From Shoe Reseller to Real Estate Developer: How Rajan Chida Built Royal Oak Retreats at 23

From $180K Tax Bill to $110K Refund: What 9 Months in the Program Actually Looks Like

From $180K Tax Bill to $110K Refund: What 9 Months in the Program Actually Looks Like Most high-income couples know they're overpaying on taxes. Very few actually do something about it. In this episode, Michael sits down with Ashish and Smita, a Bay Area dentist and finance professional, to walk through their first 9 months in the STR Like The Best program, from their first property in Colorado to filing the most satisfying tax return of their lives. This isn't a highlight reel. It's the real story, including the self-doubt, the market search, the launch, the guests who left the hot tub uncovered, and the moment their CPA told them to expect a very large refund. We break down: How a $180K tax bill during Ashish's nose surgery recovery sent them down a rabbit hole that changed everything Why they chose Colorado over Hawaii, and how the mentorship helped them stop overthinking market selection and just move What their first season actually looked like, covering the mortgage in off-peak months and heading into their best month ever How they got $94K back in federal taxes and $16K from California in their very first year with one property Why "done for you" STR programs legally cannot qualify you for the tax benefits, and what the IRS actually requires The 4 things Ashish and Smita would tell their pre-July 2024 selves if they were still on the fence The bottom line: the STR tax loophole is real, it works, and it works best when you stop waiting for the perfect moment and just do the work. LEARN MY STR INVESTING & STRATEGIES 🔥  https://strlikethebest.com/wealthpod Apply to work with Michael: https://strlikethebest.com/applypod Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelchangbnb Track your STR hours the right way. STR Tax Loophole is our time tracking app built specifically for short-term rental investors. Document your qualifying activities, maintain clean records, and simplify your STR tax qualification. Start your free trial at https://www.thestrtaxloophole.com/

The Fear of Out-of-State Investing Is Costing You Six Figures in Tax Savings Every Year

You live in California. Or New York. Or any other high-cost, high-tax state where buying a short-term rental locally makes zero financial sense. So you do nothing. And every year you wait, you leave six figures in tax savings on the table. In this episode, Michael and Liz break down exactly how they built a 30+ property STR portfolio worth $2.3M in annual revenue while managing everything remotely from New York City, and why out-of-state investing is not only possible, it's the smartest move high-income W2 earners can make right now. This is not a guest episode. This is 25 minutes of hard-won experience from two people who have done it, coached 30-40 California-based clients through it, and figured out every obstacle along the way. We break down: The mindset shift that unlocks everything, because if you believe you can't manage a property 2,000 miles away, you never will, and why that belief is costing you more than you think The exact tech stack for remote management including smart locks, automated guest codes, $30 cameras from Amazon, noise monitors, and smart thermostats that let you run a property entirely from your phone How to hit your 100-hour material participation requirement while investing out of state, including the desktop work, vendor calls, guest communication, and setup coordination that count toward your hours The stay-at-home spouse advantage and why a married couple where one partner stays home is one of the most powerful setups for the STR tax loophole How to document your hours the right way, using smart lock entry codes per cleaner, camera logs, and access records that hold up if the IRS ever comes knocking Why "we'll do everything for you" STR programs are a tax trap, and what actually happens three to four years later when the audit letter arrives and those people are long gone The bottom line: The technology exists, the communities exist, and the strategy works. The only thing standing between you and six figures in annual tax savings is the belief that you have to live near your property to own it. LEARN MY STR INVESTING & STRATEGIES 🔥  https://strlikethebest.com/wealthpod Apply to work with Michael: https://strlikethebest.com/applypod Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelchangbnb Track your STR hours the right way. STR Tax Loophole is our time tracking app built specifically for short-term rental investors. Document your qualifying activities, maintain clean records, and simplify your STR tax qualification. Start your free trial at https://www.thestrtaxloophole.com/

From Screwdrivers to Systems: Launching Property #8 (Lessons From Property #1)

We closed on property #8 last week. And the difference between then and now is not even close. In this episode, I sit down with Liz to walk through what the first week post-closing actually looks like on our eighth Tennessee cabin, and contrast it against the chaos of doing it all ourselves for the very first time back in 2020. This is not theory. This is what we are doing right now, in real time, to hit the 100-hour material participation requirement and get this property launched before July 4th. We break down: Why Liz is logging 4 hours a day remotely and what that work actually looks like, from coordinating electricians for the hot tub and sauna to vetting pest control, bear-proof trash cans, and fire safety vendors How we accumulated 40+ hours in the first week alone, and why that number matters for unlocking the STR tax loophole on our active W-2 income The vendor vetting mistake first-time investors make on Facebook, and why a comment section full of five-star reviews does not mean what you think it does What our Day One plan looks like now versus property #1, when we drove down from New York with a car packed to the gills and a screwdriver we did not know how to use How the material participation hours stack as you scale, and why hitting 100 hours gets easier with every property you add to your portfolio Why we use the STR Tax Loophole app to log and document every hour, so our records are organized, defensible, and ready if the IRS ever comes asking The bottom line: the work does not get smaller as you scale. It gets smarter. And knowing exactly what to do, who to call, and how to log it is what separates investors who get the tax benefit from those who leave it on the table. LEARN MY STR INVESTING & STRATEGIES 🔥  https://strlikethebest.com/wealthpod Apply to work with Michael: https://strlikethebest.com/applypod Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelchangbnb Track your STR hours the right way. STR Tax Loophole is our time tracking app built specifically for short-term rental investors. Document your qualifying activities, maintain clean records, and simplify your STR tax qualification. Start your free trial at https://www.thestrtaxloophole.com/

From Shoe Reseller to Real Estate Developer: How Rajan Chida Built Royal Oak Retreats at 23

Most 23-year-olds are figuring out their first job. Rajan Chida was turning down JP Morgan to build luxury cabins in Virginia. In this episode, I sit down with Rajan Chida, co-founder of Royal Oak Retreats, to talk about how he went from reselling shoes on eBay in college to developing ground-up luxury STR cabins and building a 550K social media following in under a year. Rajan's story is not your typical real estate success story. It's about stacking capital early, betting on yourself at the right moment, and using social media as leverage in a way that most developers with 10 years of experience still don't understand. We break down: How Rajan funded his first real estate project with shoe reselling money he saved from age 17, and why starting a "job" at 17 gave him a head start most investors don't get until their mid-twenties Why his 550K following didn't convert to bookings the way he expected, and the pivot to female travel influencers that finally got Royal Oak Retreats fully booked The permitting nightmare in Warren County, Virginia that nearly derailed the entire project, including a disgruntled neighbor, a six-page complaint full of false claims, and a road he had to build just to get the permit approved How tariffs forced him to resource his signature window walls from Poland, adding three months of delays and zero construction progress Why he turned down his JP Morgan offer two weeks before his start date, and the conversation with his dad that gave him the confidence to make that call The pre-deposit playbook he's using for cabins two and three, including $50 deposits, VIP early access, and how Travis at Outpost X raised $1M before breaking ground The bottom line: social media is not just a marketing tool. In the hands of the right person, it replaces the track record, the connections, and the credibility that used to take a decade to build. LEARN MY STR INVESTING & STRATEGIES 🔥  https://strlikethebest.com/wealthpod Apply to work with Michael: https://strlikethebest.com/applypod Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelchangbnb Track your STR hours the right way. STR Tax Loophole is our time tracking app built specifically for short-term rental investors. Document your qualifying activities, maintain clean records, and simplify your STR tax qualification. Start your free trial at https://www.thestrtaxloophole.com/

The Real Foundation of Our STR Business (It Has Nothing to Do With Real Estate)

Most people think building a successful STR portfolio comes down to markets, numbers, and design. They're missing the one thing that actually makes or breaks everything. In this episode, I sit down with Liz to talk about what has quietly powered every risk we've ever taken, every property we've bought, and every hard moment we've fought through together over the last 10 years. This isn't a real estate tactics episode. It's the one we probably should have recorded sooner. We break down: How Michael's belief in Liz on a subway ride in 2017 led her to quitting her job and going all in on STR Why mutual belief between spouses is a superpower most people completely overlook The moment I lost confidence in myself and what Liz said that brought it back What our "Corona Battle Plan V2" spreadsheet reminded us about working through the hardest seasons together Why cutting your spouse down to keep them close is one of the most poisonous things you can do in a relationship How we divided responsibilities across a 30+ property portfolio so we each lead where we're strongest The bottom line: If you know your spouse has your back no matter what, you will take bigger risks, make better decisions, and build something neither of you could have built alone. LEARN MY STR INVESTING & STRATEGIES 🔥  https://strlikethebest.com/wealthpod Apply to work with Michael: https://strlikethebest.com/applypod Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelchangbnb Track your STR hours the right way. STR Tax Loophole is our time tracking app built specifically for short-term rental investors. Document your qualifying activities, maintain clean records, and simplify your STR tax qualification. Start your free trial at https://www.thestrtaxloophole.com/