Matt Hays is a God-fearing man, amazing wife, four wonderful, beautiful children. His hobbies include work, work, more work, and spending time on the water and in the mountains with his family and close friends.
Ten years ago he was busting his hump working three jobs. After his 9-5, he’d head to Buffalo Wild Wings to work as a line cook, and then after that he’d go detail cars.
I could sure go for 10 boneless wings, medium, with two containers of blue cheese to dunk those puppies in.
And speaking of treating your body like a dumpster, during this chaotic two-year stretch, Matt was literally living off Red Bull and cheeseburgers.
Something had to change. He doesn’t know why but he was always drawn to real estate. Read every book he could find on it. This was pre-YouTube, before all the courses and coaching programs.
Started with land. Quickly moved to single family. Today he runs Trinity Home Buyers, based in St. Louis, on pace to do 300 transactions this year.
Their short-term rental income, alone, is about $80,000 per month.
For the average, honest, down-to-earth, hardworking person, there’s nothing you can do with a piece of property that pays better than short-term rentals, Matt says. Meaning Airbnb and Vrbo.
It’s a basic process.
- You buy or rent a house.
- Furnish it.
- Manage it for a nightly rate.
Like running a mini hotel. A lot more work up front but you can automate the day-to-day. Something Matt has down to a science.
Highly profitable though. Three or four Airbnb listings could replace your income.
Matt likes to cheap out and get his furniture off Facebook Marketplace. Takes more time, yes, but you’ll save a ton.
Then he’s always asking: How do I set this place apart from my competition?
Maybe it’s a hammock in the back yard. Access to a golf cart. Loading the family room up with blankets and board games. Stocking the kitchen with pots, pans, cutting boards, knives, some sorta coffee maker, a wine opener – everything that’s in your kitchen.
And everything times three. If it sleeps 10, you need 30 towels.
Do something creative with the garage. Golf simulator. Makeshift movie room.
Theme out each room.
Or at least dedicate a bedroom to the kiddos. You could have a PlayStation hooked up to their own wall-mounted TV. Or a full-sized upright arcade game in the corner. Or, more affordable yet, a plastic bin full of indoor balls and Nerf guns and whatnot.
Matt’s just spitballing here.
But these are the little things that make all the difference.
Goes without saying but get professional pictures taken. Automate your locks.
And don’t think you can’t do this in your own city. You probably can though you don’t have to. Is there a hotel in the area? Call ’em up on a Tuesday night, ask if they got any rooms available. If not, there’s your proof of concept right there.
Solo travelers might prefer a hotel but if it’s two or more people, according to the data, they’d prefer an Airbnb.
Matt has a coaching program called STR Accelerator Academy that’ll fill in the gaps.
You’ll learn how to find good deals that don’t violate any city or HOA ordinances. Staging and pricing and marketing and customer service. Software and tools and systems. Team building. Scaling. Exit strategies. It’s all in there.
Cost wasn’t mentioned. Guess you’ll hafta book a call with The Air BnBeast himself to find out.
You can just tell this guy’s legit though.
A breath of fresh air in a stuffy room full of charlatans.