This ugly duckling in Old Louisville sat on the market for a year because nobody saw past the … colorful choices by the previous owner, and the listing agent’s cell phone photos weren’t doing the listing any favors.
But it just needed some love and some imagination. Room by room over about seven years while calling this 1887 brick behemoth home, I transformed the house into an income producing property, as well as our home, that was featured on a cooking show, in design outlets, and in local and national media.
I led the direction on the marketing when we listed it, and it sold it for triple the purchase price, going under contract for full asking price with no concessions, in less than two days from the first showing.
The third floor was … frightening.
I started there, designing a guest suite for Airbnb in 2016, a few months after buying the property. Vertigo Louisville, Old Louisville’s first licensed short term rentals, went on to earn only five-star reviews and land on USA Today’s list of the country’s coolest Airbnbs before I pivoted to mid-term rentals in 2020.
I built on that platform to become an expert in short term hospitality, sharing what I’d learned in national and local articles, in-person workshops, and as a consultant. I sold Vertigo furnished as a turn-key rental.
The former stable, a garage with an unappealing and low-priced long-term rental in the upstairs apartment, became another Airbnb, and later mid-term rental. I dubbed it Little Carriage House on the Alley, and through a cosmetic overhaul (no major reno) I increased revenue from $525 a month to an average of $100 a night for short term stays. The carriage house also sold as a turn-key rental.
Building the dream
This house is where it all came together: renovation, design, hospitality, and revenue. Before COVID I grossed nearly $40,000 annually in short term rentals — more than enough to cover the mortgage.
