Short Term Shop Brokerage: Review and Alternatives

Buying a short-term rental property on your own is hard, especially for beginner investors with no previous experience in the industry. There are numerous factors to consider like the market, the regulations, the price, the expected rental income, and the estimated return. If you’re a first-time Airbnb investor, it makes sense to seek help from professionals.

In this article, we will take a look at The Short Term Shop, a real estate brokerage specializing in buying and selling vacation rentals. We will review what the company does, what services it provides to investors, in which markets it operates, how much it costs to hire, and what property owners think about it. We will also consider the top The Short Term Shop alternatives in the US vacation rental market.

Awning is the best short-term rental brokerage in the US market. It provides end-to-end services to vacation rental investors by helping them find and analyze vacation rentals for sale and connecting them with the top real estate agents in each market. Moreover, it can help you design, furnish, insure, and manage your Airbnb property upon purchase. We operate in all 50 US states and offer some of the most competitive fees nationwide.

What the Short Term Shop Brokerage Does

The Short Term Shop is a real estate brokerage which specializes in vacation rental properties. The company operates through eXp Realty.

Avery Carl founded The Short Term Shop in 2017, with headquarters in Franklin, TN. The company mission is to streamline the process of buying and selling short-term rentals. To achieve this goal, they provide vacation rental investors with access to local teams of industry experts including home inspectors, lending professionals, title and escrow companies, home warranty companies, contractors, interior designers, plumbers, electricians, painters, gardeners, service providers, and property managers.

The Short Term Shop Services

The Short Term Shop brokerage aims to help investors throughout the process of buying or selling a vacation rental and even afterwards.

Short Term Shop services can be divided into:

The Short Term Shop Services to Buyers

The services which The Short Term Shop provides to Airbnb investment property buyers can be divided into two categories. The first one is related to finding and buying a property, while the second one is related to educating first-time vacation rental investors.

The services related to purchasing which the brokerage provides include:

• Identifying the best market based on each investor’s situation
• Finding properties with the highest cash flow potential in the selected market
• Walking investors through the process of buying a short-term rental
• Representing the buyer in submitting an offer and negotiating with the seller’s agent
• Securing the best possible deal on a property
• Closing
• Short-term rental investment training and mentorship throughout the process and after closing the deal
• Access to a community of short-term rental investors through a Facebook group of past clients
• Access to local vendors and contractors

They provide the mentorship and training for free and include:

• Listing on Airbnb and Vrbo
• Setting up automation software tools
• Putting together a team of local service providers and coordinating their work

The goal is to get investors to a point where they are able to remotely manage their short-term rental properties with only a few minutes a day. The Short Term Shop team and the Facebook group of investors remain available to investors even after closing the deal and listing the property.

Working with The Short Term Shop provides investors with access to both MLS listings and off market properties including foreclosures. The brokerage prides itself in building and maintaining good relationships with other local agents in each market where they operate. This allows them to win in situations of multiple offers to a seller. Moreover, through their network of past investors and local professionals, they have access to properties available for sale before they even hit the market. Off market homes provide excellent investment opportunities as there is less competition, which makes it easier to close a profitable deal.

The Short Term Shop Services to Sellers

The brokerage offers the following services to real estate property sellers:

• Pricing the home based on local market trends to maximize the selling price
• Advice on staging the property
• Developing a marketing plan for maximum exposure to seller’s agents and qualifying buyers
• Selling the property

The Short Term Shop Locations

The Short Term Shop brokerage operates in nine US states including AL, AZ, FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, TX, and VA. Although the geographical coverage of this brokerage is relatively limited, these cover some of the best places to buy a vacation rental property.

The Short Term Shop Costs

Short-term rental property buyers do not pay agent commissions and fees in the US market. Instead, these are covered by the seller. In addition, The Short Term Shop provides the training and mentorship for free. However, it is not clear if investors need to pay fees for the analysis and the other work conducted by the brokerage.

The Short Term Shop Reviews

There are nearly 1,000 online reviews of The Short Term Shop, and they all show very positive experiences.

You can find The Short Term Shop reviews on:

• Birdeye: Currently 5.0/5 stars based on 836 reviews including 780 Google reviews
• Facebook: Currently 5.0/5 stars based on 106 reviews

Happy investors in vacation rentals praise the professionalism of the team, the support they’ve received, the usefulness of the training and education provided, the fast processes, and the profitable properties they’ve been able to identify with the help of The Short Term Shop.

The Short Term Shop Alternatives

Before you decide whether you should work with The Short Term Shop brokerage when acquiring your Airbnb property, it’s a good idea to consider other options as well. Let’s take a look at the most popular alternatives of this vacation rental brokerage in the US market.

Awning vs The Short Term Shop

Awning is the top alternative to The Short Term Shop and the best short-term rental brokerage in the US. Awning combines the latest, data-driven technology with the experience and professionalism of an in-house brokerage to help even first-time investors find the most profitable Airbnb investment opportunities. The company operates in all 50 US states and works with all conventional property types.

If you’d like to buy a vacation rental with the help of Awning, the process is quick and easy. First, you connect with your Awning agent and you work together to set up your investment goals and get educated on vacation rental ownership. Next, you get to search for properties through curated listings on the Awning website including Top Deals and properties handpicked by your agent. Each property for sale comes with detailed investment potential analysis, and your agent will help you do the math to fit your particular situation. Importantly, Awning makes money just like any other US brokerage - from a commission on the sale of properties.

Once you’ve bought a short-term rental with the help of the Awning agent each step of the way, you can have your vacation rental designed and furnished as well as fully managed by the Awning team. The interior design and furnishing process is managed by the ex-Head of Design at Airbnb, boosting revenue by up to 50% on top of comps. Meanwhile, Awning charges the lowest property management fee among full-service Airbnb managers, starting at 15% of monthly income.

To get started with Awning, vacation rental investors should schedule a call to discuss their goals and aspirations with an Awning advisor. They will receive the needed support and guidance each step of the way, from setting up financial and investment goals, to closing the best deal on the market.

Vacasa vs The Short Term Shop

Vacasa is another The Short Term Shop competitor that helps investors find and buy vacation rentals across the US. While the company is better known as an Airbnb manager, it also works as a brokerage specializing in short-term rentals. Vacasa services related to buying a short-term rental include help in choosing the best location, access to proprietary data to project vacation rental income, investment analysis, buying tips, and support from agents. Vacasa also provides access to a database of rental-ready listings for sale. After buying a property, investors can decide whether to opt for Vacasa property management services.

AvantStay vs The Short Term Shop

AvantStay is yet another company that is popular in the vacation rental management industry but that also helps with locating and purchasing short-term rentals. That makes it an alternative to The Short Term Shop. As a short-term rental brokerage, AvantStay mostly works in select markets in 13 US states. These cover some of the best cities for buying a rental property for Airbnb. The services provided by AvantStay include guidance on choosing the best location for vacation rentals, access to off market properties, access to vacation rental expertise, and working with knowledgeable local agents. Upon purchase, investors can decide whether to go for AvantStay property management as well or not.

Takeaway

The Short Term Shop seems to provide the much needed help and support when amateur investors choose their first vacation rental. However, they work in a few markets and do not offer Airbnb management services post purchase. Meanwhile, Awning is the top alternative as it helps investors not only find the best possible deal across the entire US market but also earn passive income year after year.

Awning is the best short-term rental brokerage in the US market. It provides end-to-end services to vacation rental investors by helping them find and analyze vacation rentals for sale and connecting them with the top real estate agents in each market. Moreover, it can help you design, furnish, insure, and manage your Airbnb property upon purchase. We operate in all 50 US states and offer some of the most competitive fees nationwide.