Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Martin.
Hi Jeff, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I started my Real Estate journey almost 20 years ago, getting licensed while going to college and following in both my grandfather’s, as well as, my uncle’s paths of selling Real Estate in the Sacramento, CA market.
To supplement my Real Estate career and to offer another service to my home sellers, my wife and I started a home staging business. This gave us practice in setting up furniture in all different kinds of spaces and helped us stay in tune with today’s ever-evolving design trends.
Over the years, while helping my clients buy investment properties, I noticed the largest returns were coming from short-term rentals. One of my close friends was buying multi-family buildings and setting them up with furniture and renting them out on all the short-term rental platforms. The return was 2-4 times that of long-term rentals and I wanted in! I teamed up with another investor buddy and we started looking in Memphis for 2-4 unit buildings in midtown to buy and rent short term.
We were able to acquire two triplex units, one duplex, and an 8-unit building all within the last year and a half and have them all up and running now, just in time for Memphis in May! Don’t get me wrong, the journey has been long and hard. Beating out multiple offers to get the properties, inspections, repairs, remodeling, and then the furniture and decor setup, photos and marketing can be a great deal of work but it’s incredibly rewarding.
We work hard to create spaces that are stylish, clean, safe, and fun! Giving our guests a great experience is what it’s all about. People have caught on that an Airbnb can be more relaxing than a hotel, they have a full kitchen and sometimes even a yard. They don’t have to deal with lobbies, checking in/out at a desk, or those pesky elevators. I think short-term rentals are just catching on and will be a growing market for years to come.
We love the Memphis market, there are so many fun things to do and experience. I’ve recently partnered with my long-time friend that I first saw doing short-term rentals on a special one-of-a-kind project right on S Main St in Downtown Memphis.
We have ten apartments we rent out short term right in the heart of the city above a restaurant and walking distance to Beal St, FedEx Forum, The Orpheum, and more!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not a smooth road, you have to set goals and work hard to hit them.
However, you can’t let hiccups along the way hold you back from your dreams! If you can’t do it alone, find like-minded individuals, partner up, and take on the world together!
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
We have acquired all of our properties in the last year and a half.
We have worked hard to grow our portfolio fast. It takes most people years to grow a portfolio of 26 units and we are proud of what we have accomplished in such a short time.
Contact Info:
- Email: MartinRealEstateService@gmail.com
