The best knife set for vacation rentals is a self-sharpening set that maintains its edge automatically. Our top pick: the HENCKELS Statement 13-Piece Self-Sharpening Knife Block Set ($150-180). It includes everything guests need (chef’s knife, paring knife, serrated, 6 steak knives, scissors), sharpens with every use, and eliminates the hassle of manual sharpening or professional…
There’s nothing worse than paying full price to rent a high-end vacation rental home on Airbnb, and then discovering upon arrival that the kitchen is equipped like a Holiday Inn Express. In fact, The Kitchn revealed that travelers bring along all sorts of crazy kitchen tools precisely because so many vacation rental kitchens are poorly…
How much can you depreciate on a rental property?Most residential rental properties depreciate over 27.5 years using straight-line depreciation. Some short-term rentals may depreciate over 39 years depending on how you operate. For a $300,000 property with $50,000 land value, that’s $9,091 per year ($250,000 ÷ 27.5). Residential property investors often rely on their CPAs…
When someone first tipped you off that owning rental property comes with significant tax advantages, you may not have realized it also comes with some scary math. CPAs love to talk about depreciation as if it’s some magical black box requiring an advanced degree. While some schedules can get complicated, 90% of rental property depreciation…
It doesn’t matter if you operate a single Airbnb property or a growing portfolio of short term rentals. Setting up an Airbnb LLC just might be the smartest thing you do all year. Here’s why… An Airbnb LLC can deliver significant benefits including: ⚠️ IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERThis article provides general educational information about LLCs for vacation…
While there’s no shortage of vacation rental tax deductions available in 2026, finding your way through the thicket of confusing regulations and guidance can be tricky. In this timely article, we break down the most significant opportunities the typical short-term rental property owner can pursue to reduce tax liability. For our purposes here, we’ll assume…
As a real estate investor, one of the biggest decisions you’ll make is whether to self-manage your rental properties or hire a property manager. And one of the most important questions to research in advance of this decision is, how much do property managers charge? The right choice at each moment in your investing journey…
There’s no point in owning property and dealing with boilers and lawn care if your tenant’s not going to pay you. That’s why choosing the right rent collection method matters—you want something that’s easy for your tenants, minimizes fees, and actually works when you need it to. The challenge? Every rent collection method has tradeoffs….
Landlord insurance is essential—it protects your investment and is nearly always required by your lender. But if you’ve noticed your premiums skyrocketing lately, you’re not alone. The 2026 insurance reality: What used to be a stable, predictable expense has become wildly unpredictable. Premiums have doubled or tripled in many markets over the past few years,…
Here’s a simple and powerful mortgage calculator that includes options to analyze the impact of points and fees. Interest-only loan modeling is also supported. What you can calculate: Privacy note: Unlike many online calculators, we never store or save your inputs. It’s your data. We also never share or sell your email address. Free Mortgage…