How do you go from a high-paying corporate job to building a thriving vacation rental business? In this episode, we sit down with Shannon St. Val, the founder of Elevate Vacation Rentals, who shares her journey from finance and consulting to scaling a multi-million dollar short-term rental operation.
Shannon reveals how she made $80,000 passively in her first year, navigated strict New York City regulations, and survived the financial hit of COVID-19 while still paying every landlord on time. From rental arbitrage to real estate ownership, she breaks down the creative financing strategies that allowed her to acquire properties and build long-term wealth.
If you're looking for real estate investing strategies, insights into short-term rental management, or the mindset needed to pivot and scale, this episode is for you.
What You'll Learn:
How Shannon turned a side hustle on Airbnb into a full-time business
The exact steps she took to replace her corporate salary
How she scaled to 15 rental properties—and what happened next
The New York City short-term rental regulations and how she adapted
How she survived losing $200,000 in savings during COVID
The lease-to-purchase strategy that helped her acquire a $3 million property
Why SOPs, efficiency, and team delegation are crucial in real estate
How she leverages VA teams and keeps operations lean
Her mindset shifts, business lessons, and what she wishes she had done differently
Listen now to hear Shannon’s full story and her best insights for short-term rental success!
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