I run five rental properties through Furnished Finder after switching from short-term Airbnb rentals to mid-term stays for traveling professionals. Tenant screening, leases, financial tracking, damage protection, and insurance are all built into my Furnished Finder landlord dashboard (opens in new tab), and those tools are the reason my business runs smoother today.
My average daily rate on Airbnb dropped from $220 to $80 almost overnight. A few years ago, I found myself facing the same challenge many landlords experienced when the short-term rental market began to soften. My Airbnb property wasn't producing the consistent income it once had, and I knew I needed a more sustainable strategy. That's when I discovered Furnished Finder. Shifting from short-term vacation rentals to mid-term rentals for traveling professionals completely changed my business. Today, I've been using Furnished Finder for close to four years, and it's become one of the most valuable tools in my rental business.
What I appreciate most is that Furnished Finder doesn't just help me find quality tenants, it provides a complete set of landlord tools that save me time, reduce risk, and help me operate more professionally.
Every tool I need, right in my Furnished Finder dashboard
Furnished Finder isn't just where I list my property. Tenant screening, leases, financial tracking, damage protection, and insurance are all built into the same landlord dashboard (opens in new tab), so I'm not juggling logins across five different companies to run my business.
Getting the right tenant in the door
The Tenant Screening (opens in new tab) tool pulls credit history, background checks, and eviction history before I approve a guest. I screen all my guests through Furnished Finder's screening tool (powered by TransUnion), which gives me peace of mind knowing the guest is qualified. There have been a few occasions where the guest's credit score was below what we accept, but after a short phone call we were able to get clarification on why the credit score was what it was. In all cases, we moved forward with the guests and never had a problem.
Leases work the same way. All my leases are through Furnished Finder (opens in new tab) (powered by Rocket Lawyer), and they're state specific. I can create them right through Furnished Finder, and all guests sign electronically, which not only saves time but shows a level of professionalism that I feel guests need, especially with so many housing scams out there.
Running the business day to day
Baselane (opens in new tab) is the financial tool I use to track rental income and expenses. I have been using Baselane for about 2 years, and it is by far the easiest way for me to track expenses and rent collection. Prior to Baselane, at the end of each month, I was buried in receipts for maintenance, repairs, etc., and had to spend a few hours reconciling these. Now it's all automated, and each property has its own bank account and debit card.
Damage protection came next, and it changed how I run the property. The Damage Protection Plan (opens in new tab) covers accidental damage a guest causes during their stay. I wasn't accepting cats because of the damage they can cause to furniture. Having a damage protection plan, I now feel comfortable accepting cats, knowing I can file a claim if needed to replace any damaged furniture.
Insurance was the last piece. Steadily offers landlord insurance (opens in new tab) built specifically for rental property owners, which also lives in the Furnished Finder dashboard. Not all insurance companies will insure shorter-term rentals, but Steadily has reviewed all of my properties. This insurance product has saved me money in some cases, and in other cases, made me aware that I didn't have proper insurance.
My experience
What started as a strategy to replace declining Airbnb income has turned into a business model that I genuinely enjoy. I started with one mid-term rental and have grown it to five, thanks in large part to Furnished Finder. Mid-term rentals have provided more stability, fewer turnovers, and better tenants than I ever had with short-term stays. Furnished Finder has been a big part of that success, not just because it connects me with traveling professionals, but because it continues to add tools that make managing rentals easier from beginning to end.
If you're a landlord looking for a more professional, less stressful way to run a rental business, Furnished Finder (opens in new tab) has been that for me. It's the reason I went from barely breaking even on one Airbnb to running five properties I actually enjoy managing.
About the author:
Bob Anthes is a real estate investor, entrepreneur, and hands-on landlord with more than 18 years of entrepreneurial experience. After dabbling in real estate earlier in his career, Bob returned to investing about seven years ago and has since built a portfolio of 12 rental properties across Wilmington, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro, North Carolina.
Bob specializes in small multifamily properties, including duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. His portfolio includes both affordable long-term rentals and five furnished midterm rentals, where he has developed a strong understanding of what traveling professionals and other midterm guests are looking for.
A self-managing landlord, Bob believes successful real estate investing is about creating a win-win situation for everyone. He takes a flexible approach with his tenants and believes landlords should put themselves in their tenants’ shoes while still running a profitable business.
One of Bob’s proudest investments is a Wilmington property that was severely damaged by a hurricane. He rebuilt and refinanced the property, recovered his original investment, and turned it into a strong cash-flowing rental.
Bob’s philosophy is simple: do your homework, understand the numbers and hidden costs, treat people fairly, and make things happen.