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Show Summary
In this episode of the Real Estate Pros podcast, Kristen interviews Dani Dubetz, a successful real estate investor and founder of Music City Loft. Dani shares her journey from being a television news reporter to becoming a prominent figure in the short-term rental market in Nashville. She discusses the challenges and opportunities in the current real estate landscape, emphasizing the importance of education and timing. Dani also highlights her philosophy on work-life balance, personal fulfillment, and the significance of authenticity in building a community. The conversation wraps up with insights on setting standards and priorities in both business and life.
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Investor Fuel Show Transcript:
Dani Dubetz (00:00)
we had our first date and everything moved really fast. We were engaged in three months. And then a couple of years later, you know, we’re sitting at Thanksgiving. We’re married. We just moved into a new house. I have two beautiful children and a perfect dog and this amazing extended family. And I’m looking around. go, oh my gosh, I made it.Kristen (00:06)
Wow.Welcome back to the Real Estate Pros podcast. I’m Kristen and I’m here with Dani Dubetz. She is a real estate investor out of Nashville and the founder of Music City Loft,
based vacation rental brand that she’s built. It’s a really impressive story how she’s built this and how she’s been able to kind of balance her work
And she’s going to give you a lot of tips for that. So I’m excited to be here, Dani.
Dani Dubetz (02:20)
Thanks,Kristen. Thanks for the intro.
Kristen (02:22)
Amazing. So tell us how you kind of got into this industry, how you started building these short-term rentals.Dani Dubetz (02:30)
My favorite phrase is, your way forward.So I was a television news reporter in West Palm Beach, Florida. I had what I call my quarter life crisis. I moved to Nashville chasing a pipe dream because I was realizing I was feeling trapped and no matter how hard I worked, no matter how many side gigs I took, I was always playing catch up. And my mom, thank God, you know, I was very blessed that she was a real estate investor seasoned. And so she taught me
the foreclosure process, but then I did a, I flipped a couple houses. I made some money, but I still felt trapped because you buy a house, you get out of debt. You sell a house. Wait, you buy a house, you get in debt. You sell a house, you get out of debt. And then the cycle starts over again because you’re holding your breath for the next sale, you know, and after a while, I was just like, this isn’t going to work. And a condo went on the market.
I’m still staying in the game, but I’m not convinced that this is my path out and I’m still desperate to find the way out, right? A condo went on the market at the foreclosure auction for over $300,000. I passed because that’s insane. And they gave it to a real estate agent. ⁓ Listing price was 135. And so I convinced my mom. I was like, this is going to work. The margins there.
⁓ Also, I’m gonna be 20 something years old sleeping on an air mattress and partying in downtown Nashville. In the meantime, it was a win-win situation. And it sat on the market for three, six, nine months, started to panic, lost another job that I didn’t even care about to begin with, and then had this cry on the floor with a bottle of wine for dinner moment where I’m praying to God and I’m like, this cannot be what life is about.
Kristen (04:12)
Yeah.Dani Dubetz (04:33)
trying to figure out who you’re supposed to be, always feeling like you’re coming from behind. Like where is the sense of purpose and where is the sense of relief? And I’m just like, show me the way. And it wasn’t long after where we had heard about VRBO, we furnished the property, honestly, because we’re like, okay, another foundational belief, Kristen.kill two birds with one stone. One of these days I’m gonna come up with a better analogy for this
because kill is like, doesn’t feel very good. But the point is like, don’t just do things for one reason. You have to at least get two reasons. But what you really go after is the triple and quadruple win. So we were going for a double win. We’re like, if we furnish the property, maybe it’ll sell better if it’s being sold furnished.
Kristen (05:52)
Yeah, why are we killing grapes?Dani Dubetz (06:14)
or at least like it’ll have staged photographs. And in the meantime, we’re going to list it on this website. We’ve never heard of called VRBO and maybe I’ll get lucky enough to get a couple of reservations that will hold me over while I look for another job and live at home with my parents. And the first reservation came in for CMA Fest for $1,500, which was the equivalent of a full month’s rent for that property. And it was only for five nights. And that’s whenthe light bulb started to turn on. It was on a dimmer switch and it just started. There was no aha moment. I’m a slow learner, but I got it eventually. And that one loft turned into what we now have 18 downtown Nashville properties under my brand Music City loft.
Kristen (06:47)
Yeah.That’s amazing, I mean.
That’s so impressive. ⁓ Yeah, short term rentals, it’s interesting. think that, what would you say about the market right now? feel like a lot of people ⁓ are maybe hesitant to get into short term rentals. I know that there’s a lot of changes in the landscape. What have you found?
Dani Dubetz (07:22)
Well, I really see it as exactly, I mean, very similar, not exactly, but similar to where I started in 2010. And 2010 was my life-changing moment in my life, where by 2013, okay, so I start negotiating deals in 2010 when the economy is still recovering from the big crash, right? I start negotiating deals in 2010. I close in 2013 and I walk into a million dollars of equity.It’s all about getting the education that you need now. So when the market changes, cause it will and tourism is down right now. International tourism is down right now. A lot of all of the message boards on Airbnb are talking about how people aren’t seeing the bookings. They’re not seeing the occupancy. They’re not seeing the revenue, but the people who have been in the game know they have a well furnished property, a well located property. No, they’re in the hold on period.
and things will come back. Tourism will come back. The interest rates right now are going down. But as they are high and folks are still holding on trying to get their 2020 prices for their houses that they’ve had for sale for 90 days or more, they’re now in the prime opportunity to go in and negotiate. If you can get those properties under contract while people are still feeling some pressure to get out,
then six months, a year from now, you’ll be going, man, I just made the best deal of my life.
Kristen (08:57)
Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s good advice. It’s all very cyclical and there’s no perfect market. And I think a lot of people hesitate to enter when, as you said, the best time to start is always right now. ⁓ I would love to kind of shift gears because I know that you have a lot to say in terms of having a work-life balance, know, not prioritizing but…in the priorities have your personal success be very important as well. Can you talk a little bit more about that and kind of your philosophy on it?
Dani Dubetz (09:28)
Yeah, totally. mean, part of why I created Music City Loft, was 26 when I started thinking about this and creating this, right? And the goal was to create mostly passive income so I could be a stay at home mom and homeschool my children. The funny part was I had no serious boyfriend and family was like truly a fantasy at that point.⁓ So then COVID happens and at the point COVID had happened, I had created this like mini empire,
but I was the only recipient on the end of that benefit, you know? And I’m like, why am I struggling so hard like everybody was in America to hold onto something and I have nobody to give it to? I realized in that moment, like no number of properties, no…
Kristen (10:51)
Yeah.Dani Dubetz (10:57)
amount of money on the ballot, like that stuff meets a need and gives you freedom. That’s why they call it financial freedom. It gives you an element of freedom, but it doesn’t give you fulfillment. And when I went back to my reasons for creating Music City Loft and I looked at my life and I still didn’t have it. How like, what was I doing this for?And wouldn’t you know it another like lie on the floor. This time I didn’t have a bottle of wine, but lie on the floor and cry out to God moment. I’m like, Hey, you know, if you don’t give me like a reason to do this, I am not going to kill myself to hold on to it. And sure enough, like within two weeks, I get a message from some dude on a dating app. And I had just like kind of put myself out there with the way I felt about all the things.
Kristen (11:38)
Right.Dani Dubetz (11:53)
And his response was, I think I love you.we had our first date and everything moved really fast. We were engaged in three months. And then a couple of years later, you know, we’re sitting at Thanksgiving. We’re married. We just moved into a new house. I have two beautiful children and a perfect dog and this amazing extended family. And I’m looking around. go, oh my gosh, I made it.
Kristen (12:03)
Wow.Yeah, you did it!
Dani Dubetz (12:23)
And it was thatmoment, that feeling of real success, real fulfillment that I was like, wow, my business, Music City Loft put me in the position to be able to experience what I’m experiencing now. I am homeschooling my children happier than ever. And that’s why, that’s why.
Kristen (12:47)
I think that’s so incredible and so important to highlight because I think a lot of people chase success and money thinking that it’s going to solve all their problems and make them happy if they’re not happy already. ⁓ But I think looking at your life holistically and kind of fixing internally just things you want to fix and then the money will be you know just an extra but it’s not going to change anything necessarily.Dani Dubetz (13:13)
Right. Better money gives youMostly passive income gives you options. You know, I did the route that so many others did, you know, like, hello, everybody on TikTok right now. They’re like, if I can just get famous, you know, I’ll be fulfilled. Well, I had my TV news reporter gig and it was like, it’s nice to have a little status in the community. But did I like
Kristen (13:28)
Yeah.Dani Dubetz (13:39)
I feel amazing at night when I went to sleep. No, I’m like, I had to tell a crappy story about somebody dying to get here. Like, is this really worth it?Kristen (13:48)
Yeah, absolutely. Well, I think that’s wonderful. You’ve been able to kind of build your empire without sacrificing these really important things in your life. Yeah, and also talking about how you were on air and now you’ve kind of pivoted into building your own community and helping people and coaching people. Can you talk about that?Dani Dubetz (14:12)
Well, that was probably a harder transition than believing that I could buy 11 lofts with $100,000. You know, it’s, and I think just, I think because, you know, authenticity is such an important core value of mine. And part of why I didn’t fit into the, into the either the music business or the news business was because you have this like avatar.that you’re supposed to be. And I was like, I’m not like that. I’m very like, you know, off the cuff and like my mind kind of wanders here and there and you just got to stay with me to track the story and stuff. And, and so when it came to feeling like, okay, I’ve gotten to this place in my life where I truly feel like I’m successful,
real kind of success I was looking for, because that was my version of it. And everybody has the right to have to
define what that is for themselves. On paper, I’m ready to do this thing I’ve been wanting to do for like five years. And it wasn’t until just recently, we went, I went to Nashville just a couple of weeks ago, honestly, it was like probably a month ago now. And I reached out to a friend who was in the real estate learning game. Like we were doing the real estate guru circuits together and had some of the same mentors.
And he, told him, Hey, I’m in town. He was like, my gosh, I have to take you out to dinner. And I was like, really? What’s the occasion? And he goes, Dani, that three hour coffee with you that you gave me 10 years ago made me a million dollars. And I was like, what? And I just like, he’s telling me this and I’m starting to tear up and cry because the biggest resistance that I personally felt, and I have heard this from other people too, but when you’re
making that moment to step out and share what you know and what you’ve personally experienced. There is this like imposter syndrome in the back of your head. Like how are you going to really bring value to people who’s really going to care? Why you why do you think you’re so special blah blah blah blah and I had to you know experience that firsthand and then go out to the rest of my support group like my number one at my company and my husband and like I needed that, you know.
the booth, the coach, the pad on the back. And then I was like, okay, we’re gonna do it. And made the move and started building the team.
Kristen (17:28)
Yeah, I mean it’s really interesting how…I first of all, I think a lot of people are held back in
their own personal brand out of fear of maybe people making fun of them or thinking it’s silly. And the reality is most people want to see you win if you surround yourself with good people. ⁓ And then the second thing you touched on was just like the unknown impact that you can have on people. Like just you talking off the cuff. You have no idea how it trickles into somebody else’s life and changes their life.
Dani Dubetz (18:00)
Yeah, totally. I think that especially since COVID, we’ve taken for granted community and sharing of stories. And then we have our social media that is just so inundated with content, content, content. With those two things happening, the landscape really gets watered down. But if we understand who we are and we stay close to our core values,That is what ends up coming across and having impact. And, and I really had to consider what do I want my life and my story and my impact to be at the end of my life. There are people who are out there, you know, on the front lines, fighting sex trafficking and doing all of these incredible things. And not everyone’s equipped with
the talent and the tools that it takes to do those big things. But if just because you’re not doing those things means you do nothing, my real talk with myself was you’re being selfish.
Kristen (19:10)
Right.Right? I think that’s a really good point that there’s so much in between just doing it, doing it a hundred percent and doing it zero percent. ⁓ well, I
Dani Dubetz (19:22)
Yeah, so I’m sorry, Kristen, didn’t mean to talkover you. And the core goal and mission is that when we are operating from like what inspires us and that creative spark, whatever that is, you know, for some people it’s staying up all night writing a song, whether it ever sees the light of day. And for some people it’s painting, some people it’s woodworking. I mean, it’s…
so across the board, but we’re a tapestry of humanity, not a timeline. We’re not robots. We’re not all, you know, inline soldiers. And it’s like, I just have this belief, like, I would rather die than have anybody tell me what to do. And the second anybody tries to force me into a box or an avatar, I’m going to reject that and go the other way. And because, I mean, that’s the, is an example of how I like kind of go off in the weeds with like this, is this even applicable?
Kristen (20:12)
Yeah.Dani Dubetz (20:20)
But the point is that everybody, if you are driven by a passion, if you have the one thing that keeps you up at night, even if it makes sense to nobody else but you, follow that spark and it will turn into a fire.Kristen (20:34)
Yeah, absolutely. And I think what you said about authenticity and community building, I think that’s also so important kind of within that ecosystem.So, I mean, this has been awesome. Like to kind of wrap this up, I would love for you to give people tips, because I know you’ve had this revolution or yeah, revelation about your work-life balance. How do you maintain that now in present day as you’re raising your children and you have this empire growing?
Dani Dubetz (21:05)
It’s the best because when I first started my business, I was a one woman shop and I was so afraid to bring other people into the mix because I was afraid, you know, like competition, what if they take what I know? What if they beat me to the punch? Like, and I’ve just been really blessed through the evolution of my career that I have been blessed to have really amazing people in my life.And so once I decided I want to do this, but staying true to my values, right? I only work a maximum of two days a week because my children are my priority. And if I’m going to do this, it has to fit within that criteria. And even when we started doing the, our live trainings and folks were trying to say, Dani, you need to do three or four days this week. I’m like, no, no, no, no, no, no, we’re doing.
Kristen (21:43)
Mm.Thank you.
Dani Dubetz (22:03)
these two days, we are not going to give other options. We can watch recordings like staying very clear and true to those values. And then what happens is when you set that standard, the universe will transpire to make sure those needs are met. But you do not waiver from that foundation. You do not waiver from that standard because then you’re just settling. So I think thatKristen (22:22)
Right.Right.
Dani Dubetz (22:32)
I mean, I’ve just learned that from early on. You decide what those standards are and you decide what those parameters are and it even comes to real estate investing. Like what if you didn’t take the time to create a niche criteria? I mean, I got lucky because that downtown loft wasn’t in the niche criteria and ended up failing my way forward. Okay, that’s like the best case scenario.But there are other times you go outside of that niche criteria and you end up losing a ton of money. So the same thing, if we fall out of that niche criteria that we need for ourselves, for our values, for our priorities, we fall out of that, you don’t just lose money. Sometimes you lose your spirit and who you are and what matters to you in the process.
Kristen (23:21)
Yeah, well I think that’s great advice, such a good note to end on. Please tell everybody where to find you and how to check out Music City Loft.Dani Dubetz (23:30)
Awesome, thank you. So Music City Loft, musiccityloft.com, it’s L-O-F-T. We’re on Instagram, we’re on Facebook, all of my socials. You can pretty much find me at Dani Dubetz. And then from there, we have free live trainings that we do. Some of them are recorded, wink, wink.to stay within that foundational criteria. And then my most exciting thing is we have a live in-person training coming up in January, 2026 in downtown Nashville in one of my properties. And that’s where I’m really focused on like just creating tons of energy, giving people tons of value and helping them.
Kristen (24:02)
singing.Dani Dubetz (24:14)
⁓ get started on envisioning their future and not only envisioning it, but actually giving them the tools to make it happen right down to the contracts that will save you thousands of dollars.Kristen (24:25)
All right, amazing. Well, thank you so much for being here. ThankDani Dubetz (24:29)
Thank you.Kristen (24:31)
everyone for listening. I hope you learned a lot. I think Dani has a lot to share and hopefully you got some of your own inspiration for your own business and your own personal life as well. So we will see you back next time. Bye.
