No Vacancy The Podcast with Natalie Palmer

Latest Episodes:

159. Managing 40 Properties WITHOUT Using VAs?! Interview with Ariel Smith Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

This week's episode with Ariel Smith was such a fun conversation! Ariel is the face behind Stay At The Coastline vacation rentals in San Diego, CA, and in just 8 months she's grown her cohosting business from zero to 40+ properties.

Ariel walks us through exactly how she's finding her clients, how she's grown so fast, and the details behind her unique partnership structure with her brokerage that has sped up her growth process.

Most importantly, she tells us exactly how she's managing over 40 listings without using any VAs for guest messaging?! It seems like every guest we've had on the podcast in the last 2 years is sharing how essential VAs have been to their operations, so I was dying to hear how Ariel is successfully scaling while still personally responding to every single guest message.

If you've been hesitant to hire VAs, you'll find this conversation so encouraging that you might not need to! Maybe what you're already doing is exactly your secret sauce that's helping your business thrive.

Connect with Ariel here, and check our her listings here.

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158. Use These Exact Scripts to Get Your Next Midterm Guest - Interview with Jesse Vasquez Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s episode, I talk with Jesse Vasquez about all things midterm rental. I’ve done episodes on the MTR strategy before, but this one was next level in terms of PRACTICAL knowledge you can apply today.

By the time you’re finished with this conversation, you’ll know exactly where to find your next midterm guest, how much to charge them, how to keep the relationship warm for next time, AND how to make money even after they check out by referring them to their next rental.

My biggest takeaway from this episode was that you don’t even need property for these tips to work. Jesse shows us how he’s making $30-40k per MONTH in referral fees alone.

The bottom line, listen to this only if you’re ready for 100% occupancy, because your booking calendar is about to be slammed with leads coming in.

Connect with Jesse at @therealjessevasquez

Thank you to my sponsors!

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157. This Is Scary... 2025 Airbnb Updates Are Upon Us – Interview with Marilynn Taylor Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

Today we catch up with Marilynn Taylor on the latest Airbnb updates (remember her from episode 56?)... could this spell trouble for hosts and set you up for MAJOR liability risk?!

I always do a solo episode whenever we have new Airbnb updates, but the summer release went right over my head. There was so much to break down, so many changing policies, so much that left hosts vulnerable... but luckily, Marilynn did the hard work of calling Airbnb and getting to the bottom of this so I didn't have to 😜

For anyone who has been scared by what you've seen on social media about this update, I think you'll find this episode really clarifying on what we actually need to worry about, and what could end up a blessing in disguise!

Watch Marilynn's webinar replay!

Read the update for yourself here.

Check the Airbnb approved list of preferred PMS partners.

Hint: Our sponsor Lodgify is a preferred partner! Sign up for Lodgify with code NoVacancy20

INVESTOR DINNER SERIES - Austin, TX | Wed, June 25th | 6:30-9pm

Apply for our Austin dinner here! 🤠🍽

Pssst, only 4 seats left!

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156. How to Dominate Markets That Lack Data & A Personal Update From Me!!!! - Interview with Madi Johnson Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

Today I talk with Madi Johnson. If you don't know her already from STR Book Club and her growing brand, For The Love Of Upstate (FTLOU), you may remember her from episode 96 where we talked about how Madi's favorite deals are "the ones that don't pencil in AirDNA".

When we last had her on No Vacancy in February 2024, Madi's idea of going all in on the Upstate NY market was just a gut feeling, but 15 months and 4 live properties later, she has proven her intuition true – this market, and her approach to it, is CRUSHING IT.

Some quick stats:

FTLOU is outperforming in winter 4x market projections
Their summer months are outperforming their own high-end revenue goals by 30-40%
Their social media presence has exploded, landing Madi over $18,000 in free furniture for their listings
And over $5,000 in sales commission through her affiliate shop
Over 600 DMs looking to book FTLOU properties directly

I'm also so excited to announce that I'm now working with FTLOU to help find partners for their growing portfolio!!! If you're interested in partnering on our current or next deal, fill out this investor interest form.

INVESTOR DINNER SERIES - Austin, TX | Wed, June 25th | 6:30-9pm

Apply for our Austin dinner here! 🤠🍽

Pssst, only 8 seats left!

Thank you to my sponsors!

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155. "I Made My Client $20k More In Peak Season With These Pricing Hacks" - Interview with Fede Zimerman Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode I sit with Federico Zimerman, a revenue management and pricing genius, who is launching his brand new company, revfactor.io today!

Revfactor.io is a revenue management service, which is a fancy way of saying, Fede and his team will help you squeeze every dollar you can out of your listing calendar. You only have 365 days a year available for booking, and once a night is gone... it's GONE.

Today, Fede breaks down the 4 factors you need to look at when determining each night's price, and he tells us exactly which settings he is taking advantage of inside PriceLabs and Airbnb.

Apply for our Austin Investor Dinner here! 🤠🍽

Learn more about the Investor Dinner Series here

Thank you to my sponsors!

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154. This Is Why Your Design Investment Isn’t Paying Off - Interview with Somerled Designs May 28, 2025

Show notes

This week I chat with Bri & Jordan from Somerled Designs – an STR design firm where every design decision is backed by strategy.

I almost didn't want to record this episode, because I worried that talking about design wouldn't come across on an audio-only podcast without having imagery examples. But after just a few minutes, I realized that was not going to be an issue at all! Bri & Jordan do not make a single design decision without first determining the strategy for the property, market, and guest avatar, and in this episode they walk us through that entire process.

After this episode, I'll never approach a design project with "aesthetics" first again. The Somerled philosophy will have you convinced that if you follow these steps and do this research first... then your final design will always be a good return on investment!

Click below to see some of the listings mentioned in this episode:

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153. Investing in Hotels 101 - Interview with Neil Shah May 21, 2025

Show notes

Consider this week's episode your college-level course about investing in hotels. Today Neil Shah is an investor and operator of 10 hotels – but his journey started with him as an immigrant to the US who lived in his uncle's hotel near Disneyland. After grinding there for years, he decided to pursue a Hotel Management & Tourism degree in university... and it shows.

After this episode, I'm convinced Neil will be Professor Shah before we know it. If you've been wanting to learn more about hotel investing, management, and franchising, look no further than today's knowledge-packed episode.

Connect with Neil here.

Thank you to my sponsors!

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152. This Couple Is STILL Finding Deals with 40-60% Returns - Matt & Amanda Sanderson May 14, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode I chat with partners (in marriage and in business) Matt and Amanda Sanderson – investors and co-founders of strIQ.

You'll remember strIQ from episode 99 where we we broke down how you can go from sifting through thousands of potential STR deals... to, like 6. For real.

You may have used other data analysis tools before to check on deals, but what makes strIQ different is how it instantly pulls MLS data. So you aren't just analyzing "markets", but actually finding profitable properties on sale now!

strIQ's technology allows you to reverse engineer your investing goals. Only want properties that can do 30% CoC return? There's a filter for that. Want listings projected to do $200,000 in annual revenue? There's a filter for that!

If you've been victim to the endless Zillow scroll... you need this.

Use code NOVACANCY20 to save on your strIQ subscription.

Invest with strIQ → investor interest form

Thank you to my sponsors!

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151."I'm Not Building This to Sell. I'm Creating Generational Wealth." - Interview with Freewyld's Eric Moeller May 07, 2025

Show notes

This week I talk with Eric Moeller from Freewyld – a hospitality brand featuring a boutique collection of cabins in Idyllwild, CA, but soon expanding to other nature-based locations across California!

Eric took an incredibly unique approach to building Freewyld. He started with the brand first, before he ever secured a property. In most cases, we hear from hosts who found a property, and then realized it could benefit from having a brand. But Eric is a testament to the reverse. By building the brand FIRST, he was able to (almost effortlessly) attract the perfect property, the perfect investor, the perfect team, and the perfect guests.

Eric's story really shows that "branding" is more than a buzzword. It's the values that turn your entire vision into reality. If you've been procrastinating brand-building as something "to cross off your to-do list", this conversation will challenge you that your brand should be the start and end of every single move your business makes.

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn

Book a Freewyld stay

Let's partner?! We're actively looking for 3-5 investors for our latest 5 bedroom, waterfront home in Upstate NY.

→ Fill out this interest form, and I'll send over the pitch deck!

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150. Why No One’s Booking Your Airbnb - Interview with Dawn Asher May 01, 2025

Show notes

This week I can’t wait for you all to hear from Dawn Asher from The Olive Jar, an experiential marketing and branding studio for STRs. We’ve all heard over and over and over again how critical branding is… but how do you actually brand your listing when you don’t have the budget and resources that giant million dollar brands do?!

Dawn has decades of experience in this field, and she’s responsible for a lot of the special moments that have made you feel connection with some of your favorite brands. After a big career shift and leaving the corporate world to move into entrepreneurship, Dawn has found a way to bring her years of expertise to the world of STRs.

She walks us through:

1. How to create a brand for your listing

2. How to make your listing more memorable

3. How to make your guests feel an emotional connection with your property

4. And most importantly, how to do this affordable and with a small team!

Read to the blog post about Level Up Your Listing mentioned in this episode.

Connect with Dawn here

Book a free call with The Olive Jar

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