Making Real Estate Dreams a Reality: Keith Hazle’s Journey

In this episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast, we welcome Keith Hazle, Founder of Sojourney, providing full-service property management services. Together with his wife, Alisa, Keith manages 26 short-term rental properties and uses Hospitable to automate repetitive tasks and save time (he is our Mogul plan customer).

Keith shares why and how he got into the short-term rental industry, what challenges he faces as a short-term rental host and property manager, and how he vets property owners to work with. He also shares some tips for property owners on how to choose a property manager who can be the right fit.

Press Play now to discover how Keith built a thriving property management business and how he uses Hospitable to make it easier to manage his properties and save time.

If you prefer to read the highlights, we’ve got a summary of the key takeaways below.

How Keith Got into the Short-Term Rental Industry

Keith says he’s been in the short-term rental industry since 2021. He obtained his real estate license in the New York City market because he had always been interested in learning more about the real estate industry. “What I liked about the short-term rental industry was that it just seemed, from a standpoint of profit, you can earn a lot more with short-term tenants. So that’s what made me want to get into it.”

At first, his wife Alisa and he tried to find some properties that they could use for rental arbitrage, but they heard “No” many times, so they decided to buy their own property. In 2021, they purchased a multi-family home and began using it as a short-term rental.

How Keith’s Business Has Evolved

Now, Keith and his wife manage 26 units. Keith says their current portfolio includes apartments in big and small apartment buildings in seven or eight different locations.

“It ranges from properties that we own, properties that we have master leases with property management companies, and then we also have clients that we manage for as well. And some of those properties are worth a couple of hundred thousand, to some being worth three, four, five million dollars.”

Keith points out that it would be challenging to manage 26 units on their own, so they have a team helping them out. Their team consists of virtual staff, a couple of in-house cleaners, and contractors that they work with on an “as-needed basis.”

Using Hospitable

Keith says that they love Hospitable, and it was their first vacation rental management software that they used back in 2021. “And at that time, it wasn’t as advanced as it is now. We did step away from it for a little bit, but we came running back. And we’ve been using it ever since.”

Keith notes that years ago, Hospitable’s automated replies feature was “the biggest thing” for them because it significantly helped them save time when answering common guest questions.

Now, as a Mogul plan user, Keith can take advantage of Hospitable’s newest features. He thinks that accounting integration with QuickBooks is a “great addition” and finds the Sentiment Analysis feature “phenomenal,” as it helps them quickly identify and address potential issues during their guests' stay, providing better service. Keith also likes that he can automatically reply to guests’ messages during downtime using a fully automated AI Inbox.

Owning an STR Property vs. Being a Property Manager

Keith points out that when you are an owner, you have complete control over what you are doing. “If there are any major damages or major improvements that you want to make to a property, it's on you to decide what you want to do. That’s a good thing. Because you get to make the decisions, but you also have to cover the cost. So that’s, I guess, a pro and a con of being the owner. Everything is up to you financially and decision-wise.”

When it comes to managing properties for someone else, Keith thinks that there’s a huge upside for you because you can utilize your skills and help them earn a profit from their STR property.

“When you do go about it that way for certain major improvements, it depends on the type of relationship that you have with that particular client,” Keith notes. “You may have to run certain things by them. I love to have a conversation with my owners ahead of time to ensure we’re on the same page about how we’ll communicate about certain things. The last thing I would want to do is have to ask for approval on every single thing. It just really slows down your workflow.”

What Makes a Great Property Manager

Keith recommends that property owners looking for a property manager should look for someone who isn’t going to try to overpromise and sell you a dream, someone who is going to “be transparent about what you are getting set up for.”

“It's important that an owner understands that upfront and is understanding that the property management company that they're working with has things in place to be able to handle anything that comes up. One thing I will look forward to in a property manager is someone who has a good quality control system in place. I'm talking about maintenance, and cleaning, and professionally communicating with guests whenever something does possibly happen.”

Tune in to the full episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast to learn more about Keith’s short-term rental journey and the strategies that help him succeed.