What if your tenants paid for your wedding? Alex and Ashley bought their first home in Apple Valley, California with a plan built in: set up two rentable spaces, list them on Furnished Finder, and let the income do the work. Within 18 months, rental income paid off their construction loan. Now that same income is funding the backyard wedding they're throwing in May 2027.
In this episode of Landlord Diaries, we sit down with Alex and Ashley, night shift workers, first time homeowners, and first time landlords who turned an in-law suite and a converted RV garage into two private monthly rentals. They walk through how they financed the build, price unique spaces, share laundry with tenants without losing privacy, and how they screen for the right monthly midterm rental tenants.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- How to turn unconventional spaces into rentable units
- How to use a construction loan and rental income to fund home upgrades
- How to price monthly rentals using local comps and Market Insights
- How to screen midterm tenants for peace of mind at your primary residence
- Why midterm rentals are different from short term rentals for owner occupied properties
This one is for new landlords, house hackers, real estate investors weighing STR vs MTR, and anyone who wants rental income to fund the life they actually want, not just cover a mortgage. Alex and Ashley prove you don't need a massive portfolio to build financial freedom. Two well set up units on one property can pay off loans, fund weddings, and open the door to bigger goals.
List Your Property on Furnished Finder:
https://www.furnishedfinder.com/list-your-property
Use code LLD10 for $10 off new listings.
Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome to Landlord Diaries
0:35 How Furnished Finder is funding their wedding
1:50 Their portfolio: 2 rentals at their primary home
3:00 Tenant types: travel nurses and a college athlete
4:10 Why family and friends were skeptical at first
4:40 First time buyers with an investor mindset
5:55 Building private units with a construction loan
8:00 Sharing laundry with a weekly tenant schedule
9:40 Pricing unique rentals and studio units
13:25 The goal: upgrade the home, add income streams
15:10 Alex tells Daily Press "don't be afraid"
16:00 Katie: rental income means saying yes more often
17:35 Their rental process for peace of mind
20:40 STR vs MTR and typical midterm tenant types
21:50 How rentals made a backyard wedding possible
24:45 What's next in their real estate journey
27:20 Advice for landlords on the fence about MTR
29:30 Rapid Fire: surprises, best tenant, wedding advice
Alex & Ashley's Listings:
https://www.furnishedfinder.com/members/profile?id=75497b1-48f2-aee-a03-09d81e
Trending Monthly Midterm Rental Resources:
https://www.furnishedfinder.com/Resources/PMResources
Topics covered: midterm rentals, monthly rentals, Furnished Finder, house hacking, ADU rentals, RV garage conversion, in-law suite rental, travel nurse housing, construction loan strategy, first time landlord, room rental pricing, tenant screening, financial freedom through rentals, Apple Valley California real estate, side hustle for homeowners.
The Landlord Diaries is brought to you by Furnished Finder, where you can list your property for one low price and pay zero booking fees.