Marcus Oberholzer

husband, father, corporate innovation in fintech and insurtech, real estate investor, hat-wearer.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

Have a few/two new followers. Time for an intro
🏙️ Columbus OH via DC via rural PA
👩‍❤️‍👨 Married 14 yrs + 👧👱👩
💼15 yr corp career: strategy, M&A, consulting, product/biz development
🏘️ 10 yr side hustle in RE
🥾Love hiking!
I tweet about short term rentals and growing a RE biz

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@SMB_Attorney LOI please, appreciate it!

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

I would add "irrelevance of curriculum" to reasons we have contemplated leaving traditional schooling. I get that geography and photosynthesis are cool and all, but not at the expense of real world stuff like marketing, law, personal /business finance, and product development, etc

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@Economicopoly @vrexec Thanks, but my point isn't that I did anything special. My point is that this kind of life is available all over the country and world. Not just in "high demand" cities, or just along the coasts. It's just a mindset (which is available to everyone) that opportunity is everywhere.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

They can certainly be obstacles. We came here not knowing a soul in Columbus., and I had similar concerns. Thankfully, all assuaged by building a life of meaning here.

Socially, many of my friends live a few hundred feet from me in a neighborhood with some of the best schools in the state. I host happy hours in my backyard with many neighbors when the weather is nice. My kids play with the neighbor kids constantly.

Professionally, I worked in corporate strategy and M&A for a large R&D company headquartered here, then moved to work in corporate innovation for a Fortune 100 insurance and financial services company, also headquartered here. Have been building my real estate portfolio in a regional vacation rental destination nearby. Professional scene is small enough to navigate but big enough to be serious and meaningful. My wife is building her own consulting business here.

Community wise, I joined a church and am now on the Board of said church, and volunteer regularly. Some friends just stopped by that we met while I served on the board of my community association.

As far as a life goes, it's about as full and meaningful as I can imagine. All of this stuff exists all over the country, and world.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@Camp4 For years, my wife and I had a playful debate about paying off our 2.3% mortgage. Realized long ago that I was talking the language of math, and she the language of psychology.

And then I realized how lucky I am that this represents the biggest "argument" (air quotes) we have.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@moseskagan @SinaiLawFirm I think both things can be true. People can get backed into hard situations in life, and sometimes are forced to make tough decisions to survive economically. Does not excuse behaving in ways that disenfranchise others (including landlords), but empathy goes a long way.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@ethanard @levidavie007 @robbiehendricks This is where I am on it, too. It's a bonus if it happens, but the broader trend of growth in the region is there no matter what.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@farrowhardy1 This happens sometimes in the short term rental space. Used to infuriate me. Then my philosophy became "would I rather make money or be right?" Now, I have a fairly liberal refund policy. Keeps reviews strong and guests flowing in. Short term pain for long term gain.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@nicochristie This looks amazing, would love an invite code to try it out

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@Aldigity Big news indeed! Your offering memo is almost as impressive as the properties themselves. Is rabbu the main platform you're listing the STRs or are you bringing on a broker to help?

Would be curious to hear more about the why behind the decision. Happy to chat offline.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

Love this. There really are a lot of parallels between student housing and STRs. This is one.

Instagrammable vibes > Luxury

Apple store minimalist is overdone now. We pick an emotion to design around.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@StudentRentPro Most recent acquisition, was talking with 3 lenders: two mid size regionals and one small town credit union. When I told the regionals what sort of deal I was getting from the small guy, they, quite literally, said "yeah you better take that one".
Still swoon thinking about it.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@RobertMSterling "Brefkast" = breakfast
"Extracise" = exercise
"You're felcome" = you're welcome

The best. Still used in my family even though the kids have (sadly) grown out of them

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@moseskagan Something I'll never forget: early in my career, a consulting client was being a real d#$k to me. My boss (owner of the co.) said "What are you going to do to get him to fire you?" Thought he was joking. He wasn't. He cared more about my treatment than the account. So meaningful.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@TheMotelMan Short term rentals.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@TheMotelMan And, I started poking around my market. Most stuff seems pretty outdated and lacks kitchenettes. Gotta figure out how to keep on the lookout for good stuff.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@TheMotelMan For a typical 100 unit complex, what does the stabilized P&L look like? E.g. top line rev, main expense lines, NOI, debt service, cash flow. Trying to compare to my STR benchmarks.

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@TheMotelMan Thought of more questions:
-what sort of capex do you do post-buy, if any? Motels are mostly pretty old
-guest acquisition: one of your posts said mostly FB ads? No competitors figured this out?
-tech stack: what PMS do you use?
-how frequently are you compared to Johnny Rose?

[Marcus Oberholzer @OberholzerM]

@TheMotelMan @investingcre Last question, for now... How do you typically source deals? Shoot for off market?