From Accidental Landlord to $7K/Month Revenue On One Property: Nicole Bansal’s Deal Criteria (113)

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 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.

We’ll dive deep into the details of Nicole’s buy box strategy, from setting equity goals to choosing landlord-friendly markets. Whether you’re looking to pivot your long-term rental portfolio or find your next STR/MTR property, this episode is packed with actionable insights that will help you make smarter investment decisions.

Key Highlights:
3-Step Process to Defining Your Buy Box
Using AI Tools to Find Real Estate Hotspots
Benefits of STR/MTR Properties
Key Platforms for Rental Data: AirDNA, Furnished Finder, Rabbu
Real Estate Mistakes That Lead to Clarity
How Nicole Earns $7,000/Month from One MTR Property

List Your Property Now on Furnished Finder:
https://www.furnishedfinder.com/list-...

In this episode we cover:
0:00 Intro- Welcome to The Landlord Diaries
2:20 How do you become an accidental landlord?
3:40 Nicole’s biggest real estate regret
4:00 Driving away from the San Fran fires
5:30 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
15:05 Is your real estate strategy a cardboard box or steel box?
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
39:00 Stay vigilant in your property search, connect with investor friendly agents
41:20 Wide array of MTR tenant types coming to Savannah, GA
43:05 Katie’s most interesting tenant type yet
44:00 Nicole & Katie share a love for all things marketing, catch these helpful tips
45:35 Canva’s AI tool can transform your property photos
46:30 AI prompts for your property descriptions
47:55 Homework: spot check your property marketing on Furnished Finder
50:30 Connect with Nicole Bansal

Trending Midterm Rental Resources:
https://www.furnishedfinder.com/Resou...

Host Katie Lyon’s Properties:
https://www.furnishedfinder.com/membe...

Host Kelly Bailey’s Properties:
https://www.furnishedfinder.com/membe...|B.

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