Joining us in this episode of Living Off Rentals is an award-winning publicist, hospitality veteran, and short-term rental expert who has built a profitable portfolio by thinking differently about how and where to invest.

Katie Cline is the host of the Second Home First podcast and Suite Success: Masters of Hospitality. She has worked behind the scenes with global luxury hotel brands including Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and W Hotels, and now applies those hospitality principles to her own short-term rental properties across upstate New York.

Listen as Katie shares how buying her second home first allowed her to build wealth, create meaningful family experiences, and run profitable short-term rentals without sacrificing lifestyle. She also breaks down how hospitality, thoughtful design, and smart market selection can make all the difference.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Katie Cline and her background

[02:55] Moving from global hotel brands to owning short-term rentals

[05:23] Buying a second home first instead of a primary residence

[07:12] The beauty of buying your second home first

[10:01] How short-term rentals compare to traditional investing and 401Ks

[10:59] Financing strategies for second homes and creative renovations

[13:06] Evaluating deals and understanding worst-case scenarios

[18:16] Lessons learned from furnishing and renovating remotely

[26:14] Managing fear and doubt when pulling the trigger on deals

[27:24] Shifting from investor mindset to hospitality mindset

[30:54] Hotel principles that improve short-term rental performance

[35:27] Designing arrival experiences that shape guest perception

[38:18] Why quality beats rapid scaling in short-term rentals

[41:28] The philosophy behind Buy Your Second Home First

[47:44] Aligning real estate decisions with lifestyle goals

[48:40] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.buyyoursecondhomefirst.com/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us on this episode of Living Off Rentals is someone who built confidence, systems, and time freedom by learning real estate from the ground up.

Stephanie Bacue is a U.S. Air Force veteran, short-term rental investor, and founder of Simply Welcome Stays. After transitioning from military service to corporate consulting, she began learning real estate as a complete beginner and went on to build a remote portfolio of short-term rental duplexes in Greenville, South Carolina.

Listen as she shares how she bought her first duplex remotely, why she chose Greenville as her market, and how military discipline helped her create systems, remove emotion from decisions, and manage STRs with confidence from afar.

She also talks candidly about leaning into community, building the right team on the ground, and what it really takes to move from W-2 work toward more control over your time through real estate.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Stephanie Bacue and her background

[03:03] Getting into real estate investing and wanting to own time

[05:44] Setting a simple first goal: buying one property within six months

[06:45] Closing on her first duplex and evaluating long-term vs. short-term rentals

[08:10] How military training helped Stephanie in her real estate investing journey

[11:10] Buying and managing short-term rentals remotely for the first time

[15:02] Choosing Greenville based on population growth, jobs, and fundamentals

[17:10] Biggest lessons after purchasing short-term rental properties

[19:53] Running conservative numbers and preparing for worst-case scenarios

[23:48] Visiting the property and deciding to self-manage instead of paying 25% fees

[25:00] Interviewing cleaners and handymen in person to build a reliable bench

[28:45] Lessons learned from owning property with a

partner

[29:48] Why joint ventures can be simpler than LLC partnerships

[32:42] How coaching and community reduced costly mistakes

[35:42] Stephanie's advice: surround yourself with active investors and take action

[39:26] Connect with Stephanie Bacue

[39:57] Outro

Guest Link:

Website: https://www.simplywelcomestays.com/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us in this episode of Living Off Rentals is a seasoned real estate developer with more than five decades of hands-on experience across residential, commercial, and industrial properties.

David Pelusio Sr. has spent over 55 years building, owning, and operating assets ranging from warehouses and shopping centers to large-scale self-storage facilities. Today, his focus is on converting vacant big-box retail buildings into climate-controlled self-storage.

Listen as David breaks down why self-storage has remained resilient through economic cycles, how buying properties at the right price creates massive upside, and why underutilized retail spaces present one of the most compelling opportunities in today's market.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing David Pelusio Sr. and his real estate background

[03:00] How David got started in real estate at just 16 years old

[04:26] The economics of buying vacant big-box retail versus ground-up construction

[07:14] Using existing tenants to create cash flow from day one

[08:14] Subdividing properties attracts institutional buyers

[09:35] The approval process to convert vacant properties to storage

[11:24] Renovation costs, pricing strategy, and competitive advantages

[13:48] The four key criteria David uses to select winning markets

[16:01] The risks involved in self-storage

[23:21] Financing strategies and minimizing downside risk

[25:00] Leaving "meat on the bone" to ensure strong exits

[28:43] How investors can get involved or learn more

[29:29] Connect with David Pelusio Sr.

[31:04] Final thoughts on risk, returns, and long-term demand for self-storage

[34:08] Outro

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pelusio-sr/

Website: https://davidrealestatehomes.com/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals