Bill Faeth Unfiltered I Lost $126,000 So You Don’t Have To (The Airbnb Mistake That Changed Everything)
Oct 30, 2025
Losing $126,000 on a short-term rental sparked a major transformation in Bill's investment strategy. He reveals the costly mistake of buying a property sight-unseen through a blurry FaceTime walkthrough. Discover how firing a dishonest property manager led to significant revenue growth. Bill introduces the Super Grader tool for analyzing deals and stresses the importance of unique design choices to elevate property appeal. Ultimately, he turned failure into a blueprint for smarter investments and operational success.
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Costly Sight‑Unseen Purchase
- Bill Faeth bought a $199,000 Fort Morgan property after a blurry FaceTime walkthrough and trusted a local handyman to manage construction.
- The handyman scammed him, permitting issues arose, Hurricane Sally demolished the house, and Bill lost $126,000.
See Properties Before You Buy
- Never buy a property without seeing it in person and running your analysis during due diligence.
- Run the Super Grader and a pro forma before committing to understand marketability and expected income.
Analyze Deals With Tools
- Use the Super Grader to compare a target property against 8–10 comps and decide renovation scope and amenity choices.
- Also run a detailed pro forma and use STR data tools to set realistic revenue expectations.