We own a handfull of STRs. This is a great summary. RE saunas: you're spot on -- is there a WINTER that makes people want to get in? We have several properties with hot tubs and I can tell you, they are both in demand, and are a huge pain in the @$$ to maintain and expensive when (not if) they get broken. Next up for us, sauna in mountain town Colorado.
I have a STR in a small fishing town near Green Bay . Was considering a sauna since they’re less expensive but I Never considered buying a used hot tub. Thanks for the info !
@@architect_talk Green Bay! Yeah we are taking on longer bookings as much as we can right now. We got spoiled because for the past 4 years the Packers always had the Play-offs in January so January used to be a great month for us. It was a bummer they didn't make it this year but we think next year the Pack WILL be back!! (especially watching what they did in the last 4 games) We almost bought a property close to you in Pound, WI. It was a nice one with an indoor pool. I just messed up on my offer to purchase :( I was also looking at a property in Little Suamico. Was uncertain if a property there would bring us enough bookings. How long have you been doing your STR(s)? We've been at this for 5 years and own 7 properties we STR and 2 we arbitrage MTR and 1 we LTR. We've been getting some good summer bookings too. That's where we do the best is during the summer and then right after the Packer games. So it pretty much gives us 2 season with just the winter being slower.
@@tracy3066 My Airbnb got up and running around May of last year. I find that my bookings spike in unexpected seasons, oddly enough September what’s my best month of last year! My summer occupancy was around 65% I think we can go for the coming spring
Great info! We have a in-ground pool for summer. (And the property is a waterfront property) We're in WI and I thought about a getting a hot tub because it's a large 6 bedroom house but I kind of like the break I get in the winter. I do have a pool guy who said he would take care of a hot tub as well but he goes up north every weekend so I'd have to take care of it for any Sunday check-ins. I guess I could talk to one of cleaners to see if they could take care of it on Sundays. I just don't know if a hot tub would help enough. It seems like people just don't travel here in the winter. I'll have to think about it again down the road. I think at this time I need to work on getting some solar panels because our bills are sky high because we heat the pool for all guest even when it's hot in August and September. (We get a lot of wind being next to the water so I think that keeps our pool colder) I would LOVE to have you do a video showing your hot tub and Sauna. That would be super interesting! Ive never seen a barrel Sauna before. I agree with you it would be good to have both for large groups and families. That way part of the guest can use the hot tub while the others use the Sauna. A 6-8 person hot tub would be what I would get but if 12 people are staying there all not going to fit in it. So a Sauna would help to then give all guest something to do.
Hey James, this is great info, thanks for putting it out! We have a large property that’s e I tend to turn into a STR and we are in the process of sourcing a sauna (we have a hot tub already). Do you have any sauna vendors that you can recommend? We are just north of Toronto as well.
Great info! We have a cottage north Montreal for 6-7 people. What hot tub size do you recommend? Do you have a preferred brand? I think it's a great idea to buy second hand.
Thank you for the valuable information. You mentioned having your hot tub and sauna installed. Since the hot tub is pre-owned, I assume finding a vendor for installation might be challenging. We own a property on Nova Scotia's South Shore and are interested in purchasing and installing both a hot tub and sauna. Any recommendations or advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Great video. In terms of cleaning and taking care of a hot tub, do you find that this is something your housekeeping staff can handle? Or do you have to get someone else to do this? I live one hour away from my vacation rental property so I don't want to have to travel to the property between each guest visit.
Great question! It really depends on the cleaning team but definitely wouldn’t require you to do it. At some properties our cleaners take care of it and at others we have a “hot tub guy” who goes by and takes care of it.
We own a handfull of STRs. This is a great summary. RE saunas: you're spot on -- is there a WINTER that makes people want to get in? We have several properties with hot tubs and I can tell you, they are both in demand, and are a huge pain in the @$$ to maintain and expensive when (not if) they get broken. Next up for us, sauna in mountain town Colorado.
Agreed! Saunas are nice because they’re much easier to maintain, but unfortunately people just love the hot tubs in certain markets!
I have a STR in a small fishing town near Green Bay . Was considering a sauna since they’re less expensive but I Never considered buying a used hot tub. Thanks for the info !
Hey neighbor!! How are doing right now!
@@tracy3066 hi!! Not bad, just had a month long stay. Spring and summer bookings starting to come in. I’m in Oconto, where are you ?
@@architect_talk Green Bay! Yeah we are taking on longer bookings as much as we can right now. We got spoiled because for the past 4 years the Packers always had the Play-offs in January so January used to be a great month for us. It was a bummer they didn't make it this year but we think next year the Pack WILL be back!! (especially watching what they did in the last 4 games) We almost bought a property close to you in Pound, WI. It was a nice one with an indoor pool. I just messed up on my offer to purchase :( I was also looking at a property in Little Suamico. Was uncertain if a property there would bring us enough bookings. How long have you been doing your STR(s)? We've been at this for 5 years and own 7 properties we STR and 2 we arbitrage MTR and 1 we LTR. We've been getting some good summer bookings too. That's where we do the best is during the summer and then right after the Packer games. So it pretty much gives us 2 season with just the winter being slower.
@@tracy3066 My Airbnb got up and running around May of last year. I find that my bookings spike in unexpected seasons, oddly enough September what’s my best month of last year! My summer occupancy was around 65% I think we can go for the coming spring
Great info! We have a in-ground pool for summer. (And the property is a waterfront property) We're in WI and I thought about a getting a hot tub because it's a large 6 bedroom house but I kind of like the break I get in the winter. I do have a pool guy who said he would take care of a hot tub as well but he goes up north every weekend so I'd have to take care of it for any Sunday check-ins. I guess I could talk to one of cleaners to see if they could take care of it on Sundays. I just don't know if a hot tub would help enough. It seems like people just don't travel here in the winter. I'll have to think about it again down the road. I think at this time I need to work on getting some solar panels because our bills are sky high because we heat the pool for all guest even when it's hot in August and September. (We get a lot of wind being next to the water so I think that keeps our pool colder) I would LOVE to have you do a video showing your hot tub and Sauna. That would be super interesting! Ive never seen a barrel Sauna before. I agree with you it would be good to have both for large groups and families. That way part of the guest can use the hot tub while the others use the Sauna. A 6-8 person hot tub would be what I would get but if 12 people are staying there all not going to fit in it. So a Sauna would help to then give all guest something to do.
Hey James, this is great info, thanks for putting it out! We have a large property that’s e I tend to turn into a STR and we are in the process of sourcing a sauna (we have a hot tub already). Do you have any sauna vendors that you can recommend? We are just north of Toronto as well.
I’ve had good luck with Sauna Depot!
Great info! We have a cottage north Montreal for 6-7 people. What hot tub size do you recommend? Do you have a preferred brand? I think it's a great idea to buy second hand.
No brand preference as long as it’s easy to get parts for it. A 6-seater is probably what I’d go with for a property that size!
Thank you for the valuable information. You mentioned having your hot tub and sauna installed. Since the hot tub is pre-owned, I assume finding a vendor for installation might be challenging. We own a property on Nova Scotia's South Shore and are interested in purchasing and installing both a hot tub and sauna. Any recommendations or advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Great video. In terms of cleaning and taking care of a hot tub, do you find that this is something your housekeeping staff can handle? Or do you have to get someone else to do this? I live one hour away from my vacation rental property so I don't want to have to travel to the property between each guest visit.
Great question! It really depends on the cleaning team but definitely wouldn’t require you to do it. At some properties our cleaners take care of it and at others we have a “hot tub guy” who goes by and takes care of it.
The maintenance and headaches of a hot tub is causing me some concerns….
How do you care for your sauna with guests? Do you provide them with chemicals? Or do you have your cleaner deal with it?
Saunas don’t require any chemicals, they just need to be cleaned between guests