How to Build a Five-Star Airbnb Property Management Business

Christie Abrams (00:00)
our looking for win win situations, not cookie cutter arrangements that has to work for everybody. That’s what keeps our fuel our our fire fueled is is making sure that we’re not trying to sell you a a a bird in a bag. We’re trying to sell you your pet, one that was designed just for you. We

property partner, not a property manager. We’re not trying to tell you what you need. We’re trying to tell you what could help you be better. Yeah. And I know that kind of sounds the same, but it’s way different when somebody’s bossing you around as opposed to giving you advice.

Meghan Escobar (02:03)
Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of

Real Estate Pros Podcast. I am your host, Meghan Escobar, and I have with me today somebody who I’m excited to bring to the to the show. One of the things that I really enjoy about being a host here with Real Estate Pros Podcast is having the opportunity to connect with entrepreneur, self-building, successful people.

Who are in this industry and learning about the business that they’ve built because behind every business there’s a story and the person who created it. And so I’d love to welcome to the show Christie Abrams, who is in the property management real estate. And so, Christie, I always like to start out with just giving our guests a feel of, you know, who you are as a as an individual. Tell us about yourself and how you found your way into this industry.

Christie Abrams (03:01)
The the quick version, I’m just a little weirdo from eastern Kentucky who likes to help people. I found a love and a passion in helping people build vacations. I took a position as a receptionist years ago and that sparked something in me that I didn’t know existed. And all of the positions that I had held up to that management, accounting, welding, psychology, all of those things led me to be the property manager I am today.

And and that’s that’s kind of where I started twelve, thirteen years ago.

I’m also a mom. I’m a Yah Yah. I have a bunch of grandkids and you know, all of these things, my five kids, I want to see them know where I came from and see where they can go. You know, I’m not just I’m not just a barefoot little girl in the woods anymore. I am a a certified earthing instructor who rents five star Airbnbs to

vacationers across the nation.

Meghan Escobar (03:53)
Love that. I love that. Thank you for sharing and take us back to where the journey started. I know I I love how you introduced yourself, a little weirdo and a barefoot girl in the woods. That’s resonating for me more than you can even know. But take us back to where your journey started with getting into the passion for helping people and kind of twofold here. So

Maybe where did that passion come from and then what led led into property management?

Christie Abrams (05:13)
So I I think that the the passion for helping people is just it’s Kentucky bred. I think every Kentuckian kind of just has that be a good neighbor, you know. I think Mr. Rogers maybe heard of that a long time ago when we were little, right? You just be a good neighbor. And and that’s kind of always been the thing. Growing up, watching my family as poor as we were. My dad would help other people, my mom would work for others down the road, my grandmother would make food.

It it was just being a good neighbor that was instilled in us no matter what we were, how little we were, right? And so in in my growing my career in growing life as an adult, that was just something that was always instilled in me, whether you had shoes or not, you had morals and and that was something that that I still carry with me. I want to be a good person regardless of whether I can afford well, whatever it is or not. And that that being a good neighbor, that that

passion, I guess, is is really what drove me into property management. I I took a position being a receptionist way back in two thousand ten, two thousand twelve, just to help make ends meet. And in that I was a receptionist for a vacation royal company and I never got to take a vacation. And so every time the phone rang, I got to plan a whole nother vacation. And so it became

this exciting thing to go to work because every day was a whole brand new adventure. And that was where the spark started. And then one day I had planned a vacation for a family and we were a very small property management company. The owner of this company only had 12 cabins at the time. He was struggling week to week. We barely had money to make ends meet. And I had this family call me and they really wanted to go on a vacation. They really couldn’t afford it.

And I started problem solving. How can I help? And how can I make this happen? Because that was my family on the other end. I was that little girl that that wasn’t going to get to go. And here I was with power. I could help her. And so I did. And that family got to come on a vacation that they couldn’t afford by me making this weird payment plan work for them. So they could make some payments on a a cabin and they could come and they could stay. And that when they came, not only did they come into my office, they

They hugged me. It became more than just a phone call. It became more than just a trip. It it became a passion that day. And then a year later I got a a card from them. And then there was more of them. Those people just kept multiplying and multiplying. And then it wasn’t just the visitors. It was the owners that were seeing the love in their property and the passion that the cleaners had because they were getting all this work and they were wanting their property. And it was just

a continuous cycle that was like, okay, now I understand why drug addicts go for drugs. This is the drug that I’m after. This serotonin, this dopamine that I’m getting when when guests stay here, when owners have to buy another property because their vacation home is booked 95% of the time this year. Those are good problems to have, and those are those are the driving forces behind what wakes me up every day and and has me at my desk at 6 a.m.

Regardless of whether it’s my work day or not, because I’m an addict.

Meghan Escobar (08:28)
Mm.

Christie Abrams (08:30)
This was awful, then.

Meghan Escobar (08:32)
Well, I’ve I’ve come across worse addicts, right? So you’re addicted to helping people create these wonderful memories and experiences. And I think that’s a wonderful thing to be addicted to. You know, it’s a it’s a domino effect of positivity and and love. And so when you are expressing that out to

others they are able to you know pour into others and so I think it’s a wonderful thing. And yeah, yeah, of course. I love the way that you explained it though. So with Hearth Haven Cabins, you guys are currently managing 20 homes. And you’ve built that in a a short amount of time. How how long did it take you to get to that?

Christie Abrams (09:01)
And filling for my desk.

So we we became partners and started this venture in January of twenty twenty-five. That January. We also had in Kentucky one of the most terrific ice storms that we ever had. So our entire state shut down for about three weeks. We we pushed on and we started this year. We were at nine properties when we

Meghan Escobar (09:26)
Wow.

Christie Abrams (09:46)
turned over new year and very quickly we have jumped up to where we are now.

Meghan Escobar (10:24)
That’s pretty incredible, especially with us, you know, just getting into the second half of the year here and with you guys having almost a month of unpredictable weather that we don’t have control over. So technically in six months you’ve been able to grow from one to twenty homes that you’re, you know, managing and catering to and

Christie Abrams (10:46)
nine to twenty this year, absolutely.

Meghan Escobar (10:48)
Yeah, and and I don’t think that’s an easy thing to do, you know, especially in this climate and the climate that you’ve had to experience. So tell us what has been what has it been what has been keeping that machine running so smoothly.

Christie Abrams (11:04)
Passion. When you when you have folks dedicated, one week I literally had to call my broker and say, Look, I need you to talk to the marketing director. I think he’s put in like eighty nine hours this week. We’ve got to pull him back. We can’t be doing that. He’s gonna burn out. Just about two weeks later, the office manager did the same thing. She made a phone call, she said, Hey look, you’re gonna have to pull Christie back. She’s been at it for like sixty seven hours this week and it’s only Wednesday. Our our passion.

Meghan Escobar (11:05)
Mm-hmm.

Christie Abrams (11:28)
is what keeps us going. W when when one of us is is failing, the other one picks up the slack and we just keep moving.

Our looking for win win situations, not cookie cutter arrangements that has to work for everybody. That’s what keeps our fuel our our fire fueled is is making sure that we’re not trying to sell you a a a bird in a bag. We’re trying to sell you your pet, one that was designed just for you. We

property partner, not a property manager. We’re not trying to tell you what you need. We’re trying to tell you what could help you be better. Yeah. And I know that kind of sounds the same, but it’s way different when somebody’s bossing you around as opposed to giving you advice.

Sometimes those can sound the same but be very, very different. And that’s why I that’s why I declare myself a a property partner, not a property manager.

Meghan Escobar (12:18)
Like the way that you throw put that perspective out there. You know, most people just I guess I don’t want to make this an assumption because you’re the expert and you’re in the industry. And so from your experience, you know, somebody who positions themselves as just a partner, I’m sorry, as a property manager versus a property partner.

What would you say differentiates the two the most? I have an idea, but

Christie Abrams (12:48)
I I think property management is is more it’s more fine lined. There you’re it’s more detailed as to what you’re actually looking for. At the end of the day, a property manager is looking to make sure that there’s bookings, to make sure that there is steady income. And a property partner, in my opinion,

I’m not always necessarily looking for the bottom line. I may make an agreement, make a contract on a property that I know I’m not gonna make any money off of simply because I know that investor has a bigger picture long term. And so three years down the road is where I’m looking at, you know, and I’m willing to to make that risk where a property manager, that’s too big of a risk for them, strictly. And so with the property partner, it you’re in my mind, I have

more versatility. I can help you manage more than just a building. I can help you manage experiences on that property. I can help you in more ways than just a building, just a structure. And I think property management sometimes is tied to structures.

Meghan Escobar (13:52)
Mm. Love that perspective. Amazing. Thank you. I think our our our listeners will definitely gain some value from that perspective, even those in the industry to maybe operate a little bit differently and take some of your passion. So every she’s got a lot, folks. So every every operator.

Entrepreneur that I’ve had the opportunity to chat with always has a moment where things got real for them. Maybe that’s a deal that had gone sideways or a storm that came through or just a time that they had to pivot really fast. Do you mind sharing, Christie, one of those moments for you?

Christie Abrams (15:17)
Every day in property management. And I say that because you know, you never know what the day is gonna bring. You never know what is going to have to happen, whether that be cleaners. At the beginning of this year, we had hired a cleaning team. They’ve been managing all of our cleans and for a a property management company, having cleaners on staff available daily to to make those turnovers happen and such is vital. They’re kind of the forefront. They’re the they’re

front line for you. And so I got a phone call one day that in in spring break, during spring break when we’re a hundred percent at capacity, that we didn’t have enough linens in a property to do a turnover. And I personally had cleaned this property all winter. The owner was a very involved owner who had at least three sets of linens for every bed, plus extras. And then I get this call on Friday that there’s not enough.

What do you mean there’s not enough? So I rushed out to the property and and I start going through and and sure enough, we didn’t have enough linens. I had to run down to the local dollar store and and get linen to make this reservation happen. Within an hour, I had another cleaner call with the same situation in another property. We we should have had enough. And so in talking to the owner of that cleaning company, we determined that

the staff that she was utilizing wasn’t as truthful and as honest as she was. And therefore things were getting missed that that shouldn’t have been. And now we had loads of missing linens, laundry. And so we when when asked to how we were gonna deal with this, this cleaner, this company just stopped their services, stopped providing services. So in the middle of spring break season with twelve properties.

Ten, twelve properties somewhere in that range. I was left with no cleaners.

We had nobody in house. Everything was outsourced and so I really didn’t have a handle on any of that at that time, which definitely caused some fallout. I spent, you know, two weeks cleaning. I had my marketing director come down from Louisville, he was helping me clean. We were doing all the things. We were answering phones from our cars in between cleans to try to make it through to to get more

Meghan Escobar (17:12)
Yeah.

Christie Abrams (17:28)
in house staff. So that was a very pivotal moment for for us. Even though we had contracted out, we had it was their responsibility. She literally apologized, you’re right, it’s it’s our fault. We’re sorry. And we’ll step back unless you handle it. And in that moment I didn’t have a backup plan.

And so that was probably the the scariest for me. I had the most loss, I think, from that this year. I didn’t have very important property because of that. When you maintain five star status from inception on, you can’t risk ever getting a four star. And in that moment there was risk too much. And so I lost a very valuable property to that escapade.

That one’s the first one that comes to the front of my brain.

Meghan Escobar (18:11)
Yeah. Well that’s what’s coming to the forefront because it’s the most recent. But when I first asked you that question, you said every day. So these are situations that the last, you know, fifteen years of your career in property management you’ve seen happen, time and time again and you’ve been able to but again

Christie Abrams (18:29)
The very first weekend I was ever left alone as a property manager in charge. This was twenty years ago, fifteen years ago. So long that I can’t remember. The the guy that I worked for, he went on vacation. First one he was getting in five years. He said, I’m gonna gone for four days. All right, great. Can’t go wrong in four days. Can’t can’t have too much. On day two I had four water heaters explode.

Meghan Escobar (18:39)
Mm-hmm.

Christie Abrams (18:52)
Four. In a matter of three and a half hours. The city had a a water pressure issue. They had turned on a pump. It had too much pressure and these four water heaters apparently just could not handle the pressure. So they all four exploded.

Meghan Escobar (19:04)
How wonderful for you. And you were so you were thrown right into the trenches and you know, Christie Yeah.

Christie Abrams (19:11)
So and that’s why I say every day is because those pivotal moments, you never know what you’re gonna have to come into. You wake up with a plan, I’m gonna do XYZ today. Lo and behold the universe says no, you’re gonna do A B C and and that’s that’s what has to happen. You have to pivot every single

Meghan Escobar (19:25)
Gotta

go through the experiences to gain the the knowledge and and to know how to overcome these situations. You know, one of my favorite quotes is you always have a plan until you punched in the face by the famous Mike Tyson, right? And these are the punches in the faces that you you’re getting in this industry. And, you know, thank you for sharing that. I think this is the stuff that, you know, people don talk about enough. And honestly, it’s it’s truly what separates folks from those who are

here to dabble versus those who have a passion and ready to stay in the game long term. Because with that being your first week on the job and you overcoming, you know, 15 years later to running, owning and operating your own property manager, property management company and growing at such such a fast pace, I think that speaks volume for for who you are as an operator. And so

Let me ask you this, what are you guys most focused on solving or scaling next? Like what is the next real big goal for Hearth Haven Cabins and Christie?

Christie Abrams (20:27)
I think

I think our biggest goal is is to expand our concierge service. That’s and and finding team players that can help do that. When you have experiences, when you have amazing places to stay, being able to enhance that i is what’s gonna level that up, right? That’s what’s going to enhance that stay to its next level. That’s what we’re really geared for this year. The the properties

they’re coming. You know, we’re growing as literally as fast as we want to and then that market. I think now enhancing the guest experience to be the most that it can be, right? Going back to those little girls that are coming on vacation that one time that they’re first gonna get it, or that mom that can’t really afford it. I think finding those unique ways to make vacations happen, make experiences happen. I think that’s that’s the next growth for us

within our company is is just finding those extras that’s gonna help the staff that we have, you know, currently fill in the blanks in in other areas of passion.

Meghan Escobar (21:24)
Mm-hmm.

Right. I love that. Just continue to grow, create these experiences and memories. As I mentioned before we got on to the podcast, you know, the passion to create these positive experiences for individuals

it’s such a it’s such a great domino effect to have, right? Because when you pour into others in with that passion and love, and then you know, they’re gonna continue to pour that into others. And so it’s a it’s an incredible domino effect. And one thing that you know, I would like for our listeners to hear from you is typically our listeners are individuals who are very early on in their journey

looking to get their toes wet into some type of real estate career, whether that’s becoming a property manager, an agent, a an investor, builder, the list goes on. Or they have been in the game for quite a while and they’re looking to level up to the next best thing, adding management, AI tools, things like that, right? So they’re just looking to level up. At the end of the day, I’m curious to know, Christie, when it comes to

building relationships and and growing your network, what do you feel like ha what do you feel has made the biggest difference for you being in certain rooms?

Christie Abrams (22:41)
The ability to listen.

The ability to listen, when I was younger, and you’ll still see it today when I get excited, I get diarrhea of the mouth, I interrupt, I I get so excited, my brain just will not let me hold a thought. And and as I’ve gotten older and more mature in my career, being able to listen to what an owner wants, even though, you know, or a client, what they want, may not necessarily be what are the words that are coming out of their mouth.

Right. So when somebody says, I want to have passive income, what does that mean exactly is passive income? Does that mean that you want to see things happen and you just want to get a check? Being able to listen to what their needs are.

I think is is to my final answer registration. That’s that’s what’s set me aside, I think.

Hearing they’re actually trying to say without knowing what they’re meaning. And that sounds all jar even though it sounds great in my head, it come out all wrong.

Meghan Escobar (23:37)
I think that’s a solid piece of advice. You know, active listening is something that I think a lot of people struggle with. So I I appreciate you sharing that. And so active listening, making sure is also going to, I think, or actually let me not ask, has becoming a more active listener

helped you become a better property manager, being able to actually hear what the owners are are interested in looking for, regardless of what you think might work better.

Christie Abrams (24:09)
Yeah, absolutely. I perspective is everything and and seeing a different perspective

literally opens up doors and windows that that you that wasn’t there before. So it especially somebody very green, asking questions, it it can take you back to the basics of of why you do what you do.

Meghan Escobar (24:28)
Yeah, definitely.

Christie Abrams (24:29)
For absolutely it’s

Meghan Escobar (24:30)
Yeah, the basic foundations. And you know, that’s something that I I believe relationships are everything in this space, especially when you are a partner with somebody and you’re taking care of their investment, you know. So before we wrap everything up here, if someone wanted to reach you, Christie, and

you know, c just collaborate with you or even potentially just learn from you about what it is that you’re doing and how you’ve been able to, you know, maintain a a five star a five star review with your business with after all of these years. You know, what would be the best way for them to be able to touch base or reach you?

Christie Abrams (25:14)
So the the most direct way is going to be to reach out through our website. And that’s going to be www.hearthhavencabinsky.com. Of course there’s several contact screens on there, contact us areas. That’s going to be the the most effective. And of course you can find me on all the socials, Christie Abrams, Hearth Haven Cabins is another way. Reaching out to any of our socials will will get folks to us.

And it you if they’re just wanting to follow along, that’s a great place to to find us. Is we have a TikTok, we have an Instagram, all of those platforms you can find us on. So yeah, that would that would be the most direct ways.

Meghan Escobar (25:52)
All right. So you heard it here. You can reach Christie at hearthhavencabinsky.com. Hearth Haven Cabins on all socials. And Christie Abrams on all socials as well. So thank you again for joining the show, Christie, and sharing your story, your your sharing your time, and more importantly, perspective, as we just mentioned, that is everything. And

We need more people in the space who are working with such passion and doing things the right way. So I really appreciate you again for coming on the show. And for those of you who are tuning in, if you received any value from this, please be sure to hit subscribe and listen in. We’ve got more conversations like this coming in and operators just like Christie, who are out here building real businesses real time on in real time with real people. We’ll see you on the next episode.