Self-managing your first STR: build the operating plan first.

Write down the guest journey

Map the experience from booking to checkout. Decide who owns each message, check-in problem, cleaning handoff and urgent call. Clear responsibilities help you find gaps before a guest finds them.

Make the turnover repeatable

Build a room-by-room checklist and a process for reporting damage or missing supplies. Keep backup contacts and a plan for the short window between one guest leaving and the next arriving.

Know when to escalate

Agree on spending limits, emergency procedures and the situations that require your involvement. A cleaner, handyman and software tool each solve different problems; none replaces a clear decision process.

Track the whole business

Keep receipts, recurring costs and property-level operating records organized from the beginning. Review the actual cost of the work you do yourself as well as the bills you pay to others.

Use a resource guide as a starting point

The Costigan Group’s Nashville Short-Term Rental Guide introduces the local market, buying process and key ownership considerations. Use it to frame the questions to ask before choosing a property and an operating plan.

Further reading: The Costigan Group STR advisory

Start with the Nashville Short-Term Rental Guide and review Nashville’s operating rules. Preparing to sell? See how Jack presents an STR’s operating history.