Are you ready to level up your real estate game? In this episode of The Landlord Diaries, we sit down with Nicole Bansal, a San Diego-based investor who went from accidental landlord to a seasoned real estate strategist. Nicole shares her 3-step process for defining your buy box (buying strategy) and identifying investment properties that both appreciate in value and generate cash flow.

Nicole’s strategy led her to invest in a 4-bedroom, 2-bath hybrid property in Savannah, GA, which perfectly fits her buy box criteria—properties under $500K, in growing communities, and with strong equity potential. Tune in to learn about how Nicole is making $7,000 per month in revenue on one property, the power of mid-term and short-term rentals (MTR/STR), using AI tools like ChatGPT for city research, and how data-driven platforms like AirDNA and Furnished Finder can help pinpoint profitable neighborhoods.

0:00 Intro- Welcome to The Landlord Diaries

2:20 How do you become an accidental landlord?

3:40 Real estate mistakes lead to a clear buy box

6:50 What is a real estate buy box?

7:20 Strategic decisions when considering your buy box

9:30 3 ways Nicole breaks down her buy box

• Personal Goals
• News Updates
• 3 main tools including Furnished Finder data

9:55 Nicole’s personal deal criteria

• Increase in equity/appreciation
• Real estate wealth over monthly income need
• Growing communities
• Less than $500k purchase price

11:55 Use AI tools like ChatGPT to research cities that fit your strategy

• Population growth
• Landlord friendly laws
• Large tourism industry

12:45 Why STR/MTR hybrid properties were part of Nicole’s portfolio strategy

15:55 It’s really hard to cash flow with long term rentals, shift to mid term now

17:50 Why are you waiting to enter the market?

18:45 Deep dive on the data side: Finding the right STR/MTR property

• Furnished Finder map
• AirDNA
• Rabbu (completely free to use)
• Chat with Furnished Finder landlords

23:15 How Nicole finds neighborhoods w/ the highest rents on Furnished Finder

27:00 Amenities can be really important so don’t skip that part of your research

28:30 When purchasing an investment property, a spreadsheet is a must

29:55 Real estate partnerships can keep you on the right track

29:50 Host Katie & Kelly share their buy box strategies

32:45 You don’t always have to do a bunch of research to get started

34:30 Nicole’s epic midterm purchase in Savannah, GA

37:00 Nicole hit the 1% rule with MTR: $7,000 in monthly revenue on one property

43:05 Katie’s most interesting tenant type yet

44:00 Nicole & Katie share a love for all things marketing

45:35 Canva’s AI tool can transform your property photos

46:30 AI prompts for your property descriptions

Website Links:

https://www.furnishedfinder.com/

https://www.furnishedfinder.com/stats

https://www.f

Text the hosts with questions or comments.

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.