We sit down with Chris Van Arnam, an STR operator who’s not just building high-performing short-term rentals in the Smoky Mountains, but doing it while living halfway across the world in Italy.

Chris walks us through how he built a 10-cabin portfolio rooted in data, operational efficiency, and design differentiation. He opens up about why he sold off part of his portfolio, how he pivoted into new construction, and what it’s really like managing from a different continent.

We unpack:

• How Chris sourced and scaled his first 10 properties
• The power of data when choosing a market
• Why operational density matters—and how to achieve it
• What makes a short-term rental truly “differentiated”
• The hard lessons from new construction vs. heavy renos
• Building a property management company (even when you didn’t plan to)
• How to operate a U.S.-based STR portfolio from Europe with precision

Whether you're just getting started or are in the thick of growing your portfolio, this episode is packed with real-world insights from someone who’s quietly built a scalable STR business from scratch.

🎧 Tune in, take notes, and get ready to think differently about scale, systems, and strategy.

From Handwritten Checks to Managing 115+ STRs Across 14 States w/ Landon Schlabach

In this episode, Landon Schlabach shares his remarkable journey from flipping houses to building a thriving short-term rental property management company. Starting with just a few homeowners and handwritten checks, Landon scaled his operations to managing over 115 homes across 14 states—with deep roots in the Amish and Mennonite communities.

We dive into:

• Why he pivoted away from rental arbitrage early on
• How the pandemic became an unexpected growth accelerator
• The scrappy early days of doing everything solo
• How a remote cabin in Pennsylvania changed everything
• Why not every investor is in it for cash flow—and why that’s okay
• His approach to building relationships, earning trust, and growing organically

Whether you're just getting started or scaling your STR business, Landon's story is packed with lessons on grit, trust, and jumping in before everything’s perfect.

🎧 Tune in for one of the most down-to-earth origin stories in the space.

→ Learn more about Landon and his team: bnbbreeze.co/our-team
→ Attend Landon’s upcoming STR Summit in 2025 (use code strcribs10 for a discount): The STR Summit – Keys to Cash Flow

What if your short-term rental could save you hundreds of thousands in taxes and generate serious cash flow? That’s exactly what happened to Derek Gisreal. In this episode of STR Investing, Derek shares how a single investment—originally just a tax strategy—became a full-fledged short-term rental business.

We cover:

• The tax loophole that saved him nearly $200K
• How he tripled the revenue of an existing STR
• Using a cash-out refi to scale faster
• The power of personalized guest experiences—handwritten notes, welcome screens, and more
• Partnering with developers to create STR-ready homes

Derek and his wife turned their passion for travel and design into a profitable STR business. Tune in to hear their journey and get practical tips to optimize your own rental!