said wow that's pretty cool cool so they were a couple of guys from Bend Oregon and I don't know exactly what they were planning down here I think they were looking for jobs or whatever but in any event they stayed a month and then just about the time that it was about halfway through the month that I found out about Furnished Finder rented I mean uh signed on worth Furnished Finder and within just about the time I was getting a little concerned I had a four-month uh nurse come in for four months awesome and then just about the time I was getting I get concerned I had another four month there and then and it just kept on rolling so it's been keeps going yes and then after that I have a person for a month and then I might be getting these time frames wrong but then I had a doctor a doctor move in uh he was an intern for the Tucson Medical Center he stayed for 16 months and he he told me I'll let you know in October if I get an extension well he didn't tell me that and he he got an extension so I had the plays listed and got my current tenant in um let me get this see if I can get this right I I got my Cur I had a month worth of vacancy during which time I I took the time to tear out the the kitchen countertops and and um install the granite counters so that was perfect and it gave me a little bit of a break and then Shannon who is a uh vascular surgeon 37 year old girls studies a keto I told her if I had a daughter I'd want her to be just like you she's a great gal I love her to death oh yeah um anyway uh she signed on 13 months ago so now I'm now I'm looking for another uh another tenant wow so have all of your tenants accept that very first one been from Furnished Finder first one yeah wow and like I said one month I was gonna ask I was gonna ask you to compare the tenant types and your experience but that's a pretty small sample size yeah one booking outside of furniture yeah well my brother has a neighbor who turned his house into an Airbnb and right I don't know if you'd want to call it lazy but I don't want to do that much work you know every three days and what what I I'd like about the Furnished Finder experiences I get what I consider to be um and I've used the key check to to check their their backgrounds the criminal credit eviction blah blah blah and you get I've gotten long-term tenants instead of you know a family for three days or whatever so I uh I don't want to run a hotel it works out very well this way right it's it's a it's a lot of work and I think you know we've heard from several property owners that um you know your your property gets left in much better condition and those tenants have a little bit more skin in the game you know they're treating it as their home and such but yeah I mean I think more and more people are like you kind of realizing one way or another that this is an option right um whereas before it was kind of short-term or long term and there wasn't much in the middle yeah yeah and that's uh I've I've referred uh Furnished Finder to a couple of friends who own properties and they have told me how much they they prefer the longer term stable tenants nothing like that okay you what I've found is that your um number one long-term tenant can get a damage deposit you can I accept pets so I I get up right right now this girl that I have Shannon right now she she has she works 90 hours a week it's crazy how much she works so her and she's a lot oh man and she has a this 11 year old German Shepherd she hires she hires a service to clean up after him in the backyard because I have a very big backyard on both sides and um she has decorated the place I have a lot of artwork up in in the in the one bedroom and she's decorated the place color coordinated it's like wow that's great yeah had a Christmas tree up yeah I don't even do a Christmas well it's yay big but um yeah she's really made it into a home so it's uh that's great that's really cool I want to Circle back a little bit to the remodeling uh so we already talked about the solar panels I was also intrigued by the Murphy bed because you know a lot of these investment properties that are buying especially those that you know try to add a to use are or are looking for opportunities to make more uh money on their current properties without having to buy a whole new brand new property so what how do you decide when to put a Murphy bed in versus a regular bed for yours Bob well this house was built in 1966. and I think it's been added on and remodeled many times and the back bedroom stretches the the length from the living room to the front of the house so it's narrow it's nine foot six wide by 19 feet long so off the bathroom is where my the door is into that room and if I turn to the right there's a walk-in closet which is nice I like it and then if I turn to the left there was a six foot bifold closet so it must have been two too small so what I ended up doing was uh how do I put it well I just I figured that was the best option to take up the least amount of room I live alone so it doesn't matter but at least you run out of room when I get guests over open the the uh Murphy bed queen size fits perfectly into that closet I built it into the closet and framed it out so you can't see anything except for the the door to the Murphy bed and uh so that's that's why that's smart yeah you know it worked out foreign sounds like a good use of space yeah um so lastly on the remodeling front what advice do you have for current property owners that are considering some upgrades uh and don't have the skills that you do what what can you pass along to them well I think what I'll I'll do it from my own experience if you're going to remodel the house you want to get energy efficient number one and I replaced all the windows in this place uh with argon filled uh low E glass uh windows so that that would be one thing um then you want to make it attractive attack you know so I that's why I've put in granite countertops in both units um get rid of vinyl I don't know I don't like vinyl I love the ceramic we don't do carpet out here so much um so yeah you know so the tile's fine if you want something softer to walk on buy a rug so um right yeah and then uh air conditioning if you're in Tucson is is mandatory you know to make to give them a comfortable environment because I can't imagine renting a property in Arizona without internet yeah totally crazy without it um so that worked um I put in I haven't done it so next door but I'm in this place I put in the artificial grass well because I just I adopted a dog two years ago on that and he uh he likes that and it's attractive and I don't have to mow it but I'm like Oh my son my son goes so what are you gonna do what are you gonna do this afternoon Dad I said I'm gonna vacuum the lawn because you know run it back and clean her over you're all set uh but yeah upgrade upgrade to some place that you would like to live because you're you're I'm charging top dollar for this place and and uh you know I really want them to be happy with what they what they have and actually Shannon that my current uh tenant uh said to me you've got to upgrade your photos because this place is a lot cuter than it looks online so when she moves out I'm good advice I'm gonna take the all new pictures set and uh and put it we hear that a lot and um you know our biggest recommendation is is a professional photographer usually costs about two or three hundred dollars to photographs of property and obviously a smaller property would be even less um and then you know you have those in your back pocket and you can use them over and over and over because they really are I mean these potential tenants yes they're looking they're reading but let's be honest they're looking at the pictures first yeah right and they're reading if they like the pictures so it's it's just kind of the world we live in now but um well since you mentioned that you know you charge you you charge a good amount of rent I'm very curious and and if you're not comfortable sharing just let us know but um you know since you live in the other half of the duplex we've we've heard of kind of this house hacking strategy quite a bit um how has that helped with your mortgage and your expenses um and kind of break that down for us to the level that you're comfortable just with you know how that has had an impact on paying for the property as a whole even your side right well um well let me tell you when I haven't listed for 14.75 a month 1475 dollars when Shannon moved in she said I'd like to stay here a year and I think she was perfectly comfortable paying 14.75 and I said I'm not greedy I'll give it to you for 13.50 for the for the year and um right she um we signed the lease actually we did the lease online uh with the key with key check and um it pays the that page that rental pays my mortgage and all the utilities for both as well so that is very important oh yeah yeah retired uh Marine needs his his beer once in a while so that's that's amazing yeah it it works out do you have a plan to buy anymore emotional properties um I yeah I do uh and when I'm thinking of is in Vermont because I'd like to go to Vermont on the Summers and then have my brother run this place during the time that I'm gone and then I would buy a place that I could use in the Summers back there and then my sons one of whom lives in uh Connecticut and the other lives in outside of Boston Massachusetts could use as a ski house in the winter time and oh there you go so you know we trade back and forth and uh I'd probably make and and let him manage that uh renting it out to other skiers during that period of time and or Airbnb right or whatever yeah so that's yeah that's my thing it's nice that you can with the midterm rentals and the short-term rentals right like you can you can mix and match that right like if it's High season for ski season you can go to an Airbnb model and in the off season right more monthly multi month right like I think um that's another really good key point that um too many landlords Overlook is that you're not obviously if you sign a year-long lease you're locked into the year-long lease but if if you're thinking about that short term or the midterm you can you can mix them both it does not have to be one or the other and then you can save time like you said on your calendar for your personal use of the property exactly exactly so yeah the uh the Furnished Finder um I I don't know if I would go with Airbnb I uh that that situation I I I just not I'm not fond of the idea of getting somebody in there who's going to just use the place for a week and get the heck out and I'm not of that help right so um longer term that's a lot yeah yeah it's especially when me not being there necessarily during the winter time and my right so um my son's doing very well for himself so so perhaps he'll uh be able to just uh manage it off on the side and and during those months because he's got a lot he's got a lot of friends who he knows and trusts who could do it too so but the uh that's that's in the future after I get this place finished right well it'll sound like some good plans so Kelly are you ready to move into landlord Logistics yes and today I actually combined the two landlord Logistics and Furnished Finder favorites because Bob has a lot of insight to the tools that he really enjoys using uh through Furnished Finder and it combines nicely with how he landlords so let's jump into the first question uh you mentioned Bob that in our intro call that you and and earlier in this podcast how much you value keycheck so which features do you currently utilize uh through kitchen okay well the I what I did with Shannon for instance I sent her the link now this is the it's good because it provides number one they pay for it for the for the background check link link to what uh to key check the screenings yeah the screening so they they um they have their privacy they don't share their social security number or anything with me they input it and all their information and it comes back to me with their background check the credit check criminal check eviction check and then what I really like about it is you can customize the lease um so that works out consign everything she she lives lived and is moving back to Oklahoma where parents are and um we were able to do all the signatures electronically so that you know I mean that's that's pretty common nowadays but it's you know I'm not going to take it for granted I mean it's it's wonderful it's uh I feel uh incredibly lucky to be um have been born during this time of Technology it's a lot of people like I say take it for granted I came from three channels and rabbit ears on my TV you know I was the room control for dad you know so yeah so it uh yeah it's it's uh it's convenient it's it's inexpensive and uh actually I didn't think I even had to pay anything for it I think every all the cops are covered uh by the tenant correct me if I'm wrong on on the screenings yes and then law Depot is just I believe 29 per year so basically yeah it's it's great value for money very costly absolutely so with those with those leases is there anything that you like to customize on those leases to fit the property better or kind of how you like to run things a little bit better I know like I have a long-term property just because it's kind of what we stumbled into long ago and that house just has some quirks where I'm like you have to change the air filter every four weeks and I have put that in the lease so I know you know every area every property has certain things that are you know so important that you want to put it on a lease um I I include that more in my households so tell us about that how do you how do you make your house rules and make sure that your tenant is signed off on them well I tell them I'm a good neighbor and I expect them to reciprocate absolutely no smoking I did have a nurse who smoked and she smoked outside um no pets on the bed keep my place clean like you would keep yours clean you know simple simple Common Sense things I don't think there's anything on there that needed to be put into a lease out here in Arizona we have wall heaters because you except for the very very cold months you don't really need too much heat there's no filters or anything to change I do all the maintenance on the place um Shannon has called me up on several occasions and said you know would you would you check this out or whatever and uh so um you know if I had well let me back up though because I I do have a filter on the air conditioner it's a it's one of the wall mounted kinds it also it works but the gas heater is much more efficient uh in terms of uh electrical costs for crying out loud but uh there's there's a small one on there but I I change it for them you know uh I'll tell them halfway through the season I got to wash this thing out and uh and take right because a lot I'd rather do it myself you know it's not like in my house I had a a gas furnace where there's a filter that I've got to pull out it's an electrostatic one I I got rid of the paper ones and I just washed it out once a month like you said you do on your property so it uh yeah well that must be nice to be a tenant and not have to do any Property Maintenance I mean typically like you know Airbnb short-term rentals airbnbs you know you're gonna do none midterm rentals you know you might have to do it a little bit here and there but to be able to have your landlord and property owner and property manager right next door especially with the experience that you have I can say as a tenant that would be there'd be a layer of security that would be pretty nice to have especially since you know that property inside and out yeah yeah I think it's been very good for Shannon single single uh young lady and uh the uh the doctor the male doctor that was in there um prior to her I don't think he asked me to do anything there I just he was pretty independent he worked long hours too but uh yeah I think I think it works out very well for them yeah works out very well for me too you know I don't have to travel to go take care of the place I walked next door definitely so that's yeah and that was another thing of my buying a duplex I just call it call it uh convenient yeah mm-hmm for sure so back to the law Depot leases you mentioned that uh you love how that you can customize it and as an Austin Texas uh landlord and property owner um I love it as well so I think uh what is it that you love that it's in question form and you just uh personalize the questions and then they go ahead and convert it into like this legal good sounding um document that you don't have to come up with the language they come up with the language is that what you like about the customer yeah that and the fact that if I wanted to customize something I could uh for instance putting in the fees for the for uh the dog and and uh um I I think I mentioned in there in the lease that it was a non-smoking property and and uh uh so yeah it's I mean you can do yeah it's perfect you can customize it uh however you want and correct me if I'm wrong but I think there's it's state specific as well they custom they cuss relative to the state that you live in to make sure it's a legal document there that a lot of people don't realize that at least it is a legal document 100 and uh I love that about uh law day Depot that you were saying you don't even have to think of the questions that you you're like oh yeah I probably should put something about that they kind of prompt you the whole way of oh would you like to offer this would you like to offer this yeah and so it's nice not to have to remember what all you might have to put in there it just kind of prompts you yeah forgive me so uh uh it was like I said 13 months 14 months ago now that I when we first started of the key check but yeah that's that I'm sure I utilize it you recalled him pretty well so so Bob once you have a traveler who's ready to move in what's your process like kind of from start to finish to get them on boarded and moved in feeling good a part of your system and how long how long does that take for you I have a lock box where I put in the key tell them what the code is after I've received I I have them uh email me a copy of their ID their driver's license after after we've signed it so I know what they look like and who they are and and then um they move in and it's then once they're in and they're they're ice I'll I say when you're comfortable let me know and I'll come over and walk you through everything well one of the nurses I had here for four months didn't know that I had a closet where the the ironing board and broom and everything was I said right outside the bathroom oh I I never even saw that so you know they're important uh you know how do you how to use the stove how to use the uh the uh air fryer that sort of thing so it's uh it doesn't take very long at all and and actually that that nurse that I was talking about who was um uh a smoker she uh she was an older lady and she was lonely and I'd have dinner with my brother and sister over here and we'd invite her over and she told me when she left she said her husband had died like a year prior and she told me you've opened up a whole new world for me I never I never yeah yeah and in terms of friends and and socializing because I yeah right and she and my sister have remained friends that's two through almost yeah almost two and a half years later and she moved to Tucson so uh yeah that's amazing so it doesn't to answer your question no more succinctly it doesn't take me very long at all people are pretty smart get them settled in read the house rules have fun if you have any questions you know where I where I live right I only have one more question Katie so if you have any more Jump On In no I'm I'm good okay let's wrap it up Bob last question you have three years of experience with Furnished Finder uh what Insight can you pass along to other landlords what insights you mean once the landlords who have not used furnished finder or or sure well what I'd say either I'd say anyone with less than less experience than you have because that's well I would I would definitely say use key check number one I've having had a background in property management for as long as I did we we always even you know uh in the when I work for companies corporations we always did credit criminal eviction uh uh checks if you don't you're you're going to end up losing money um trust your instincts on on people if you're a good judge of character trust what you feel about those those individuals and um other insights um shoot for the long term if you can if you're lucky enough like I've been shoot for the long term which generally speaking Furnished Finder I don't think I've had one request that was shorter than a month but I've always already been read but it's generally two three four six months a year so I I've just been shooting for the for the longer term it's it's good for them yeah because they're getting settled in it's good for me because I have a long-term tenant so yeah I got a great experience with Phoenix finder and I hope I continue to do so I'm sure I will I'm sure you will well thank you so much for joining us Bob and just a reminder everyone uh if you liked the episode hit the button if you want to ask Bob any questions feel free to comment and subscribe if you like our channel so thanks everybody for being here with us thank you [Music] you know