Michael and Katrina Stead STR Wealth Academy Review: Short-Term Rental Business Without Owning Property?

STR Wealth Academy Pros and Cons

Pros

1-on-1 coaching with Michael and Katrina

Custom program based on your needs

Access to legal documents and templates

Access to private Facebook group

Cons

The price is not publicly disclosed, but some students said it’s as high as $6,000.

Short-term rental arbitrage is not legal in all countries.

Short-term rental is heavily regulated in certain states.

Price

STR Wealth Academy costs $6,000.

Group

STR Wealth Academy has 2 private Facebook groups with overall 3.3k members.

Refund Policy

STR Academy has no refund policy.

Origin

STR Wealth Academy is created in 2020.

Reputation

Michael and Katrina have positive online reputation. They are also one of the top short-term rental hosts in the United States.

September 30, 2024

I talked to STR Wealth Academy. They give helpful stuff like templates and docs. But it costs $6,000. Seems pricey, but might be useful.

Scott

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2.0 out of 5 stars (based on 1 review)

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This review is based on my own experience and is my genuine opinion.

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What Is Short-Term Rental Arbitrage?

Short-term rental arbitrage is leasing a property long-term and subletting it to vacation renters. Since entrepreneurs don’t have to buy a property, they can begin with lower capital. The STR Wealth Academy short-term rental arbitrage process is:

• Find a long-term rental property listing.
• Furnish and set-up the property based on your customer avatar.
• Re-list the property on multiple platforms.
• Manage bookings and guest experiences.

STR Wealth Academy’s goal is to generate more income from STRs than the long-term lease cost. To do this, Michael and Katrina emphasize the growing sharing economy. The term “sharing economy” refers to assets spread online. You can use this to maximize exposure and bookings for your properties. Diversify listings across multiple platforms rather than only listing on Airbnb and VRBO. According to Phocuswright Research, almost 50% of STR owners use multi-channel distribution strategy.

What Do You Get With STR Wealth Academy?

• Step-by-step guide to setting up properties
• Scripts for phone calls
• Email templates
• Listing optimization
• Private Facebook group
• Access to Michael and Katrina Stead

Who Is STR Wealth Academy For?

• Aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the STR market
• Homeowners wanting to maximize property income
• Career changers exploring new business opportunities
• Digital nomads seeking location-independent income
• Retirees looking for additional revenue streams
• STR hosts looking to scale their business

Are Students of STR Wealth Academy Successful?

Students of STR Wealth Academy report success on the program’s website. However, they’re mostly testimonials of students who took Michael and Katrina’s former program, BNB Bootcamp. Nathanael E from Small Call Athens, Georgia said he made $83,000+ in his first 2 months. Nathanael took Michael and Katrina’s 4-month program. He highlights the ease of communications with Michael and Katrina throughout the process.

Will P. from Sacramento, California took the BNB Bootcamp as a complete beginner. He had no property and no experience. The course helped him avoid mistakes and headaches. This made the price of the course worth it.

Taras and Oksana are a couple who took BNB Bootcamp and eventually quit their 9-5 jobs. They leased two properties for a year and recouped the cost within 3 months. Taras and Oksana also operate in Edmonton, Alberta like Michael and Katrina.

Is STR Wealth Academy Worth It?

STR Academy is worth it for those with enough capital for the course but not enough to buy their own property. the course Is $6k, so it can be too steep for complete beginners. However, Michael and Katrina are responsive. You can expect answers to your questions. STR Wealth Academy also provides templates and guidance for legal documents.

Who Are Michael and Katrina Stead?

Michael and Katrina Stead are the founders of STR Wealth Academy, formerly BNB Bootcamp. The couple started their Airbnb venture in October 2018. It was a side hustle while working corporate 9-5 jobs. Now, they’ve grown their STR business to 60+ listings without owning the properties. Their listing can be found on Pique Lifestyle. Michael and Katrina also own Pique Properties Inc. It’s a short-term rental property management company founded in 2018.

Before starting rentals, Michael worked in finance as a currency trader. He was a Corporate FX Trader at EncoreFX. Michael graduated Management at Concordia University of Edmonton in Edmonton, Alberta. And Katrina worked as an economic development officer in the City of St. Alberta. Katrina graduated Psychology and Commerce at the University of Alberta at Edmonton, Alberta.

Michael and Katrina tried affiliate marketing, stock option trading, real estate and network marketing. They were successful with Amazon FBA. But, a mishandling of taxes from foreign sales left them with $50,000 debt.

They started short-term retail arbitrage by bootstrapping. Within a year, they listed 12 properties for STR. After 19 months, they reached $500,000. In 2020, they developed an online program for aspiring STR business owners. Currently, the couple lives in Edmonton, Alberta with their daughter.

What Are Micheal and Katrina’s Claims?

Michael and Katrina Stead claim you can make 6 figures with short-term rentals in less than 12 months. They emphasize the rapid growth potential of the sharing economy. According to them, their program can help people escape the 9-5 grind. You will receive the entire process of how they made $250k per month while working part time.

Debunking Micheal and Katrina’s Claims

It is possible to scale your STR business to 6 figures, but not as immediate. According to AirDNA, the average annual income of a superhost is $61,793. And only 8% of property owners reach superhost. And it’ll take more than 12 months to reach 6 figures, if it even happens. Short-term rentals have a seasonal demand, so your location and pricing leads to inconsistent income. And, the short-term rental business is prone to saturation. According to AirDNA, there are 1.3 million short-term rentals in the US. In addition, Magnetic Strategy reported the national occupancy rate is declining. It went from 60% in 2021 to 55% in 2024. With the decline in demand and increasing property listings, it’s harder to rank to get more bookings.

Is Short-Term Rental Arbitrage Worth It in 2025?

Short-term rental arbitrage is worth it in 2025 if you’re already in the real estate market. Rental arbitrage profits from the difference between the long-term and short-term lease. Homeowners must trust you to lease their properties for long-term. And real estate is a market based on referrals. According to Peter S. Velardi, 8 out of 10 real estate transactions happen because of referrals.

The benefits of investing in STR properties in the current real estate market are:

• Higher income
• Tax deductibles
• Flexibility
• Less property wear and tear

Potential STR owners should consider the property type, location, and regulation when choosing an investment property. Local laws and regulations impact STR investors in the United States through:

• Limited locations to operate. There are locations that don’t permit operating short-term rentals. An example is Clearwater Beach in Florida. Short-term rental owners can’t lease the property for less than 30 days. And the Lodgify reported the average length of stay of guests in an STR is 5 nights only.
• Legal compliance. STR business owners are required to have licenses and permits to operate in certain locations. Kentucky requires a business permit, zoning compliance and special fees license.
• Additional fees. STR operators in Anchorage, Alaska are required to pay $200 to $400 per unit. Georgia imposes a sales tax of 4% and $5 of hotel-motel fee per night. The Special Fees License in Kentucky costs $200 for the first unit, and $100 for every additional unit.
• Limited rental days per year. In San Francisco, to legally operate an STR, owners must live in the unit for 275 days per year. So, they can’t book their properties for more than 90 days.

For STR property owner who want hands-off business, you can work with property managers. The role of property management companies in STR investments is to manage daily operations and risks. They take care of guest experience and build loyal visitors. However, their fees will impact your profits. In this regard, digital real estate is a better alternative.

Digital Real Estate VS Real Estate

Digital real estate vs real estate’s main difference is the costs involved. Real estate investing involves properties, like houses, apartments, or commercial buildings. Investors generate income through rent or property value appreciation. Meanwhile, digital real estate is an online asset, such as websites and digital products. They produce revenue through advertising, affiliate marketing, or direct sales.

According to the Luxury Playbook, real estate investments typically start at $15,000. While you can start digital real estate with no money. You can leverage YouTube channels or social media platforms. Digital real estate is also accessible worldwide. So you have a wider reach and wider customer base. With real estate investing, you’re dependent on the location. And it appreciates or depreciates based on employment and accessibility.

Real estate properties also cost more to maintain. You can maintain a digital real estate with $30 per month for web hosting. If it’s a social media account, then it requires no cost to maintain. According to Facebook, it’s advisable to set aside $30 ad budget per month. Meanwhile, real estate properties cost between $345.25 to $1,389 per month to maintain. According to Bottom Line Property Management, the average annual maintenance cost is property value’s 1% to 4%. The US Trading Economics reported the average value of a single-family house is $416,700. Hence, it takes $345.25 to $1,389 every month to keep it in good condition.

My Recommended Digital Real Estate Business

My recommended digital real estate business is local lead generation rather than rental arbitrage. Local lead gen is creating websites for niche businesses. Then you use local SEO to rank on search results. When the websites rank, you can rent them to local businesses. From there, it becomes a passive income of $500 to $3,000/month. Local lead gen requires less maintenance and produces predictable income.

With rental arbitrage, you depend on the location and regulations. Because there are off seasons, your income is not consistent. You’ll also have to take care of your guests to ensure good reviews. Rental arbitrage also costs at least $5,000 to start. It’ll cover the cost of rent and furniture.

In my opinion, running a traditional real estate business like short-term rental (STR) arbitrage is like opening a new gym in a city already home to a Planet Fitness, Gold’s Gym, and a local CrossFit box. While there’s a clear demand for STR, standing out becomes a challenge because many people are offering their house or room for rent to earn extra income. Local lead generation is more sustainable because you only spend around $30 for creating your site and using other tools. Once your websites are running, you can expect steady leads and income without constant upkeep. It’s like setting up a McDonald’s self-service kiosk. You make a small initial investment to get it running, and once it’s in place, the system operates efficiently on its own. Unlike STR where you rely heavily on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo and deal with homeowners allowing you such setup, which can change fees, policies, or even suspend your account/contract at any time, local lead gen is not at the mercy of external platforms. You control your business, from pricing to how it operates. Your income is steady and not dependent on things like the economy or tourism trends.

My lead gen site, Pasadena Elite Concrete Solutions 2849 East Foothill Boulevard Pasadena, California 91107 626-628-1311 https://pasadenaeliteconcrete.com/, brought in 18 high-value leads in under a month. My client generated an additional $28,650 in revenue, and I got paid $2,865 for a 10% commission (no customer complaints, no property marketing, and no rushing after a guest checks out).

With local lead generation, you can start with $500. This will cover the cost for website hosting and domain name. And because you own the digital property, you have full control with who to work with. Dealing with customers is also left to the local business provider. Because local lead generation has low startup cost, it’s also easier to scale. You just have to repeat the process in a different niche. There are 50+ niches to choose from. All the digital real estate I own today makes me $52k per month.