If you love going on vacation and staying in rentals instead of a hotel, you might have considered purchasing a short-term rental at some point along the line. You’re definitely not alone since short-term rental properties flooded the market by using services like Airbnb and VRBO to market them. On this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, short-term rental developer and manager Alex Jarbo joins Jonathan to talk about this investment niche and why it appealed to him from the beginning of his real estate career. A former Marine, Alex also hosts a YouTube channel and is the founder of Sargon Investments. Jonathan and Alex dive into how Alex creates experiences with his short-term rentals--not just a place to sleep. You’ll also hear how he chose his investment market, Asheville, North Carolina, his unique choice to build an A-frame property, and the downturn in the vacation rental market. Alex also explains the role courses, books, podcasts, etc., have played in his path to success in this real estate niche. Satisfy your curiosity about short-term rentals with this in-depth conversation with Alex Jarbo. In this episode, you will hear: Alex Jarbo’s earliest exposure to real estate and some of the “aha” moments he experienced His transition out of the military into a real estate career and his struggle with a lack of structure as an entrepreneur How he honed in on his real estate niche Why Alex settled on Asheville, North Carolina, as his investment market His interest in A-frame homes and what makes them great rentals The downturn in the vacation rental market and the blurring of the lines between vacation rentals and hotels How technology is changing the vacation rental market Why the short-term rental market is saturated and overflowed with investors who shouldn’t have gotten into in the first place Alex’s goal with the development he’s purchasing and what makes it unique The importance of viewing your rental properties as a business and the resources Alex used initially to learn from Finding value in paid courses, what Alex would advise people about paid courses, and why masterminds are crucial How he evaluates other markets for future investments. Alex Jarbo’s advice for those who want to get into short-term rentals and how to manage your expectations about it Why short-term rentals are a viable alternative to long-term investment properties Leveraging social media to create an email list as a business asset Follow and Review: We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, we've created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at http://www.trustgreene.com/podcast/zen/074 to download it. Supporting Resources: Alex Jarbo’s website - www.alexjarbo.com Open Atlas Investments - openatlas.investments Alex Builds YouTube Channel - www.youtube.com/c/AlexBuilds1 Find Alex Jarbo on Facebook - www.facebook.com/alex.jarbo Get in touch with Alex on Instagram - www.instagram.com/magicboyjarbo Connect with Alex on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/alex-jarbo-28a940139 Website - www.streamlined.properties YouTube - www.youtube.com/c/JonathanGreeneRE/videos Instagram - www.instagram.com/trustgreene Instagram - www.instagram.com/streamlinedproperties TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@trustgreene Zillow - www.zillow.com/profile/Streamlined%20Prop%20eXp Bigger Pockets - www.biggerpockets.com/users/TrustGreene Facebook - www.facebook.com/streamlinedproperties Email - info@streamlined.properties   Episode Credits: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer,