#midterm rental

[aturnoftheearth]

bro one of my mom’s friends is at our house rn to help her clean and organize etc and she was supposed to go home today but she’s staying until friday now but the thing is she seems nice enough but she’s soooo extroverted and talkative and just A Lot (my mom’s words and considering SHE’S super extroverted and talkative … wough) and im very awkward at small talk like genuinely unskilled and uncomfy even with people i’d consider friends so this week is gonna be hell for my social anxiety aghhhhhh

[unitedstatesrei]

From Ministry to Turning Purpose Into Millions in Property Power with Jordan Smith

Key Takeaways Jordan Smith successfully transitioned from ministry to real estate by finding a niche that aligned with his personal fulfillment. Building a wide toolbox of creative investment strategies offers flexibility and long-term sustainability. Purpose-driven investing can yield both profit and joy, especially when relationships and community are prioritized. United States Real Estate Investor The REI Agent with Jordan Smith https://youtu.be/0u7s2KhikLg Follow and subscribe to The REI Agent on social Facebook Instagram Youtube .cls-1fill:#fff; Linkedin X-twitter United States Real Estate Investor It's time to have an investor-friendly agent on your team! It's time to have an investor-friendly agent on your team! United States Real Estate Investor A Journey Beyond Sales—Finding a Calling Through Real Estate When most people hear “real estate agent,” they think of someone unlocking doors and collecting commission checks. But for Jordan Smith, guest on The REI Agent Podcast, real estate became far more than a profession—it became a conduit for purpose, impact, and community. Host Mattias Clymer introduced Jordan not just as another agent, but as someone whose life journey, from medical sales to ministry and eventually to flipping homes, embodies the full spirit of holistic success. “The riches are in the niches,” Jordan says. “But more than that, the fulfillment is there too.” The Forced Pivot: When Life Says ‘Now or Never’ Jordan never planned to become a real estate agent. After a promising path in medical device sales and a powerful stint in ministry leadership, life forced his hand. The pandemic hit. Furloughed and frustrated, Jordan’s wife gave him the ultimatum every dreamer secretly needs: “Either flip a house or stop talking about it.” He did more than flip a house. He flipped the script on what a career could look like. With $0 in his commission account and a heart full of ambition, Jordan got licensed and closed his first wholesale deal with a stranger-turned-partner named Wes. That first deal would be the spark that ignited a real estate empire. “Wes was the gasoline to the ember I had. We became partners in hustle—and in heart,” Jordan reflected. The Investor’s Toolbox: Why One Strategy Isn’t Enough Throughout the episode, Jordan walks listeners through the diverse arsenal that makes his business stand out. He’s not just flipping homes. He’s mastering wholesaling, double closes, seller financing, subject-to deals, wholetailing, short- and midterm rentals, lease options, sandwich strategies—the list goes on. “There’s no such thing as a bad deal,” he says. “You just need the right exit strategy.” This toolbox mentality has earned Jordan the respect of brokers and the trust of investors. He’s not chasing commissions, he’s crafting custom solutions. And in a market that’s changing faster than interest rates, flexibility isn’t optional, it’s essential. Bridging the Divide: Wholesalers vs. Agents In one of the episode’s most honest moments, Jordan tackles the stigma around wholesalers and agents head-on: “Yes, there are shady wholesalers. But there are also bad agents. The truth is, 90% of both are just out here trying to help.” Jordan’s mission is to bridge that divide. Through education, transparency, and creative deal-making, he’s showing both sides how to work shoulder to shoulder. His message is simple but powerful: “Everybody can win.” Homegrown Expertise: Midterm Rentals and Local Mastery Mid-conversation, Mattias and Jordan dive into one of today’s most underused strategies: midterm rentals. Jordan shares how a client built relationships with hospital HR departments to house travel nurses for 90-day stays, turning referrals into recurring cash flow. Mattias shares his own journey setting up a midterm rental, saying, “We loved the property, the location, the vibes—it just made sense. Even if we break even, it’s worth it for the long-term value and the joy.” That

joy, that experimentation, that playfulness, these are the invisible currencies successful investors trade in every day. The Golden Nugget: Know What Fills Your Cup If Jordan could tell every agent and investor one thing, it’s this: “Find your niche and pour gasoline on it.” Whether it’s flipping homes, working with first-time buyers, or helping fellow dog lovers find the perfect backyard, your zone of genius will never lead you wrong. Jordan’s not in real estate because it’s glamorous. He’s in it because “I’d be doing this even if I wasn’t licensed. I love it. It fills my cup.” Purpose Isn’t a Perk—It’s the Plan In a world obsessed with hustle and GCI, Jordan’s story is a loud and clear reminder that you don’t have to choose between passion and profit. You can have both. You should have both. “Congrats—you made a bunch of commission last year and hate your life,” he jokes. “That’s not the flex you think it is.” Instead, Jordan challenges agents and investors to zoom in on what makes them come alive, and then turn it into a career that sustains not just their finances, but their spirit. Because at the end of the day, the best deals in real estate are the ones that build you up from the inside out. Are you ready to build more than wealth? Then this episode is where your blueprint begins. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories on The REI Agent podcast, your go-to source for insights, inspiration, and strategies from top agents and investors who are living their best lives through real estate. For more content and episodes, visit reiagent.com. United States Real Estate Investor Create healing and connection within yourself, your family, and your community. Create healing and connection within yourself, your family, and your community. United States Real Estate Investor Contact Jordan Smith Realty ONE Group Revolution Instagram United States Real Estate Investor Mentioned References The 4-Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss The Tim Ferriss Show Furnished Finder Airbnb United States Real Estate Investor Transcript Welcome to the REI Agent, a holistic approach to life through real estate. I'm Mattias, an agent and investor. And I'm Erica, a licensed therapist. Join us as we interview guests that also strive to live bold and fulfilled lives through business and real estate investing. Tune in every week for interviews with real estate agents and investors. Ready to level up? Let's do it. Welcome back to the REI Agent. This is Mattias Clymer, your lovely host of the REI Agent podcast and your neighborhood rock star. I don't know. I'm feeling fired up right now. I've had a lot of mornings of getting up and wanting to get up earlier than my alarm goes off because I'm excited to get to work. Like today, this morning I was building out an AI chat bot that would help with scheduling. So look at my schedule. And it would say, when do you wanna see this house built into the website? And they'd say, how about four tomorrow? And they'd be like, well, actually, there's no availability there, but can you do two or whatever it is? You set all the parameters in your schedule, in your calendar, like Calendly. And then the AI bot can just read it and kind of talk back and forth with that person instead of just them filling out a link, which I think is kind of cool. And it's not something designed to be necessarily pretending to be a real person. It can be honest and transparent. I think I named mine Booker T to just be fun and like kind of a tech forward brand anyway. That's kind of like how I've always been. So hopefully other people find it amusing. I won't push it on people, but it was a fun thing to play with. I'm looking to see, I'm curious if I can get that thing set up with showing time as well. It'd be really interesting to have it, be able to read the properties availability on showing time and my availability, and then give options to the client of what to book. I think that would be a really cool, fun thing.

Not that I would force, again, people to do that only, but if somebody is on my website and wants to book something, they could just do that. And then on top of it all, I could probably have an if this, then that kind of a workflow where if they are already an existing client, they wouldn't do this. But if it wasn't an existing client in my CRM, I have a workflow where it would send them a buyer brokerage agreement to sign right away, which I think is another really possible cool thing. There's some kinks in that system, so it's not quite ready. And I think it's probably better to meet first with the client to have an introduction meeting. So a lot of things to work out, but it's just fun to see where technology can take you. But anyway, I wanted to get into our guest, Jordan Smith. Jordan Smith is an agent. He was an investor first and then became an agent and has focused his sales business on investors. So he has a wealth of knowledge. He's done a lot of different things, a lot of different type of deals. And his book of business is mainly investors on the sales side. But there's a lot of knowledge there. This is, he's perfect for the show because he gets into, he's a bridge between wholesale and resale, if you will. So we are all about learning how to be investor friendly, understanding investments, or building up your own portfolio. And Jordan is a great example of that. So without further ado, let's get right into it. Jordan Smith. Welcome back to the REI Agent. I'm here with Jordan Smith. Jordan, thanks so much for joining us. Yeah, man, thanks for having me. Yeah, Jordan, you tell us where you're coming out of, first of all. Yeah, so the metropolis of Rock Hill, South Carolina, which is Football City, USA, right outside of Charlotte. So I cover the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area. Cool. I mean, I feel like, you all probably have been booming for a while, but I feel like there's a lot of hype around the Carolinas, especially. Yeah, well, you know, it's pretty crazy, man. Like we, you know, we get all four seasons. It's freaking already hot as crap right now. And, you know, lots of folks wanna come here. Taxes and quality of life and seasons and beach and mountains, and it's all right here. So come on, we need some more folks. I need more houses to sell. So bring it all down if you're in the beautiful Northeast or West Coast or wherever. Yeah, like, no, I was in Denver last year and I was hanging out at a bar for a little bit while I had a friend had an appointment and he had to go to whatever I was visiting. And he had the, like the bartender was talking about how like, it just, like, you know, I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here. Like, it was like, you know, Boulder, Colorado is gorgeous. Like, I need to get out. I'm thinking like the Carolinas or yeah. And it just seemed like it was the vibe I got was that there was a bit of a movement happening that she wasn't the only one. And it just struck me as interesting because you hear about Colorado, Denver, you hear about, you know, California. Well, I've heard there's an exodus happening there, but yeah, have you experienced that? Yeah, I mean, I think there's, the market seems to be doing well here, right? I mean, we're a little bit insulated, I think, from the tumultuousness of, you know, everything that's going on. Still a good market here. You know, Charlotte itself, Charlotte proper is so saturated that really folks are really kind of commuting in from secondary and even tertiary markets around. So we're really hyper-focused on like an hour radius of center city Charlotte. And so you get down into South Carolina there a little bit, which is, I'm born and raised in Rock Hill and then loved it so much, moved back after college and a little bit of work. And so, you know, there's tax benefits to either or, right? Schools seem to be really well in some of these secondary markets. And so really, it's a great place to raise a family.

You know, banking is a big industry here. And so folks are moving to here. You know, we got Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which is, you know, it's not a massive airport, but you can get where you need to go from it. And it seems to be a good place to set up shop and you're three hours to the mountains and three hours to the beach. And, you know, it's fun. Yeah, I mean, that's not too different from Harrisonburg where I'm at. I mean, we are in the mountains. We're in the Shenandoah Valley. John Denver sang about that a little bit. Well, he said, people think it's West Virginia, but some argue it's Western Virginia because it talks about- Western Virginia, there you go. Which comes through us. But yeah, we're four hours from the beach and, you know, in the mountains. So it's a good place. But I definitely feel like the Carolinas were getting a bit more focus and hype than Virginia for some reason. I think you guys have bigger cities too. That's probably part of it. But anyway, I guess let's, yeah, let's hear a little bit about how you got into real estate to begin with. Yeah, so real estate's a third career for me. So I was a pre-med biology student in college and didn't get into med school. And so it's like, well, great. Now I went to school to go to school and now I can't get into school. What do I do? And so I got a job right out of college selling medical devices, orthopedic implants. So hip and knee replacements, plates and screws, that kind of stuff. So I was in sales, you know, full commissioned sales, bouncing around the operating room, had a ton of fun, learned a lot. Medical sales in general, and I think the industry's changed a lot over the last, gosh, this would have been, you know, almost 20 years ago, but it was pretty cutthroat back then. And so I loved adding value to my doctors. I didn't love the sales process of like, you know, hey, I'm gonna knock on your door. I called on you last week. Has anything changed? No, cool, like, you know, so I didn't love like checking the boxes of the sales process in like a corporate setting. So I did that for a few years and then got into ministry. I worked for a multi-site, pretty large church in South Carolina as a pastor. And really it was run like a Fortune 500 company. So really high emphasis on leadership, development, very strong org structure in place. I learned a ton as a leader from my time there in ministry at that church. And then left that in 2019, right before the pandemic. And my wife basically said, hey dude, if you don't shut up and flip a house, you're not allowed to talk about it anymore. Like, I'm so tired of you talking about flipping houses. I'm so tired of you like talking about how easy it would be. Like you either need to do it or I'm gonna forbid you to talk about it. And I was like, okay, challenge accepted. So I just got a nine to five just to pay the bills while I was trying to figure out like real estate stuff. And was looking for my first investment property for first fix and flip. And didn't really know where to look. I was looking on MLS. I found out for the very first time what wholesaling is and was talking to some wholesalers trying to find a deal. And was working and got furloughed with the pandemic. And so I was sitting at home and looking for deals. And I was like, you know what? I should get my real estate license while I'm sitting at home furloughed. I've got some time. It'll save us 3% when we list properties. You know, this would probably be a good tool to have in the tool belt. And so I did all my real estate classes online. Got licensed in November of 2020 and put my first flip under contract of purchase in November of 2020. And so, yeah, so that was kind of how I got started. And so, yeah, it was a great time to be in real estate, honestly. And the more I studied, like as I was going through the process, I had always thought like real estate seems like a cool career as an agent. But I was married and had, let's see, at that point we had two kids.

We got four now, we had two kids. And I had never worked a full commission job since I had had other mouths to feed besides my own. So I was a little bit intimidated by like the jumping full into the deep end. So, but I felt like I'd be really good at it. My biggest thing is, man, I'm a connector of people. Like I just wanna be a conduit to connect people with the people that they need to know. And I think that's a big part of real estate as an agent and an investor is just like having those relationships in place. And so in December of 2020, I told my wife, I said, hey, if I can sell a house a month as an agent, because this seemed like a totally reasonable goal starting as a new agent for whatever reason. I sell a house a month at $250,000, which was not even our median price point. It was a little under our median price point. I can sell a house a month for $250,000. Everybody's getting 3% commission, because commission wasn't, commission's decreased in our market. I don't know what it's like there, but it was still at around 3%. I said, that's 7,500 bucks a month. If I can do that for six months in a row, I'd like to quit my job and go into real estate full time. And I was expecting my wife to be the safety net and say, no, we can't do that. Like, I don't know, that's a good idea, whatever. And she said, okay. It's almost more scary. Yeah, oh shit. So that was December, turns January one. And I'm like, okay, I'm gonna close the deal in January. And then I realized I don't have anything under contract. So how do you close a deal in January if you don't have any houses under contract in January? So I'm kind of freaking out. I ended up getting connected with a guy. I had followed this guy on Instagram. We had just kind of connected through social media. He was up on the north side of Charlotte. I'm on the south side. And just a hustler, man. Grinder, really good at social media marketing, and was getting into the wholesale space. So he was trying to be a real estate investor. He'd flipped one house with some partners, trying to get into wholesaling. And he said, hey, I'm looking for a real estate agent. So I DM'd him. I'm like, hey, I just happen to be a real estate agent. You know, what you got in mind? And he said, hey, I wanna list this wholesale property that I have under contract on the MLS. And I said, man, you can't do that. And he said, why not? And I said, well, I don't know. It just seems like you shouldn't be able to do that. And he was like, well, watch this video and have a conversation with your BIC and call me back. So he sent me a video of an investor in North Carolina, excuse me, two hours away from us in Raleigh, Durham area who lists all his wholesale deals on MLS. And in our MLS, you're allowed to list a property that you don't yet own as long as you have vested interest in the property, as long as you have the contract. So I had a conversation. I was like, okay, cool, let's do it. So we list, this is January, so we listed a condo that Wes had under contract to wholesale, listed on the MLS, got it under contract, closed it January 28th. That was my first deal. And man, it's been a wild ride ever since. Wes is now my business partner. He handles all the off-market side of things. I handle more of the design, project management, execution, and listing of things. And man, we've just become not only best friends, but really great business partners. We're very complimentarian of one another. And everywhere where he's weak, I'm strong, and vice versa. And he was really the gasoline to the ember that I had of getting into real estate. I've learned so much working alongside him, and it's been a wild ride ever since, man. That's awesome. How do you feel, or how do you all dance the perceived line, at least, of wholesaling versus on the market? Yeah, so I... Question? Yes, yes. No, I'll talk about this all day. I mean, I love it. Yeah, so I call Wes my partner. I literally had this conversation this morning with somebody else.

I call Wes my partner. We're partners in theory, not in entity, if that makes sense. So we have separate entities. We joint venture a lot of stuff. So I've done that really for his protection and for mine of like, hey, as a licensed realtor, I've got all these obligations to meet, right? I'm not in the room when you're having these conversations. Yeah, I'm not in the room when you're having these conversations with these sellers. And so if you do what you need to do, bring me something once you have it under contract. Let's talk about it. Figure out the best exit strategy, right? And we've done, man, we've done so much. I mean, that's one of the things that we really pride ourselves on is being well-rounded investors. So we've done wholesale deals, assignments, double closes. We've sold to institutional buyers. We've taken down ourselves and just paid cash for it in the turnaround and put it back on the MLS. We've fixed and flipped. We've done short-term rentals, long-term rentals, seller finance stuff, lease options, sandwich. I mean, we've done all kind of crazy stuff. And most of my agents in my office have no idea how to do any of this stuff, right? I mean, my BIC is calling me asking me questions about like, hey, how would you do X, you know? And it's really just because I've gotten immersed in that world and that's the world I live in all day, every day. And so I really, I mean, I had a closing this morning of a normal seller, a normal retail residential seller. And I feel like a fish out of water when I'm doing that kind of business because probably 95% of my business is investment related. Sure. Yeah, no, it makes sense. And it is, it's fun because you have this like big tool belt. You have a big toolbox, if you will, and you can really apply the best thing that makes the most sense for everybody to that unique situation where most people have like one or two tools. Yeah, well, and you know, and I think going back to your original question, like, you know, the reason everybody feels a certain type of way about wholesalers is because there's some shady wholesalers out there, right? And, you know, There's some bad agents out there. Absolutely, that's what I was getting ready to say, right? It's like, you know, I don't know where it is around you, but here it feels like, you know, investors feel like agents are like drastically overpaid to just open and unlock doors, right? And agents feel like investors are shady and like always like the cheapest SOBs ever and like trying to pull one over on everybody. And the reality is like 90% of both are neither of those things, right? But there's the 10% outliers who really have made a bad name for themselves and put a sour taste in the other's mouth. And what I try to pride myself on, and Wes is the same way, is like, we're ethical, we're honest, right? I've sat in someone's living room and had to explain to them like, hey, what do you think your house is worth? Yeah, you're probably right. If it was fixed up, it would be this. But if you back out your closing costs and your commissions, you're going to net this. And to get to that price point, you need to put $30,000 in a kitchen, you need to put $15,000 in the bathroom, like all that stuff. I'll buy your house for that number. And he's like, well, why would you do that? Well, because my guys, my kitchen renovation costs $10,000, not 30, because I have the contractors and the supply chain. It's really just education. It's an education gap. But man, I'm trying to add as much value as I can to investors to let them know like, hey, everybody can win, right? We can work shoulder to shoulder. I can be a tremendous asset to you, you can be a tremendous asset to me and my business, and everybody wins, and it's not a competition. And so that's really kind of what I've built my business on. Yeah, that makes sense. You listed out a bunch of different strategies you've done. And I'm wondering, like you talked about, like your broker, people in your office coming to you, asking you what those things are.

Do you wanna go through some of those and explain what they are at a high level? Sure, yeah, we can do that for sure. Yeah, I mean, so- That's double-closing, people may not be familiar with that. Yeah, so double-closing, I think it's a relatively new, you know, five years, relatively new exit strategy. So especially, I don't know what the laws are in Virginia, but South Carolina has a no wholesaling law in place. North Carolina's talking about putting a no wholesaling law in place. You know, and so when I say wholesale, what I mean is assigning a contract, right? So a wholesaler is going out, they're finding the property owner, the seller, they're getting the property under contract for X, and then they're gonna market the property and essentially find a buyer at price Y, and they're gonna marry the two together and take the money out of the middle, right? That's an assignment of contract. In North Carolina, our contract, by default, is non-assignable. So our North Carolina realtor form says this is not an assignable contract. So the way that people have been getting around that, you know, is what they're doing, they're doing what's called double closing. So they're borrowing money, it's called transactional funding, they're borrowing money from a person or an entity or an institution, and they're gonna buy the property and then turn around, they're gonna actually take title record and then turn around and sell the property to the end buyer the same day, usually. And so that transactional money comes into the attorney's account, it buys, the property's turned around and resold, and that money comes back out of the account back to the lender, and then the investor gets to keep the overage there. Yeah, okay, that makes sense. And what are other ways can wholesalers typically close? And again, I understand it's price-specific to your market, anybody listening to this does need to consult an attorney. And trying to find a good real estate or creative real estate attorney is challenging. So I can definitely recommend somebody that might be able to assist, even in a different state, to just kind of help educate other attorneys, if you will. But yeah, talk about what you know for your area. Yeah, same for here. If anybody's listening from the Carolinas or down in this area, we've got some attorneys that are certainly able to help on calls and educate as well. Yeah, so in my mind, when you're talking about real estate investing, it's all about what the best exit strategy is for the property, right? So there's no bad deal. It's just you gotta find the right exit strategy for the property. And so, like we said, wholesaling, marketing it up and finding an in-buyer, double-closing on it. We have dabbled in the creative finance space, so that's a whole can of worms. I don't know how much you want to open that box, but we've done some seller financing stuff where the seller of the property title transfers, but the seller retains the mortgage or they become the bank, essentially. We've done some subject to the existing mortgage kind of stuff. Sub two is a big thing. There's all kinds of videos all over YouTube about it, where you buy the house, but the loan stays in the original seller's name and you make payments on their behalf. We do a lot of fix and flip. We do some, we call it wholetail, where we're basically taking down the property with a hard money lender or private money lender and really just kind of cleaning it out and popping it right back on the MLS. I mean, the MLS is the biggest buyers list in America, right? It's the number one aggregate of buyers for real estate in your market. And with the IDX, it pushes across to Zillow and Realtor and all these other fun ones. And so if you can get your property there, you can get the most number of eyes on it. If you can get the most number of eyes on it, you can get the best price for it, in my opinion. So we're gonna always push to get things into the MLS so that we can then get it in front of as many eyes as possible.

And then it's just about educating the other agents, right? I mean, there's a ton of agents who have been in the game for 30 years and they have no idea what an assignment of contract is or they don't understand, we're getting contracts written and they're just pulling the name off tax records and putting that as a seller. And I'm like, no, the seller is this entity. And they're like, no, it's not. I'm like, yes, it is. And you're having to explain and educate, right? So yeah, so there's, I mean, there's all kinds of exit strategies, right? You know, rentals are hard right now. DSCR loans are tough with the interest rates where they're at right now. But, you know, buying and holding is still a great strategy, I think. We've done some short-term rentals, some midterm rentals, which is kind of that 30 to 90 day rental, you know, for like insurance or travel nurses, stuff like that. So in my mind, every property has an exit strategy. If you can get, if you can match the property and the exit strategy together, you can formulate a solution. It's just, you know, I get sent bad deals all the time and it's just, they're sending them with the wrong exit strategy, right? Yeah. No, it makes a lot of sense. And yeah, I think you're right with rentals being harder right now. And a lot of people are having to get more creative with how they are going about it. So some people are exploring the subject to area. And I think you mentioned something about a wraparound. That's another way of doing that, I believe, where you basically add an extra layer of protection to a subject to deal for the seller, where they basically have a deed of trust written, I believe is how that works. But yeah, and then there's, I mean, seller financing can help make that work better as well if you get better terms, so better entry rates. Lease options for folks, you know, if they can't qualify for a conventional mortgage, but they've got some money for a down payment, you know, there's the lease option there where the seller can get a lease option where the seller retains the title and, you know, they have a vested interest in the, the buyer has vested interest in the property with the down payment, and then they take over, you know, they're paying their monthly fee and they're handling all the repairs and all that jazz. There's, yeah, there's a ton of options, right? It's just knowing your market, knowing what's needed. I know you do a lot of listings. Are you getting a lot more creative finance or sub-two offers on your properties? No, not particularly. No, not in this area. Okay. And we still have a pretty strong demand. I just had a very big bidding war on my most recent listing. And so far, yeah, we haven't needed to go that route necessarily. And you're wondering, like, how is somebody willing to spend 20% over asking price at one of these interest rates but I mean, it's, I think it's just- Were you priced at market or did you price it competitively to try to drive it up? No, I mean, no, it was, no, I think it was right around market. The person who brought an offer would have argued that we were a little bit under, but, you know, it was based, it just depends on the comps you use. We were basing comps on the, in the neighborhood comps and they might've found some other ones in different neighborhoods that would have supported a higher price point. But, but yeah, yeah, it's just, you know, there's definitely properties that you can, I'm finding that different pockets of the market, you can do different strategies with like, you know, being competitive in the price point usually is the best, you know, route where you're trying to get multiple offers, trying to get it sold fast, pricing it right around where the comps say. But then I think there's sometimes, especially right now in this market, it feels like there's just this like pent up demand that's just like, you know, as soon as something comes on, it's getting sold. But there are markets that are a little bit slower.

And in that, in those markets, I've have actually pushed the price a little bit higher than I think should be, as opposed to hoping it gets bid up, thinking that we're only gonna get one offer on it, maybe as opposed to, you know, five plus, that if we're gonna get somebody in the first three days making an offer on it, right around asking price, as opposed to hoping it gets bid up, but it probably won't. Same results as $10,000 loss or whatever. So it's just, it's a fun, you know, it's kind of a strategy where you gotta get, you know, hyperlocal and really understand your market, like you said. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. But we're also setting up a midterm rental as we, as we speak, I hauled two mattresses over there today. They got delivered to our house instead of that house. So my checker on box on Amazon, huh? Yeah, exactly. I won't name names, but my co-host. Uh-huh, yep. But yeah, what, have you, you mentioned insurance. Is that like people that are like, you know, out of their house because of damage or whatever? Have you, have you, a few of these? Do you have a couple of these that you're running now or? Yeah, so we don't, I don't have any currently, but we've got, I've got some clients who do. And man, it's been, you know, again, it's a relationship, it's a relationship business, right? So, you know, this, this one girl in particular, she's done a really great job at networking with, Charlotte has a pretty expansive hospital system. And so they have a lot of travel nurses. And so what she's done is really networked. And I mean, midterm was kind of her, midterm and short term was her strategy of choice for a very long time. And she's done a really good job of building out relationships with folks in the hospital system and with, you know, in the insurance space so that when they have a need, she's their first call, right? And there's obviously, you know, websites like Furnished Finder and all that jazz, but for her it was a lot of, yeah, Airbnb, exactly. But for her, it was a lot of, you know, hey, the HR manager at this, you know, hospital system knows that these three travel nurses are coming in for the next 90 days and they're calling her going, hey, do you have housing for these three folks? Which is, I mean, it's exactly what you want, you know? Yeah, absolutely. It's where we're excited about getting this running and building those connections and seeing if it's a viable strategy to replicate. Because obviously, you know, if you do have a steady stream potential, but you like are constantly booked, you know, like having availability too will keep people coming back as well. But yeah. Now, what made your midterm on that particular property? Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, it's basically exactly what we were just talking about is it didn't pencil out well. It would have been an outstanding flip, but it's one of those things where we have held pretty much every flip we've done that we've liked the location of and liked the kind of size and everything about it, we've wanted to hold it. We've done a burn strategy with it. And this one is the same. And it could have, you know, penciled out barely. Like, you know, if you're not being super critical with the vacancies and all those kind of extra things that you're supposed to calculate in, if you were really strict about that, then it wouldn't have been the best or it would, you know, broken even kind of thing. But, you know, it was also just kind of a fun idea to try this. And, you know, I figured worst case scenario, we end up having, we lose some money on the furniture. Not really, because we'll sell it and it will make, you know, we have a pretty good margin to profit on that. So that's not- And then you can always pop a 12 month tenant in it, right? That too. Yeah, we could do that too. And, but yeah, we really liked the property. We really liked the location. We have a downtown area that's revitalized and it's brought a lot of vibrancy to that area and a lot of professionals want to be close to that area.

So this is about a thousand square foot house, not huge, and it's charming and it, you know, walkable to those bars and restaurants. And so I think it's just a, it's a great location long-term and we'd love to keep it. And we're excited about trying this kind of thing out. And if it works, we, you know, would look to maybe converting other ones that we have into a midterm or exploring some of the short-term possibilities as well. Our city itself doesn't allow it, so we'd have to go outside the city limits. Are you hyper-focused in your town, in your city? For investing? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, so I've done stuff outside of, I think it's for, yeah. Yes, and why is I think that, A, I understand the market the best, B, the city itself has gonna have the most, I think the more you are under the median sales price, the more you are, you know, in the area that the most people wanna be in, the safer you are for renting, for selling, et cetera. So that's our sweet spot. If we can get something underneath the median sales price and value, right? There's just so many exit strategies there, like you talked about, like there's just, you know, having the best one is what we go after, but then having a BCD is also good. Yeah. Good to add to that. And that's one of the big things I try to teach new investors who are coming in, you know, they're like, hey, I wanna flip a house. I'm just like, okay, cool. Like, number one, let's talk about that. You know, why, what does that mean to you? What's your tolerance? Like, do you wanna have a full gut job? Do you wanna cosmetic, you know? But then what I try to teach them is like, hey, we gotta have backup exit strategies, right? Like if we flip this and we list it and it doesn't sell, then what are we gonna do? Yeah. Right? Will it cash flow? Will it at least cover your rent on a DSCR? Okay, cool. Then that's our check down, right? Like that's our audible. Or, you know, can we short-term rental it? Can we, you know, all these things, right? So we're really big on like, man, if it's got one exit strategy, not a great, not a great fit. Not a great fit. And you really are kind of like hamstrung, right? And so always making sure like, yes, option A, like you said, is the ideal world, but have we got a B, C, and D? And if so, then let's pull the trigger on it and go. Yeah, we, I had a couple pretty difficult flips that were in, you know, smaller markets and more rural. And just, I just, you know, they took a long time, they're difficult, and it's probably just something that, you know, it was, it's not like it was 2021, 2022. So, you know, I think taking a different approach, be a little bit more conservative is gonna be good going forward. And, you know, cooling my jets a little bit on it. And then, you know, there's a whole other thing with this. We're having fun with this midterm rental and we're excited. That's important. Yeah. You can't put dollars on that, but that's like very important. It keeps you engaged. It keeps you, you know, not from getting burnt out. And my, you know, my wife's loving spending money on all the different furniture and stuff. We're probably gonna be inquiring some of the nice pieces that, you know, we, hey, that would work well in our house. We'll get one too. But it's, you know, it's a lot of fun. They're doing a great job. I have a, you know, a stager design person that's getting her license, joining my team, but she's doing a ton of work with getting like everything just to feel really good and have design elements throughout it. So it's fun. But at the same time, like even if we get a really good return on it, if we just sold it and put everything into a good syndication, we probably would be doing better. Now you have that mathematical stuff in the back of your head too, but, you know, that doesn't really factor in the appreciation as much, so. That's right, for sure. But yeah, so you say about 70% of your business is investors, right? About 90% is investors. About 90%, sorry.

Yeah. Okay. So, and then the 10% are gonna be just, you know, connections, personal connections kind of thing? Yeah, I mean, we, yeah, personal connections, fear of influence, referrals. You know, we've got some lead, I'm with Realty One Group. We've got some lead programs, but not a ton of leads coming in that way through the brokerage. And so most of mine, you know, I'm born and raised in Rock Hill. I've got a pretty strong network of folks I grew up with, folks who know my family. And so people know what I do. I am the, you know, I'm the flip realtor guy, like that's kind of what people know me as. And so, you know, so I've picked up some business of like, you know, hey, if you can't find the house you're looking for, like, why don't we buy this ugly house and make it the house you wanna buy, you know? And so, but that's a little more, it's a little more complex because, you know, personally, the reason I like working with investors is because there's not a lot of emotion attached, right? So they're not crying, but I mean, you know, this lady this morning was like crying when she saw this house and moving back to Ohio. And I'm like, you know, pat her on the back, like, it's okay, you know, it's just a house, like, you know, but there's memories, right? And there's, you know, personal value to the home and stuff like that. And I'm empathetic for sure. Like I said, I mean, I got a background in ministry, like it equips me to handle people like this, you know? But with investors, it's just like, okay, do the numbers make sense? Cool, let's do it. Yeah. No, totally, I get that. And it is appealing. I think there's also, the bad part about it is also just then it's harder to find the right property in some ways. Like I think, like there's like, it's harder to pencil out these days, especially. For sure. But, you know, there's definitely been a huge advantage for me in, and that's kind of one of the niches I've narrowed in on is kind of helping sellers get their house ready for the market with my contractor teams and my knowledge and like, you know, kind of being able to get some of those good prices from, you know, the volume I give my contractors. And applying- Are you managing that process hands-on? Yes. Yes. And are you- I'm probably systemizing that a little bit. Okay. And then are you, and if I'm getting too personal, tell me to shut up. Are you having your sellers pay for that as they go or are you fronting that and letting them pay it at closing? No, it's on them. I help pay. That's part of, I've got like a, you know, help pay you, the contractors. But also I have a contract that mostly is okay with getting paid at closing. So- Yeah, just send an invoice in. If you can get that lined up and, you know, that's gonna be, you know, it might be an extra month or so for them, but that's a huge advantage to some sellers. And maybe that's something that, depending on your contractor, like say, hey, look, just for special occasions, like we'll try to get you 75% of them. Like, you know, if you want 40% upfront or whatever, we can try to get that for most of them. But, you know, if we have the special circumstance where you'd be cool with it, I think, you know, that's a huge advantage. We get you more and more business this way. So it's gotta be a win-win with them. And the higher volume, I think, is part of it for sure. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. Yeah, man. I gotta ask if you have any golden nuggets you'd wanna impart on our listeners that could be for real estate agents or investors or, you know, agents that are looking to get into investing. Sure. Whatever you got. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I think for me, like the drum that I bang over and over again to every agent that I talk to is like, find your niche, however you wanna say it, find your niche and like double down on that and really like build that out because that's what, somebody said the riches are in the niches. And I think that's like, not only is the money there, but like the fulfillment is there. Right.

So, you know, like I told you, my first deal was with Wes on this wholesale deal, but then I had a listing of a girl that I worked with at my nine to five before I quit to go into real estate full-time. Her and her husband are getting a divorce. They're like selling this house. And it was just like, I'm like, guys, like I would rather be anywhere than in this room talking through this. You know? Yeah. You know, and then I had a buyer that wanted to go see 80 houses in a weekend and never pulled the trigger on anything. And so I'm going, like if I'm a new agent who's not resilient and I don't know that there's, you know, real estate was a conduit for me to get to the investing side of things. If that's not me, if I didn't have like a bigger real estate purpose other than just being an agent and I got my license because, you know, it looks sexy on TV or it seems like you don't have to wear that hard and you can set your own schedule. Like I would have quit a long time ago because general brokerage, like if that's not your thing, you're going to pull your hair out. And I think you've got to really hone in on like what you want to do and what fills you up. Like I got a friend of mine, she loves working with first-time homebuyers. Now I would rather get a lobotomy, but she, like, it's her jam, man. And she's got it dialed in, she's got it systematized, like she's great at it. And I refer for, like if I get a first-time homebuyer, I'm like, you need to talk to her. You don't need to talk to me, you need to talk to her. She's an expert. But you really got to like hone in on like, yes, what can make you money, but also like what can get you fulfilled at the end of the day? Like when you lay your head down at night, you know, you got to know you're making a difference and you got to know that you're doing something that fills your cup up. And for me, man, that's like running around to flip. I mean, you know, probably TMI, but like my day-to-day, like I had a normal residential closing. Then I went, picked up some materials for a flip we've got going on. Then I went going checking in on new construction stuff. I'm like, use the bathroom in a porta potty at a job site today, because I might have so much going on and I'm like running around, you know? But like, I love that stuff. Every day is different for me. I'm like, you know, my shoes are dirty. I'm not in a suit. And like, that's like my jam. Now, other people, that would be miserable for them. And it's just because it's not their niche, right? So you've got to figure that out and you've got to really like lean into that. And I think there's a tremendous opportunity if you can identify it and you can really brand yourself and like put some oomph behind it, you know? And it doesn't have to be investing, right? Like everybody, anytime I lead a training on real estate investing, all the agents are like, hey, I want to learn how to do what you do. I'm like, no, you probably don't. Like, it's a lot. It's miserable some days, right? It's really hard. But like, maybe you really like dogs. Be like the dog parent agent, right? Like, you know, lean into that. Lean into like hanging out at dog parks and like passing out business cards and giving dogs clothes and gifts. Like whatever you love to do in your spare time, like pour gasoline on that and incorporate that into your real estate business. For me, it's flipping houses. I would be doing it whether I was a licensed agent or not. And so if I can help other people, you know, not make their flip look like crap, then that's like, I'm happy at the end of the day and I get to go home and, you know, not be grumpy and all that fun stuff. So that's my golden nugget. It's just like, find out what fills you up and figure out where it overlaps with real estate and go all in on that. Yeah, I love it. Yeah, what's the point if you're miserable, right? Oh my gosh, I mean. Money's nice. Congrats, you had a bunch of GCI last year and you hate your life, you know, like get real, dude.

Yeah, okay, so do you have any books then that you think are fundamental for everybody that they should read or maybe ones that you're currently enjoying? Yeah, so I got this question and dreaded it because I'm not a reader. I need to be a reader. I am massively ADHD. And so like audio books just don't even work for me. I'm that kind of guy. In fact, we just got back from Mexico on vacation and I checked out two books out of the library to take with me. And my wife laughed at me on the plane. She was like, dude, you're not gonna read. You're not gonna read those. But I was thinking about the question and I know you've had some Tim Ferriss fans on here before. The four hour shift for me was a game changer. So I got it. I don't know if you've read that. Have you read the four hour shift? Yeah, I don't know if I did the, so my problem is I'll start things. I don't know if I read the whole thing. No, don't worry. So I like to cook and it was pitched as like learn how to hack these chef skills and all this stuff. So I got it. And really, man, my biggest takeaway from it was like, he, you know, he's crazy anyway, but like he, just the way he broke down, like learning how you learn and like breaking things down so that you can learn it to become an expert, even if you've never done it before was fascinating. And then the thing that has stuck with me, I read this book years ago. The thing that has stuck with me is just because nobody else does it or because it's not how it's historically done doesn't mean that it doesn't work, right? So the example he uses in the book is he is trying to become a wine snob and he decants wine by taking an immersion blender and sticking it in the wine and immersion blending wine for like, it's like a really expensive bottle of wine. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, you know, all these like, all these wine enthusiasts are like, oh my God. Yeah. You know, and he's like, but it makes sense, right? Like if the point of decanting wine is to get air into it, what's the best way to get air into it? And so that has, I'm a bit of a rule follower growing up. And so that has really pushed me. And Wes, my business partner is great of like, hey, Wes, we can't do this. He's like, well, why not? I'm like, well, I don't know, Wes. That's just not how it's done. He's like, well, why not? And I'm like, well, shit, I don't have a really good answer for that. So let's try it, you know? So it's opened us up to like so many things that I don't think we would have ever experienced if I would have just wet blanketed the conversation by going, ah, it's not possible. It's like, well, why not? It's like, well, that's a good question. I don't really know why not. Let's try it. And then we try it and it works. And so, yeah, four-hour chef. And there's some practical cooking stuff in there too, but Tim Curry's just a freak. I think I was talking about or thinking about, does he also have a four-hour body? He has a four-hour body, yes. Yeah, he's got four-hour work week was the first one I think. You read the four-hour body? Yeah, I never read that one. Yeah, and because he has some stuff about food in there. Like it's just like, you know, high protein kind of. But anyway, so, okay, that sounds interesting. I'd have to check that out. I mean, and honestly, like the food stuff, I love cooking too. I love food. I haven't had near as much time to do as cooking. And also the kids are a lot more picky than they want. They don't like to, you know, have my lamb sog that I want to cook, that's spicy. So anyway, eating that process up, which sounds like it probably would be part of the book, would be really, probably has some really good tips in there, I'll have to check it out. So thanks for that. Yeah, and it's like cookbook size. So it looks like a cookbook. Okay. Yeah, it's pretty interesting. So it was a cool, and if you research it, there was a whole, it was a cool branding play too. Like that was the first book he published from Amazon Publishing.

And so it was like non-traditional book publishing. And all these like traditional publishers, like got all up in arms about it. And like Barnes and Noble, like blacklisted the book. It wouldn't care. I mean, it was like a whole thing, but you know, it just helped him further solidify, I think his position of, I mean, he's just so creative. I think he's really interesting to learn from just because he thinks way differently than I think. And so anytime I think he can be around somebody like that, it's worth taking notes for sure. Do you then, are you a big podcast listener? Like if you've interviewed. Yeah, yeah, I like some podcasts, man. Yeah, my interests are all over the place though. So I can't listen to like just real estate or just leadership podcasts because I'll get real burnt out. So I'm like listening to like, yeah, I listen to some wild stuff. What about you? Yeah, no, I do. I mean, I don't, I haven't listened to it near as much as I have in the past. But honestly, I like to do a podcast and mow the lawn every week at least. And that's something that's like, I have a zero turn mower, so I'm not out there getting exercise. But that is like the most peaceful, amazing thing. Like, I just feel so much better after I do that. Just like interesting ideas, things that get my brain going and just, yeah, the peaceful moment of the lawn. So I feel like I'm Hank Hill right now. Yeah. Damn it, Bobby. Yeah. Thank you. Oh, incredible King of the Hill reference. Way to go, man. I hadn't thought about King of the Hill in a minute and you just brought it all back. It is, I don't know if underrated is the right word, but it is, it's a, Mike Judd is a genius. But Jordan, if people were interested in investing in your area, wanna reach out to you or follow you for more, where can they find you? Yeah, Instagram's gonna be the best place. I am at JordanSmithSC, like South Carolina. And there you can find all kind of my escapades and some really pretty houses we've lived. I'm a design guy, so like I, that's my whole thing is, call it ballin' on a budget. In fact, there's a, there's a shameless plug, I guess. Well, we'll try to add value, right? There's a reel in there, I will, I don't think it's pinned right now, but I'll pin it before this goes live. But there's a reel in there that I talk about design stuff and I'm actually giving away a free design guide with links to materials and mood boards and stuff like that. So if your listeners are interested, they can go on there and there's a keyword to comment and it'll send them a link to download that for free. So check me out on Instagram, @JordanSmithSC. It's, yeah, it's always an adventure over there. And my Instagram stories are usually, when I'm posting them, it's like a flip house that's in shambles and then the next story will be like a ridiculously funny meme and then the next story will be like, you know, my three-year-old singing Taylor Swift. And so it's a pretty well-rounded follow. I think I'm pretty fun to follow. You got the Swifties at home too? Oh my gosh, we are. I, it's crazy. So Collins turns four at the end of this month and she somehow latched onto the heirs tour on Disney+ and we watched it all day every day for not an exaggeration, two months straight. And I mean, like everybody in our family, I've got four kids, everybody in our family knows every word. And then the darndest thing, man, I think the algorithm got her. So like, you know, like when you finish watching something, it'll be like, oh, if you like this, you'll probably like these three movies or shows. So she, her newest infatuation is 2025. Her newest infatuation is Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, four-year-old. And she is all, I mean, she's so sassy and has a microphone and a mic stand and a guitar and will put on a dress and you cannot tell her she's not a rock star. So that sounds like our house. We have not gotten that bug yet, but we are- Well, don't delete Hannah Montana off of everything that you can. A Swiftie cover concert.

I took the girls, a little daddy-daughter date and it was a lot of fun. So ironically enough, I'm actually taking her on to a Swiftie, to a Taylor Swift cover band tonight. For our daddy-daughter. Yeah, for our daddy-daughter date, legitimately, yeah. How old are your girls? Eight and five. And then I got a two-year-old son. Okay, fun ages, man. Yeah, ours are about to be 10, almost seven, about to be four, and then like one and a half. Okay. It's like her cats, man. Yeah. It's always an adventure. For sure. Well, Jordan, thanks so much for being on here. It's been a lot of fun. I think we're cut from the same cloth. We'll have to stay in touch. Yes, sir. We'd love that.

[larryopiela]

[cece693]

Ok but like imagine both Billy and Stu with a big tiddy goth! male! reader as their roommate lol

Reader looks intimidating but is actually really nice lol

Looks Can Be Deceiving (Stu and Billy x M! Reader)

Hi! So I'm not really that well informed on the big tiddy slang (English is not my first language) but after a quick google search I think I got the idea????? If not, then I apologize, but I hope you enjoy this :)

tags: oblivious reader, realistic billy and stu (I think), pre-relationship, open ended, might be a part 2 coming

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher weren’t exactly looking for a new friend, let alone a roommate. They’d been fine on their own, thriving in the chaos of their twisted little partnership. But when the college housing office placed them in a three-bedroom rental with some random guy, they couldn’t exactly say no. Rent was cheap, the landlord didn’t ask questions, and besides, how bad could it be?

The first time they saw you, though, they realized this arrangement was going to be…interesting.

You were standing in the living room when they arrived, setting up a bookshelf filled with horror novels and occult knickknacks. At first glance, you looked like something straight out of one of their favorite slasher films—towering, dressed in all black, tattoos peeking out from under your sleeves, with silver jewelry glinting against your pale skin. Your undercut only made you look more dangerous. Stu, never one to keep his thoughts to himself, leaned close to Billy and whispered, “Dude, do you think he’s in, like, a death cult or something?”

Billy didn’t answer, but his sharp eyes lingered on you as you turned to greet them. “Hey,” you said, your voice deep and smooth. “I made brownies. Want some?”

Stu’s jaw dropped. Billy just narrowed his eyes. And just like that, their expectations were shattered.

Over the next few days, it became clear that you weren’t at all what they expected. Despite your intimidating looks, you were ridiculously nice—almost unnervingly so. You always smiled when you saw them, greeted them with “Good morning” even if they ignored you, and even asked if they wanted anything from the grocery store before you went out. When you weren’t at class or work, you were usually in the kitchen, baking cookies or meal-prepping while blasting Bauhaus or The Cure from a tiny speaker.

Stu was instantly smitten. He started following you around like a puppy, throwing his long arms around your shoulders and declaring you his “best goth buddy.” He loved pushing your buttons just to see you scowl—like the time he “borrowed” one of your necklaces and pretended he lost it, only to give it back with an over-the-top apology. “Don’t worry,” he said, grinning up at you. “I’ll make it up to you. Wanna watch a movie? I’ll even let you pick.”

Billy, on the other hand, was harder to read. He spent a lot of time watching you from across the room, his dark eyes following your every move. You caught him staring more than once, but he always looked away before you could say anything. Unlike Stu, who was all loud jokes and obvious flirting, Billy was subtle. He’d make sarcastic comments about your goth aesthetic, only to quietly leave a new horror novel on your desk after you mentioned liking the author. He never admitted it, but you had a feeling he stayed up with you that one night you were stressed about your midterms just because he didn’t want you to be alone.

Stu and Billy’s affections, however, reached a dangerous new peak the day they stumbled into your room at the worst—or best, depending on how you looked at it—possible moment. It started innocently enough, or at least as innocently as things ever got with those two. Stu had been whining about needing help finding a charger, and Billy, clearly annoyed, suggested he ask you. Of course, "asking" wasn’t Stu’s style.

“C’mon, Big Guy!” Stu called as he shoved your door open, Billy trailing behind him. “You seen my—oh my god.”

You froze mid-motion, one arm reaching for the fresh shirt you were about to pull on, the other holding a towel you were using to dry your hair. Time seemed to stop as both of them stood there in the doorway, their eyes glued to your bare chest. No shirt. No barriers. Just you, all soft curves and broad muscle, your big tits on full display.

“Holy shit,” Stu breathed, his voice tinged with awe. His jaw practically hit the floor as he stared, unblinking. “Are you kidding me? Those things are, like, illegal.”

Billy, meanwhile, was much quieter, but no less affected. His dark eyes drank you in, his usual mask of control slipping for a moment as his gaze flicked downward, then back to your face. He swallowed hard, shifting his weight like he was trying to keep himself from stepping closer. His voice, when he finally spoke, was lower than usual. “We didn’t know you were changing.”

“No shit,” you snapped, snatching the shirt and pulling it over your head as quickly as possible. “You ever heard of knocking?”

Stu groaned, flopping dramatically against the doorframe. “Aw, don’t cover up! I was just starting to enjoy the view!”

Billy shot him a glare but didn’t argue. He was still staring at you, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “You’re...built,” he said, his tone almost grudging, like the words were being dragged out of him against his will.

“Thanks, I guess?” you muttered, tugging the hem of your shirt down and crossing your arms over your chest. You could still feel their eyes on you, and it made your skin prickle with a mix of embarrassment and something you couldn’t quite name.

Stu leaned closer, his grin widening. “Dude, do you, like, know how big those are? Like, for real? You could probably drown someone with ‘em. You want to try it out?”

“Stu,” you growled, your patience wearing thin. “Get. Out.”

Billy finally stepped in, grabbing Stu by the back of his shirt and dragging him toward the door. “Come on, idiot. Let's leave him alone.”

“But Billy!” Stu whined, digging his heels in. “I wasn’t done appreciating the—”

The door slammed shut before he could finish, leaving you standing there in stunned silence. You could hear them bickering in the hallway, Stu’s voice loud and animated as always.

“I’m just saying, those are a work of art! It’s like the Mona Lisa, but, you know, better.” “You’re an idiot,” Billy muttered, but his voice was tight, like he was holding something back.

From the moment Billy and Stu got an eyeful of your assets, the dynamic in the house spiraled into utter chaos. You’d barely noticed it at first, chalking up their constant presence to boredom or a newfound interest in hanging out. But as weeks went on, their antics became harder to ignore. The snarky comments, the heated glares exchanged when you weren’t looking, the way they tripped over themselves trying to one-up each other—it was enough to make even the most oblivious person suspicious.

But not you.

Whether it was the gym incident, the pancake debacle, or the never-ending movie night arguments, you remained blissfully unaware of the brewing storm. You were too focused on your studies, your workouts, and making sure the house didn’t descend into complete disorder to notice the increasingly absurd lengths Billy and Stu were going to for your attention.

It all came to a head one particularly tense evening. You’d gone out to grab groceries, leaving Billy and Stu alone in the house. The moment the door closed behind you, the gloves came off.

“Just admit it,” Stu said, pacing the living room like a caged animal. “You’re obsessed with him.”

Billy leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression icy. “Says the guy who’s practically glued to his side 24/7.”

Stu spun around, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You’re just mad because he actually laughs at my jokes. When’s the last time he smiled at you?”

Billy’s jaw clenched. “Maybe he doesn’t need a fucking circus act to enjoy someone’s company.”

“Oh, right,” Stu sneered, throwing up his hands. “Because brooding in the corner like some wannabe vampire is so charming.”

“Better than acting like a hyperactive toddler,” Billy shot back, his voice dangerously low.

The argument escalated quickly, voices rising as they hurled insults back and forth. At one point, Stu picked up a couch pillow and launched it at Billy’s head, narrowly missing. Billy retaliated by shoving Stu into the wall, and for a moment, it seemed like things were about to get physical.

But then you walked in.

“Hey, guys—what the hell is going on!?” you asked, staring at the scene in front of you: Stu pinned against the wall, Billy’s hand fisted in his shirt, both of them glaring daggers at each other. They froze, turning to look at you like two kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

“Uh…nothing!” Stu said quickly, plastering on his trademark grin. “Just some light wrestling. Y’know, for fun.”

Billy let go of Stu and stepped back, brushing imaginary dust off his shirt. “Yeah. Just messing around.”

You raised an eyebrow but decided not to press the issue. “Okay...well, I got pizza. It'll be in the kitchen.”

As you disappeared into the other room, the tension between them simmered, but neither of them made another move. Not yet, anyway. It wasn't until later that night, after you'd gone to bed, that Billy and Stu returned to their conversation.

“This has to stop,” Billy hissed, his voice low and cold.

Stu crossed his arms, still bristling from their earlier fight. “You think I don’t know that? But what’s your solution, huh? Scare him off so neither of us gets him? Not happening, Billy Boy.”

Billy was silent for a long moment, his jaw working as he mulled over his options. He hated the idea of sharing you—hated it almost as much as he hated the thought of Stu winning. But the alternative was losing you completely, and that wasn’t something he was willing to risk. “Fine.”

Stu blinked, caught off guard. “Fine what?”

“We share him,” Billy ground out, his teeth clenched.

Stu stared at him, and then a slow grin spread across his face. “Well, well, well. Didn’t think you had it in you to play nice.”

“Don’t push it,” Billy warned, his voice sharp. “This doesn’t mean I like you. It just means I like him more.”

Stu snickered. “Whatever you say, buddy. But hey, at least now we’re on the same team, right?”

Billy didn’t answer, turning on his heel and stalking off. Stu watched him go, still grinning to himself.

From that day forward, things…changed.

You didn’t notice the difference at first. If anything, Billy and Stu seemed to get along better, their bickering replaced with an odd sort of pact. They started spending more time together, which you figured was just a natural byproduct of living in close quarters. What you didn’t realize was that they were coordinating their efforts.

Stu would distract you with jokes and games while Billy silently took note of what you liked, using that information to his advantage later. Billy would lure you into long, intense conversations about movies and books, giving Stu time to swoop in with grand gestures—like the time he surprised you with a ridiculously elaborate cake “just because.”

If you were confused by their sudden teamwork, you didn’t show it. You just kept being your usual, oblivious self, completely unaware of the quiet, unspoken truce between them—or the way they both watched you like wolves circling their prey.

It wasn’t perfect. Billy still bristled every time Stu got a little too handsy with you, and Stu couldn’t resist making snide comments whenever Billy monopolized your time. But for the most part, they made it work. Because at the end of the day, they both wanted the same thing.

You.

And if sharing was the only way to keep you close, then so be it.

For now.

[fuctacles]

<< sixteen | 😺 | eighteen >>

Wayne, while being the best uncle he's ever had, was also the worst. And not because he’s the only one Eddie knows; he'd beat any uncle Ben or Sam in a landslide. 

(Actually, if you do count Uncle Sam, Wayne might not be the worst.)

"She's a sad lady, isn't she?" he asks out of nowhere during their drive to the hospital. "Still here while everyone she knows move away."

Eddie frowns at the yellow light in front of him. 

"You're the one who told me to talk to her," he points out. He slows to a break at the intersection, the light now red, and turns towards his uncle. "Is this a ploy to keep me in Hawkins? You want me to marry and settle down?" He raises his eyebrows. As if the same fantasy didn't run through his mind at least once a day since meeting Steph. 

"Hell naw." Wayne grins at him. "I want you to live a life of your own. I know you hate this place." 

"It hated me first," Eddie reminds him.

"It's not for a wild thing like you," he agrees with a nod. "Hawkins is for old farts like me. The thing is—Green."

Eddie quickly shifts back into gear before the cars behind him start honking. 

"Stephanie seems to think she's an old fart too," Wayne finishes his thought. 

"Yeah, I've noticed," Eddie grumbles. "And what do you want me to do? Steal her away into the big city?" he jokes. 

Wayne's answering silence grows heavy in the van.

"She's a grown woman, I'm not going to uproot her life," Eddie argues a point his uncle didn't make. It's not that he doesn't want to, more like he doesn't think he has the power to do it. Besides, they just got off together once, it's way too early to make plans like that. He has been daydreaming about them, yes, but he's painfully aware of the difference between fantasy and reality. 

"You know, Jim got really into gardening recently," Wayne says apropos of nothing. 

"Okay, go on…" Eddie nods slowly, patiently.

"He told me some plants have to be uprooted to grow properly. You know, when the pot is too small? Because the roots grow too, and they need space."

The van has finally reached the hospital, so Eddie waits until they're parked to turn towards his uncle. 

"Did you just use a plant metaphor on me?" he asks, baffled. 

"I simply shared some gardening wisdom from a friend," Wayne shrugs.

"Which you just though of."

"You're the one who used the word 'uprooting'," he fires back. 

Eddie pulls the key out of the ignition with a tired sigh.

"You know, I kind of miss the fishing metaphors. They were less convincing." 

Wayne raises his eyebrows. 

"This is the rudest thing you've said to me since you told me the trout was disgusting."

"It's a terrible, stinky fish and you know it!" Eddie protests as they exit the van. 

"How is Wayne's leg?" Steph asks later that day.

"Surprisingly well. The doctor said it healed better than expected and he'll probably be cleared for work the next week."

"I'm guessing he's happy to hear that?"

"Oh, yeah," Eddie snorts. He angles his head so Steph's scratches get where he wants them. "He's been walking up the walls for the past few days, and he hated all the movies the employee at video rental recommended to him. If he doesn't go back to work soon, he'll make it everyone's problem."

Steph hums thoughtfully.

"I get it. Don't you feel restless, too? Here in Hawkins, I mean."

"Huh?" Eddie blinks his eyes open. He hasn't realized when he even closed them. "The opposite, actually. I don't have to rush anywhere, there are no midterms; I can kick back and relax, forget the responsibilities and just be Wayne's favorite nephew again." He smiles. "It's like I'm putting my life on pause for a few days. And it's kind of terrifying how easy it is."

Steph remains silent, so he takes a cautious glance towards her. She's not looking at him or the television; her eyes are distant, focused on her thoughts. 

"Everything is slow and old here, isn't it?" she muses.

"I swear to all that's unholy, if it's another opening to remind me how 'ancient' you are..."

Steph rolls her eyes and dips down to shut him up with a kiss. Unfortunately, it works perfectly in her favor. There's probably no argument against him that she couldn't win. All she has to do is press her hand against Eddie's chest, pinning him to the couch, and he can be easily persuaded into anything. 

He kisses and licks back, trying to keep up with her, but with the last remains of a logical thought, grasps at her hand to slow her down. They separate with a wet smack, but don't move more than an inch away.

"Do you want—?"

"I'm taking you—"

They both smile and shuffle away to properly look at each other. 

"Ladies first," Eddie gestures with a nod of his head. 

"Do you want to stay the night?" she blurts out quickly, with little hesitance. 

His jaw drops open and his heart stops in his chest. 

"Like... on the couch?" he asks to clarify. The other option to good to be true.

Steph rolls her eyes, and it should be embarrassing how much he likes when she does it, even at his own expense. 

"In my bed, idiot. Just to sleep, of course."

"Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming." He pinches his arm, and Steph does too, much harder. He yelps, making Arwen look at him with distaste. "Hey!"

"Do you want to?" she presses. 

"Of course I do!" he bristles. "With you, I'd take celibacy vows," he says reverently, grabbing her hand in his. 

She raises her eyebrows, and then pointedly looks him up and down.

"With you, I'd rather not."

Eddie grins despite his blush.

"What did you want to say?" she asks, pulling him back from his salacious thoughts. 

It takes him a second to reel his thoughts back on track.

"Oh. I'm taking you on a date tomorrow." He takes a glance at the clock above the TV. "Yeah, tomorrow." 

"You're taking me?" She raises an eyebrow. 

At that, Eddie quickly slides off the couch and onto his knees, her hand still clasped between his palms.

"Oh, pardon me, princess. Would you do me the honor of going out on a date with me tomorrow?" he asks, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. 

Her eyes are wide and startled, and the first thing she can even manage out of her mouth is a laugh.

"You're such a dork," she murmurs. "Yeah, it's fine, I guess." She shrugs nonchalantly. 

"Fine?" Eddie bristles, frowning. "What do you mean, fine?"

"I mean yes, you can take me on a date," she says, straightening her back to give herself a more regal posture. "I'll allow it."

He grins, and proceeds to press kisses up the length of her arm, slowly crawling back up onto the couch. 

"Thank you for giving me this privilege, your majesty. A peasant like me, ha!" He throws his head back, briefly startling Steph into another laugh. "The town folk will not believe their eyes, a simple man like me, allowed by the side of a queen." Eddie presses a final kiss to her shoulder, and sits back. As Steph stares at him, he realizes his own outburst. 

"Too much?" he asks with a sheepish smile, fierce flush taking over his cheeks. 

"Just a little," Steph admits, pinching her fingers close together. Her face is tinted pink as well. "You know..." she trails off, falling against the back of the couch, their fingers still entwined. "I hated being called a king in high school, but... Queen sounds so much better." She lets her mouth curl into a small smile. 

 "Like something precious," Eddie catches on, leaning sideways so they can face each other. "Powerful yet feminine."

"Yeah." She nods absentmindedly. 

"How about princess?" he asks next. 

Guessing from how red Steph's face has gotten, she must have liked it. Eddie grins. 

"Well then, princess, I truly hope a humble bard like me can at least make you laugh. I may not know swordsmanship, but I know my way around a lute." He waggles his eyebrows. 

Steph pushes him away with a hand to his face and he falls backwards, cackling. 

"Didn't you say you were bisexual?" she asks, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Uh... Yeah?"

"So you should know both the lute and swordsmanship.... you know?" Steph extends both her index fingers and crosses them, miming a battle as if they were tiny swords. 

Eddie stares at her blankly. 

"Are those supposed to be penises?" he asks, flabbergasted. 

"Yes." She nods confidently, putting her hands back in her lap. 

"You're perfect, holy shit." Eddie scrambles to sit back up. "You compared dick to a sword and I'm supposed to not marry you?"

She scoffs. 

"Keep at it and you'll be sleeping on the couch." 

Eddie clutches at his chest.

"Already feeling like a married man. Be still, my heart!"

"Yep, it's couch for you." She stands up with finality. 

But when he holds her wrist, she goes back down easily, sinking into a kiss. Maybe the power to win arguments went both ways.

"Fine," she folds. "But we're sharing with Garfield."

"Well, where else would he sleep?"

ko-fi | Steddie masterpost

tags: @wheneverfeasible @steddieinthesun @hattsy-likes-pretty-stuff @bumblebeecuttlefishes @phantomcat94 @tartarusknight  @tinyplanet95 @steddiefication @estrellami-1 @disrespectedgoatman @madigoround @tartarusknight @blasvemous @cryptid-system @hiei-harringtonmunson @hellowhatthehellisgoingonhere @dreamercec @manliest-of-muppets @bookbinderbitch @marklee-blackmore  @icecat @rootbeerandmusic @mollymawkwrites @milojames16 @ellietheasexylibrarian @sadiea20

[dontcallmecarrie]

Warnings: NHDD!Justin's dysfunctional family, financial abuse. Set in the late 80s/very early 1990s. Not a happy installment this time- most of NHDD is what happens when things are going well, this is a moment when that is not the case. .

Deep breath, and let it out. Justin Hammer's greatest strength was their self-control, they couldn't afford to lose it— no matter how much they wanted to.

Even if Justin really, really wanted to. Like right now, when his latest bank statement proudly declared he officially had all of one dollar to his name. Ugh, figured that the one time their parents were paying attention to them, it was for shit like this.

What was it, that last not-fight with the old man, or the fact that they’d been late to Thanksgiving due to midterms? Oh, who was he even kidding, it was the latter— mother dearest just hated anytime their ‘happy family’ facade showed the slightest crack.

So emptying out Justin's bank account? Part retaliation for dragging his feet when scheduling his trip home last time, and part warning to not do the same for winter break. Even if finals were right before Christmas this year, because of course they were.

Justin tamped down on that frustration and helplessness and rage, and focused on what they needed to do next.

Okay.

They were officially broke for the foreseeable future, but they could work with what they had.

Utilities were covered in the year-long rental contract they’d prepaid at the start of the term, it was the phone cutting off and his main card being declined while grocery shopping that had tipped Justin off to what was going on. They were screwed on the latter, but if this hissy fit went as expected, then they'd give it a few days for their parents to "let it sink in", and a handful more before their spite was outweighed by their need for convenience and they reinstated his phone because neither of his parents could stand each other for more than five minutes these days.

If things continued like previous fights, and knowing his parents the way he did, then the next step would be to play along and once the situation had blown over, they’d put half of the money back, keeping the rest as punishment. As if Justin was the one acting like an unruly child, and not their parents who threw honest to goodness temper tantrums the moment things didn’t go their way, or discovered that their children had their own independent thoughts and feelings.

At the moment, Steph was really stomping on their parents’ latest nerves with her hopes for art school and Justin’s Econ major could only do so much damage control, especially with their father.

They’d seen the writing on the wall, they knew what was coming: but the breaking point wasn’t quite yet, and they’d be able to do so much more to at least get Steph out of this mess if they just gritted their teeth during moments like these, and stuck with the plan. It was at a delicate stage at the moment, and they couldn’t afford to touch any of those funds for another three years at least if they wanted any of it was to work.

Even if that meant enduring moments like these, carefully going through their apartment and dipping into their emergency stash to last the end of the quarter.

Really, Justin was lucky they even had that much— even if something deep inside them nearly cried, because they shouldn’t have had to do this ever again.

Justin Hammer couldn’t remember it, but they knew, as sure as the sun rose in the east and taxes were due on April 15, that surviving in winter on a shoestring budget was a miserable experience. Especially when they had a next to empty pantry, and the only saving grace to this mess is that the end date was roughly three weeks away, and at least didn’t have to worry about electricity or running water this time— and wow, that bar wasn’t on the goddamn ground.

Okay, so, that was where they were at the moment. Not great, but they could work with this.

Their emergency cash would get them several pounds of rice and beans for the apartment, and on campus there would soon be dozens of RSOs holding celebrations for either the holidays, end of term, or both. Justin liked to think they were fairly well-liked, it shouldn’t be too hard to secure an invite or five to something with free food. As a bonus, they’d be able to network and set out feelers for people interested in tutoring; Justin might not be a genius, but they were studious and if even one person was up for it, they’d be able to supplement their emergency cash for future situations.

Okay, that’d work, and with the bonus of not needing to go to the pawn shop. Off the top of their head, Justin had a few first editions and a few other things lying around that would probably get them through a few months, but they'd rather avoid that route if possible.

Okay. They could do this.

[sl130031]

So a lot of people are wondering what the hell happened in Maine and Vermont. Some of it of course is increased housing cost, but there are other forces driving it. Maine Housing actually provides an explanation in their annual reporting:

(Picture shows the first page of a 2024 report from Maine Housing https://mainehousing.org/docs/default-source/housing-reports/2024-point-in-time-report.pdf)

It notes that:

- Maine used COVID programs to provide free motel rooms to people without permanent housing. Many of those people would have normally sought informal arrangements like staying with family or friends and not been counted as homeless.

- Maine has a rental assistance program that serves many unhoused people, so it counted that program as transitional housing and included the participants as homeless in the state's 2023 report. Evidently, it should not have been counted under federal rules. So, Maine was over-reporting compared to other states.

Some things not directly mentioned but I think are worth noting:

- Maine and Vermont are small states with low total counts of unhoused people. Low total numbers make a state very volatile when measuring percentage change.

- Maine and Vermont have relatively small percentages of unsheltered people when you consider the homeless population. If you look at the report, most unhoused people in Maine are sheltered, meaning that they are staying in government-funded motels, shelters, and transitional housing. In 2023, 68% of California's unhoused people were unsheltered, meaning they were sleeping on the streets, in vehicles, and in other structures not fit for human habitation. For the same year in Vermont, that rate was 4%. This is important because there is a significant difference between being in government-provided transitional housing and sleeping outside when it comes to quality of life. Also, sheltered people are much easier to count. States with many unsheltered people are more likely to undercount their homeless population.

Since a large increase to the number of unhoused people is bad regardless of the reason, why does this stuff matter?

It matters because, to their credit, the state governments in Maine and Vermont are actually working on this issue. They have gathered robust, accurate data, beyond the minimum required by HUD. They made full use of COVID funds to provide temporary housing to as many people as possible, which is a good. They have put significant funding into shelters, transitional housing, and general assistance programs so that people at least have a safe place to sleep while the government works on the broader issues. Yes, there is still a long way to go, but they are trying.

If you look at that map without context, you would say that these state programs are a total failure. Politicians and other people who want to cut programs to help unhoused people love to argue that those programs aren't worth it. "The homeless are lazy drug addicts who are beyond help. See what happened, these states reward those people with assistance and shelter, so a bunch more people decided to just mooch off tax payers. The states that don't hand out welfare saw a decrease because people understood that they have to work."

The problem is, people believe that. Maine is a state that has had some terrible elected officials (just Google Paul LePage, the former governor who called himself "the Trump before Trump"). The good things the state has done could easily be undone if a state election goes badly. Luckily, that hasn't happened yet. You might notice from the graph above that, in the last two years, there are new transitional housing programs in the state. That is only happening because in 2022, when Paul LePage tried to take back the governor's office, Mainers show up to vote en masse, with the highest turnout in the country for that midterm election. People voted to protect reproductive rights, social programs, and environmental initiatives that Maine has been implementing, and gave the Democrats control of both parts of the legislature and the governor's office.

That's why it is really important that people understand the full context instead of just wondering "what the hell is going on with Maine and Vermont (or any other state)". It's critical to look at both the finer details and broader context, rather than just deciding that something is a total nightmare based on one number. As the federal government slashes funding for social programs in the coming years, state programs are going to become even more consequential to people's lives. We need to evaluate program efficacy and acknowledge the full scope of the problems that exist, but we also have to contextualize those criticisms and recognize the positive effects of the imperfect efforts being made.

Percent Homeless Population Change From 2020 to 2023

by VineMapper/reddit

[umichenginabroad]

Week 14: Deadlines, Nearing the End, and Amsterdam

¡Hola amigos!

Now that it’s the end of April school is really picking up with projects due, presentations coming up, and finals in just a few weeks. I’ve been pretty careless the whole semester but really starting to feel the pressure. It’s unfortunate because the weather has been so nice here (70-80 degrees), but ig this is what I signed up for. 

Two of my classes (Financial Management and Engineering Management) have a heavily weighted project, and it’s been a lot to work on, especially with all the travel. They’re very long and tedious which has been annoying, and I’m excited to get these presentations done with.

In terms of finals, all of them are weighted to be about 60% of my grade, which is actually terrifying. I’m absolutely awful at exams, and the idea of screwing up once and failing the class has really been getting to me. I’m gonna study as hard as I can though, and just hope for the best.

In terms of travel, this is an extremely privileged thing to say, but I’m kind of sick of it. I’m exhausted, and Europe is really starting to feel like the same thing in different fonts. I want to maximize my time in Madrid, but I do have two more trips planned in May to Ibiza and Berlin. I’m starting to be very broke and lowkey get anxious every time I check my bank account, but I’m reminding myself it’s ok because I saved for so long to be able to do this. 

I checked my Delta app and my check in for my flight home is in 35 days. Literally how. Study abroad went so fast and I feel like I did an unfathomable amount of things in so little time. 

Amsterdam

On a more positive note, I took a solo trip to Amsterdam this past weekend! This was my first proper solo trip where I did everything myself, and it was cool to experience but honestly super lonely. I feel like I didn’t open my mouth for like 48 hours which was just an odd feeling. Amsterdam just also feels like a very social outgoing city, and would’ve been a lot more fun in a group.

It was also EXTREMELY expensive. The flights, the hostel, everything. I wouldn’t necessarily say it was worth what I paid, but it was one of my dream travel destinations so I’m glad I got to go.

Friday I landed first thing in the morning and just explored the city. I didn’t plan an itinerary just because I wanted to see what would happen. I ended up wandering the entire city and accidentally came across very important landmarks like the Dutch East India Company and the Anne Frank house. I tried lots of different food like Dutch fries (way over priced) stroopwafel (my new fav), and more. At night I explored the Red Light District which felt really odd to do alone, but obviously very important to Amsterdam’s history. 

On Saturday I woke up first thing in the morning and took a bus to the Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, NE. It was GORGEOUS and literally felt like a fairytale. It was so lush and colorful and looked like all the pictures I saw beforehand. They also had bike rentals available to explore the surrounding tulip farms, which I took advantage of. It was so fun to ride around and see them, though I haven’t ridden a bike in like 5 years so that was kinda scary to figure out. 

Afterwards I walked around the King’s Day celebrations, a holiday celebrating the King’s birthday. It was basically just a huge darty but with people of all ages, but was cool to experience. Again, probably would’ve been more fun in a group.

Overall, Amsterdam is such a cool city architecturally and has a very interesting history behind it. I wish I took advantage of a few museums, but it was already expensive enough. I don’t know if I’d go back, but I’m really glad I got to see it.

With that, I’m currently studying for my last midterm of study abroad which is tomorrow. Crazy how fast this has gone. I’m going to Elrow Town this weekend, which is a huge festival I’ve had planned for a year, so I'm very excited for that. Abroad is lots of fun but now that we’re nearing the end I think I’m ready to go home and I’m very excited to see my family and friends soon.

Hasta luego,

Nitya Chellury

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

[monsterkong]

Navigating the Challenges of Property Management with Mercedes Sanchez

🏡 Welcome to the World of MBX Homes 🏡

Mercedes Sanchez, founder of MBX Homes, has revolutionized property management in Los Angeles. This blog captures her insights from the FTR Sisterhood podcast, hosted by Stacy St. John, where she discusses her journey, strategies, and the secret to building a rental empire.

🚀 From Hospitality to Real Estate

Mercedes’s transition from luxury hospitality to short-term rentals came naturally:

“Operating short-term rentals is like running a mini hotel.”

With her background in onboarding luxury resorts, she seamlessly applied her expertise to managing 70+ properties across Los Angeles.

🔑 Keys to Success in a Regulated Market

Los Angeles’s strict rental regulations pose unique challenges, but Mercedes’s proactive approach keeps her ahead:

Stay Informed: Attend city council meetings and advocate for clients.

Plan Ahead: Use permits strategically to balance short-term and midterm rentals.

Adapt Marketing: Tailor strategies to meet evolving demands.

🎥 Lights, Camera, Rentals!

Mercedes has mastered the art of renting properties for film productions. By partnering with scouts and showcasing properties on platforms like Image Locations, MBX Homes turns homes into stars.

🌟 Empowering Others

Mercedes offers invaluable advice for newcomers:

Never work for free.

Maintain standardized agreements.

Always strive to exceed client expectations.

💻 What’s Next for MBX Homes?

As MBX Homes continues to grow, Mercedes aims to become a household name in property management. Her focus on client satisfaction and operational excellence ensures a bright future.

💡 Final Thoughts

Mercedes’s story is an inspiring reminder of what’s possible with dedication and creativity. Whether you’re managing rentals or exploring new ventures, her insights are a guide to success. 🌟

[corvidgames]

November Full Stats

Backlog length: 57

Owned/accessible games: 52

Currently playing: Your Turn To Die: Death Game By Majority, Forgive me Father

Next up: Mass Effect

Games completed: Astro Bot

Games removed/DNF: N/A

Games added: Your Turn To Die, Forgive me father, Paradise Killer, Scarlet Hollow, Rental, The Convenience Store

Hours logged: 20hrs

-

By no means is my “next on” section a definitive statement on what I’ll end up playing from the log, but it’s what’s currently got my interest and what I’ll probably end up doing.

My full backlog, along with a few stats from other games I’ve played before starting this project, are all tracked with howlongtobeat, which I usually update whenever I finish a game or remember/find something new to add to the list. If you’re interested, that’s linked below.

Game of the month

🤖Astro Bot 🛸

I really didn’t get much of a chance to play at all this month with midterms and coursework along with some family issues. But Astro was a simple fun that wasn’t too intensive and I played a lot between projects.

See my full entry on Astro Bot here

[unitedstatesrei]

Sacramento Secures $600M Rail Yard, 10,000 Jobs Forecast

4.44 Billion Annual Economic Output Transforms Sacramento CountyTransformation defines Sacramento County's economic environment. The ambitious Railyards development project emerges as a catalyst for unprecedented growth.The massive undertaking projects $4.44 billion in annual economic output. It fundamentally reshapes the region's financial framework.The economic impact extends beyond raw revenue generation. $2.11 billion is allocated specifically to annual wages across Sacramento County.This wage distribution creates substantial purchasing power throughout local markets. Job growth centers around nearly 24,000 positions countywide.This includes 13,000 direct on-site employment opportunities at full build-out. These positions span construction, retail, hospitality, and specialized services tied to stadium operations and mixed-use developments.Over one million annual visitors to the stadium area will drive commerce acceleration. This impacts the hospitality and retail sectors significantly.The visitor influx creates sustained demand for local businesses and services. The development's scope positions Sacramento County as a regional economic powerhouse.Employment increases stimulate ancillary economic activities throughout surrounding communities. The Railyards establish long-term growth trajectories.The project benefits from Enhanced Infrastructure Financing that will support essential infrastructure development through reinvestment of future property tax revenues.Mixed-Use Development Brings 6,000 Residential Units to Downtown CoreApproximately 6,000 residential units will reshape Sacramento's downtown core. The Railyards mixed-use development is advancing toward full implementation.This 244-acre transformation anchors the city's urban revitalization strategy. It targets downtown population density through strategic in-fill development. The development is reflective of the growing need for innovative housing solutions, such as midterm rentals, that cater to working professionals in flux due to career demands.Plans integrate residential towers with commercial spaces, office developments, and sports facilities. All of this will take place across the former industrial site.Development projections indicate the residential count could surge to 10,000 units. This will fundamentally alter Sacramento's urban environment.The project prevents suburban sprawl. It concentrates growth within the established downtown framework.Complementary developments will intensify the residential surge throughout the central business district. The 700 Block K Street redevelopment converts underutilized parcels into mixed-use corridors.These corridors will feature residential units above retail establishments. Sacramento Commons adds 409 dwelling units across multiple residential towers.This development takes place within an 11-acre mixed-use complex. Community engagement initiatives ensure these developments align with Sacramento's 2035 General Plan objectives.The coordinated residential expansion represents Sacramento's commitment. The city is focused on creating dense urban villages that combine housing with commercial and recreational amenities. Infrastructure development supports the project's mass transit hub that will serve the broader metropolitan area.Transit Hub Integration Connects Amtrak, Light Rail, and Future Streetcar LinesConverging transit networks are set to revolutionize passenger flow through Sacramento's reimagined Valley Station. The facility will undergo a fundamental reconfiguration, shifting from an east-west to a north-south orientation.This transformation will create unprecedented intermodal connectivity. SacRT bus services, light rail systems, Amtrak operations, and California High Speed Rail infrastructure will all be integrated.Transit ModeCurrent ConfigurationFuture IntegrationCapacity ImpactLight RailSingle trackDouble trackingEnhanced efficiencyAmtrak ServicesEight head-in baysThrough-loop designSeamless transfersBus OperationsLimited

connectivityDedicated Mobility CenterStreamlined routesStreetcar LineNot connectedDirect SVS integrationFirst-mile accessRegional RailSeparate terminalsUnified hub systemTransit efficiencyDouble crossover installations are planned for H Street between 5th and 7th Streets. This will enable flexible train movements.Additional F Street trackage will provide essential storage capacity. The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar integration is poised to boost economic development potential to over $381 million in corridor investments.This mirrors successful streetcar implementations nationwide. Regional commuter lines will establish hub-and-spoke connectivity patterns.These patterns will feed directly into the state rail services, enhancing overall transit efficiency.Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Anchors Major Commercial ExpansionBeyond the massive transportation infrastructure overhaul, Sacramento's Railyards district is undergoing an unprecedented commercial transformation. This is anchored by Kaiser Permanente's $1 billion medical complex.Construction began on March 19, 2025, on the 18-acre campus and aims for completion by 2029. The eight-story hospital will cover 662,050 square feet and feature 310 private patient rooms.This project is set to fundamentally reshape downtown Sacramento's economic environment. The facility significantly improves healthcare access for nearly one million Kaiser Permanente members across Greater Sacramento.The hospital's emergency services include 70 treatment bays, and there are 14 operating rooms for complex procedures.Patient experience enhancements feature advanced tele-critical care technology and video monitoring systems. The facility includes a 48-bed ICU, a 38-bed birthing center, and an 8-bed NICU, establishing extensive inpatient capabilities.Outpatient services will occupy a five-story, 173,000-square-foot medical office building. The building will house 174 provider offices and 66 exam rooms.Thousands of healthcare-related jobs will be generated during both construction and operational phases. The 1,500-stall parking structure aims to accommodate the influx of patients, visitors, and medical staff.This promises to drive commercial expansion throughout the district.Historic Warehouse District Conversion Creates 500,000 Square Feet of Retail SpaceDemolition crews have cleared the way for Sacramento's most ambitious retail transformation.The historic warehouse district within the Railyards is set to release 500,000 square feet of commercial space into the downtown market.The adaptive reuse project preserves Sacramento's century-old warehouse buildings. It converts interiors into modern retail and entertainment venues.Historic preservation strategies maintain original architectural facades. Structural elements are retained to honor the industrial heritage.The conversion positions the district as Sacramento's retail heart. This supports the city's plan to double downtown's footprint.Three critical elements drive the economic impact:Employment surge - Retail and hospitality jobs multiply across vast commercial space.Regional draw - Entertainment venues attract visitors from Northern California's metro areas.Property values - Preservation and modern amenities boost real estate markets.The district integrates with 6,000 residential units.Additionally, there are 30 acres of green space.This creates Sacramento's first authentic live-work-play environment.AssessmentThe $600 million rail yard transformation positions Sacramento County at the epicenter of California's most aggressive urban redevelopment initiative in decades.Industrial real estate markets face unprecedented disruption. Mixed-use developments are accelerating across central business districts statewide.Commercial property valuations in surrounding corridors will experience volatile fluctuations. This is due to 10,000 new positions flooding local employment markets.Healthcare sector expansions signal broader institutional investment patterns.

These investments threaten to destabilize traditional retail hierarchies throughout Northern California's secondary markets.

[gabkyun]

W11: Midterm Pitching Experience

Our recent research into Cagayan de Oro's rental market culminated in a successful midterm presentation. Through interviews with landlords at boarding houses and apartments, we gained insights into the often-overlooked challenges they face. Presenting these perspectives, we aim to raise awareness about the complexities of managing rental properties in the city.

This research isn't just about landlords. By understanding their challenges, we can create a more balanced rental ecosystem for both landlords and tenants in Cagayan de Oro. Stay tuned for future posts where we delve deeper into specific aspects of the market, offering valuable tips for both parties.

[you10tubesworld]

How to Boost ROI Using Mid-Term Rentals with Jesse Vasquez

In this exciting episode of the Rent To Retirement Podcast, hosts Adam Schroeder and Zach Lemaster dive deep into the world of midterm rentals with expert Jesse Vasquez. Discover how midterm rentals can significantly boost your cash flow and provide a stable income stream. Jesse shares his journey from healthcare to real estate, the secrets to his success, and actionable tips for getting started with midterm rentals.

[mimimangos]

spring break is next week (but really it starts Friday 😉), and I just had my last midterm, actually my biggest midterm, that I've been studying hard for nonstop for the past few days, and now I'm in that post-exam haze where it's like, that giant pressure that was on me, that one thing that was my entire purpose for four days is over now. It feels like I can relax now..

except it's only Tuesday and I still have plenty of assignments due, not to mention the CAREER FAIR tomorrow??? I didn't prepare for it as much as I wanted to over the weekend because I was so focused on the midterm. I barely got it together enough to last-minute edit my resume tonight, but.. career fair is tomorrow morning. Editing my resume now doesn't do me any good if I can't get it printed 😭. I'm sure the library is gonna be SLAMMED tomorrow with every student on campus printing their last-minute resumes too.

I considered not even going, everyone is telling me its a waste of time, its crowded and sweaty and stinky and you stand in a line for 25 minutes just to get 30 seconds to handoff your resume and elevator pitch yourself to some recruiter who's brain numb from hearing 80 elevator pitches before you, and do that as many times as you can bear, only to never hear a word from anyone. It's gonna be cold and rainy tomorrow so I'll have to change into my nice shoes when I get there and carry my muddy, wet sneakers, and my wet, bulky jacket around the entire time (unless I stand in an even longer line for a locker rental). My two morning classes are canceled for career fair, and that would be such a great opportunity for me to catch up on the sleep I've been missing. And yeah I'm not looking forward to figuring out how to get my resume copies printed, or what that line to the printer is gonna look like.

But I have to go, on the slim, slim chance that I can make a just memorable enough impression on a recruiter who needs butts to fill spots. I NEED an internship. It would be stupid of me not to go.

It would be so so stupid of me not to go but oh my god i do not want to go.

[shortandmidtermrentals]

Houses for rent near Atlanta GA

Welcome to shortandmidtermrentals, your premier destination for vacation villa rentals in the pictorical state of Georgia, USA. Immerse yourself in the attractive of the South with our carefully curated selection of houses for rent near Atlanta, GA. Whether you are seeking a weekend getaway or a more extended stay, we are offers a diverse range of short and midterm rental options to suit every traveler's needs. Experience the perfect blend of Southern hospitality and modern comfort as you explore the vibrant culture and scenic landscapes of Georgia. Discover your ideal home away from home with shortandmidtermrentals.com – where unforgettable vacations begin.

[umichenginabroad]

Victoria en France: Week 12

Ciao from Bergamo Airport in Italy! I am about to fly back to Cergy after spending the weekend enjoying Lake Como, and I am ready to tackle my last week of class before our second 2 week break.

Classes

Last week was a pretty light week of classes, but I unfortunately have 3 midterms this week. :(

I started unit 3 of French culture, which is focused on business. There are only 4 sessions of this class, and in these sessions, we will be creating a hypothetical French food truck. We have been talking about employment contracts and salaries, and we will soon be tackling things like food regulations. Our first 2 sessions were really interesting last week, and I'm looking forward to the next ones this week.

A lot of classes are ending because students at ENSEA are required to have an internship in order to graduate, and these internships are starting soon. All of my classes are still going, but a lot of FAME students will have lighter schedules going forward. We're really close to the end of the semester. We have this week, then a 2 week break, and then about 3 weeks in May.

Paris adventures

I had no class on Tuesday, so I was able to spend both Tuesday and Thursday in Paris this week. On Tuesday, we went to Petit Palais, which was a really cool museum to walk around. Look at how stunning the garden is (it was a very lovely day):

After Petit Palais, we walked along the Seine because the weather was amazing. It was sunny and in the high 60s the whole week. We did some thrifting and then got our favorite Mexican street food. I fear I am becoming a regular there. Walking along the Seine:

On Thursday, we stopped at a fromagerie to try some new French cheeses. We got 3 different cheeses for less than 9 euro! We then grabbed a baguette from a boulangerie and had a little picnic sitting next to the Seine. The cheese was absolutely amazing, and I will be repeating this activity. We got a hard cheese - Comté, a soft cheese - Saint-Nectaire, and a goat cheese. Eat with your eyes:

We then went to the Louvre, and I got to see Napoleon's apartments, which I have been wanting to see all semester. One of my French teachers told us we needed to see them, and I'm so glad I did. They were exquisite. Imagine just casually living here!

After the Louvre, we did some walking and sat by a canal for a bit. Then we went climbing! If you've been keeping up with my blogs then you know that I am surrounded by people who love to climb, and I've been really loving getting into it. This was my third time climbing and it was the best one yet. I feel that I'm now getting over the uncertainty that comes with being a beginner, and I conquered a bunch of routes that were the perfect level of challenge for me. I had so much fun!

After climbing, we headed up to Montmartre, and we got some yummy Japanese food and the best ice cream I've ever had. You do not understand how good this ice cream was. I am 100% returning to this place to try their other flavors. What an amazing day.

Lake Como

I spent the weekend in my favorite country. We arrived in Lecco, Italy on Friday night and went out for an amazing dinner. My pizza had eggplant and a ton of different cheeses on it as well as a feta stuffed crust. Probably one of the best pizzas I've ever had and I will be thinking about it for a long time. Our Airbnb had a great kitchen so took advantage of this for most of our other meals. For breakfast, we got fresh fruit and ate it with Italian Nutella and pistachio cream. We also did toast and scrambled eggs. For dinner on Saturday, we made eggplant parm and chicken parm. It was really good, and it was really fun to prepare and enjoy the meal together.

The pizza (my mouth is watering):

Tiramisu (I almost cried eating this):

Home-cooked eggplant parm:

On Saturday, we spent the day at the beach. The scenery is so beautiful. We were surrounded by mountains and got to relax by the sparkling blue water. We would have kayaked but the rental place was closed. :(

On Sunday (today), we hiked up one of the mountains and I mean all the way up- it was insane. We got an amazing view of Lecco and Lake Como. It was quite a hike, but it was so worth it. My climbing practice came in handy, because there were some parts where I literally had to climb up rocks. It took us about 5 hours to climb up and then come back down. Pictures could not capture the feeling of being on top of that mountain but here's an idea:

We may be starting to approach the end of the semester, but I still have so many fun things to look forward to. Hopefully my exams go well this week, then I've got another 2 weeks to keep exploring Europe. This has been such an unforgettable experience!

À bientôt,

Victoria Vizza

Electrical Engineering

IPE: FAME at ENSEA in Cergy-Pontoise, France