Please tell me that this VCR comes with the cabin.
[April] It does come with the cabin.
[narrator] Jen and Stephen have moved from pricey California to Knoxville,
allowing them to buy a vacation home
in the nearby Smoky Mountains.
-[April] This is your log cabin look, right? -Yes!
This is what I've been talking about.
[narrator] Jen wants a secluded family cabin,
but he prefers a more touristy area
to make some money on the place.
Wow, Jen. If we rented it out every day of the year,
we could make, like, $80,000 a year before all expenses.
[April] But you can't visit it
because it's going to rented out
-every day of the year. -[Jen] Yeah.
He is amazing at looking at the numbers.
It's listed at 515.
Five-fifteen! Lady, 350.
-Three... -I think you should just
-keep an open mind. -Oh, my gosh.
[Zachary] We did it! Let's do it again.
[Stephen] All right. Oh.
[laughing]
How we met was I was sitting in church one night,
and she sat down in front of me.
I could only see the side of her face.
-And that was-- -This side.
That was enough. I knew I was going to marry her.
I'm an aviation insurance broker.
And I'm a former high school math teacher.
And now I am living my dream, being a stay-at-home mom.
[Jen] Do you remember what any of your words are?
Yes.
[Stephen] We live in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It's outside Knoxville.
We are from San Diego and moved here about a year ago.
We moved out of California for a variety of reasons.
For me, cost of living was a big one.
Our mortgage in California, honestly,
I can't even remember the number now
-because... -[Jen] It was high.
...there's few things I choose to forget.
But I want to say it was $6,000 to $7,000 a month,
and our mortgage now is around $2,600 a month.
Having a much smaller mortgage here allows us to consider
other opportunities that we never would have considered in California.
So for me, as we come up on that year anniversary,
I feel like it would just be the cherry on top,
that last little piece that's missing,
is we've created the new life here in Tennessee,
let's go find that vacation home
that's actually the family cabin.
[narrator] They're focusing on their favorite vacation spot nearby,
the Smoky Mountains.
[Stephen] I like Gatlinburg. I like Pigeon Forge.
I'm thinking something in town
that has a good rental return.
Something that's in a lower price point.
We could probably get people who are also
interested in the outdoorsy side in Townsend,
the quiet side of the Smokies.
But when you're talking lower price point, how low are we talking?
Three-fifty.
I think that we could do something really well
if we could get up to 400 to 450 in that range.
I know that that makes him cringe,
but if we're getting the value of our family
also being able to enjoy it,
I mean, you can't put a monetary value on that.
The way his brain works, he is amazing at looking at the facts and the numbers.
About four and a half years ago,
I was diagnosed with Asperger's,
which is no longer a term used.
So, um, I guess I'm autistic.
You are the numbers man, and you're great.
And your brain just sees that.
It's hard for me, though, to let go of
-that family vision that I have of. -[Stephen] Mmm-hmm.
You know, we have the cabin in Big Bear with my parents in California,
and I really want to recreate that.
A single family cabin, not a condo.
It could be a condo, a townhouse.
I like turnkey,
I like low-maintenance, I like low HOAs, if there's any HOAs.
Most people, if they're looking to rent a place,
probably two-bedroom, two-bathroom
is what I think a lot of families are looking for.
It's got to have the big fireplace.
Gas.
No. No, that's so... no.
-[Stephen] Flip the switch and it'll work. -If you're in the woods,
you need to have a wood-burning old-school fireplace.
It may be a little bit stressful trying to
marry his idea of the perfect property
and my idea of the vision of a family place.
[Stephen] How far is this place? We've been driving for a little while.
-We're still a few minutes away. -Oh, my.
[narrator] They're in the Smoky Mountains for the weekend
and are starting off at a place in the more remote area of Townsend
where Jen wants to buy.
I am so excited to see this house in person.
It looks like the quintessential log cabin.
It also has three bedrooms instead of two.
-Oh, wow. -So it's listed at 515.
Five-fifteen! Lady, 350.
-Three... -I think you should just
-keep an open mind. -Oh, my gosh!
Jen, look at this road.
[Jen] Oh, it got smaller.
I didn't even know that that was possible.
Is this the property?
All right. Here we are.
[Jen] Oh, my gosh.
It has its own meadow.
-Look at that. -[Stephen] Wow!
-[Jen] Wow. -Hey there, friends.
-How are you? -Hey!
-Oh, hey, April. -So this is a log cabin...
-[Jen] Yeah. -...on the Little Tennessee River.
[Jen] I love that we can see the river from the house.
However, the mom's side of me,
honestly, it's kind of an anxiety thing.
I do have young children
and I'm not so sure that I ever pictured
us being so close to a body of water of any kind.
Five-fifteen is more than we spent on our house,
-which is like 3,000 square feet. -[April] Sure.
[Jen] Are we gonna be able to get a lot more per night
to make up that difference between...
[April] Yes, this rents for much higher because of the space
that you have for guests to visit.
[Jen] See? Okay.
[April] This is wood siding. This is your log cabin look, right?
This is what I've been talking about.
Here... I'm in trouble here.
[April] My husband and I also moved from California,
um, in a similar boat.
It was very expensive to live there.
We came here, bought a home,
and a year and a half later bought a second home.
So I understand what they're going through.
I understand wanting to stay within those budget parameters.
I think that this would rent for about 240 for a night.
So although this is above their price range that they wanted to spend,
long-term, this is a great investment.
This does have a fireplace. It is not wood-burning,
-however. -[Jen] Oh, my goodness.
-[Stephen] Is this a gas fireplace? -[April] Yes.
Oh, my gosh. I love gas fireplace.
-[Jen] So there's a switch probably. -[April] Yes.
I love the classic, putting the logs on the fire
and just the crackling and everything.
[April] How do you feel about the size of this room?
I think you could get another couch along this wall here
and everybody would be able to sit around and hang out.
[April] So this one does come fully furnished.
So you're getting what you see.
[Stephen] Jen, at this price point,
we're not, we're not, we're not getting that couch anytime soon.
[Jen] So couldn't you see us here at night
playing card games and things like that?
Yes. I'm actually curious
what the condition of the table is underneath. Oh, it's nice.
[Jen] Yeah, it looks like they're in pretty good shape.
[Stephen] Yeah, the kitchen itself is awesome.
[April] So this is the first bedroom.
[Stephen] This is a good-sized room.
[April] Right? So the bathroom
still has the granite countertops, right?
-And a walk-in shower. -[Jen] It matches the kitchen.
So it's very cohesive.
[April] Okay, so let's go ahead and go to the other side of the home
where we're gonna find the other two bedrooms and bathroom.
It is a full bathroom.
-So there's a tub for kids. -[Jen] Yeah.
-This reminds me of the... -The Big Bear cabin?
...the bathroom in the Big Bear cabin.
-It does. This reminds me of my parents' cabin. -[Stephen] In California.
[Jen] See, he's starting to see the vision.
[April] He's starting to feel the nostalgia.
Oh, I'm... I'm getting worried. I'm getting worried.
[April] The third bedroom.
-[Jen] A bed for Nathan and Zacky. -[Stephen] Yep.
-[Jen] It's already ready for them. -[April] Yeah.
-This house is awesome. -[April] It is.
[Jen] I think we're seeing why you brought us out here. Because we were...
[April] Because this is all the things that you want.
-And this is how much it'll cost to get it. -No, no, no, no. No. No.
Three bedrooms would be great from a rentability point of view,
but I'm not sure it justifies putting ourselves in that risk category
in terms of the loan that we'd have to put on this house
and what that might do to our finances.
[Jen] The outside is beautiful.
The inside with the wood feels cozy and rustic.
[Stephen] So rentability. Wow.
Jen, if we rented it out every day of the year, we could,
we could make like $80,000 a year before all the expenses.
[April] But you can't visit it because
-it's gonna rented out every day of the year. -Yeah.
I mean, you might,
you might be cash flow positive.
I'm really concerned about the price point, though.
We... we worked really hard to get out of
sort of the financial burden we were under, moved here.
Don't really want two big mortgages.
So do you have something else you can show us?
So in terms of can Stephen kind of take a step back
from focusing on the price, I'm not so sure.
It's very difficult for him to separate that emotional side
from the reality of the financial situation.
[Stephen] Tell me what I need to know. Lay it on me.
Well, first of all, you are getting to see a condo.
-Woo-hoo! -Which I know is
definitely something that's been on your list.
[narrator] Today, Stephen and Jen are
seeing a vacation home in the Smoky Mountain tourist town of Gatlinburg.
[Jen] Listed at 300,000.
Oh, my gosh. Book it down. Let's do it.
Wow, 1,500 square feet.
That's huge. What about HOA?
Five-fifty a month.
-Holy cow! -That's insane.
That's more than what we were paying at our home in California.
That's a lot of money. You'd have to rent out, like,
several days in the month just to even get to even.
[Jen] All right. I think this is it.
It kind of looks like a log cabin.
It's not super hotel feeling.
-[April] Hello, friends. -[Jen] Hey!
[Stephen] Finally got Jen to see a condo. I'm excited.
[April] Yes, and there's logs all over.
All right, well, let's go inside and see what a condo in Gatlinburg looks like.
Gatlinburg is a really great choice
for a short-term rental because
it is one of the number one most visited
vacation destinations
in the United States of America without a beach.
[Jen] Oh. Okay.
You walk right into the kitchen. Okay.
[April] So you do have the kitchen, the dining room and the living room,
right as you walk into the front.
It does, of course, come with all of the appliances, um, and they are newer.
-[Stephen] Backsplash is great. -[April] Mmm-hmm.
The dining room is a little bit smaller.
[Jen] Yeah. I don't know if I'd call it a dining room.
[April] Okay. Well, it is a... it's a dining area, right?
But you do puzzles, is that correct?
-You know, so... -There you go. It's the puzzle table.
-...it could be the puzzle table. -[Jen] Okay.
[April] And so this is the living room. It does have the vaulted ceilings.
The fireplace extends to the ceiling. It is gas.
I guess it would be kind of hard to find a wood-burning fireplace
-in a condo that has people below you... -Right.
...and on the sides. So
I'm not crazy about that.
I wish it was log, but at least it is a very nice fireplace.
[April] This does come fully furnished.
-[Stephen] Nice! -[April] Yeah.
[Jen] I don't know if I was expecting this big of an outdoor space.
[April] You do have views of the Smoky Mountains.
[Jen] And of all the people's cabins that are right here.
[April] Yes. Yes.
That's true. But they are log cabins, right?
-They are log cabins, so... -Yes.
But I want to be in the log cabin, not looking at the log cabin.
[April] So when you come in and immediately go to the right,
there is a full size bathroom.
-[Jen] Oh! -[Stephen] Oh!
[Jen] Yeah. Right here, and it has the tub.
[April] The very first bedroom is pretty big.
They have a full size bed in here. Large furniture.
I do like the furniture because...
[April] The furniture is beautiful.
...this feels like I'm in a cabin
and it has the beautiful wood on the doors.
[April] And at this price, to be able to have furniture that
works with the room that you enjoy is...
[Stephen] You might be in trouble. You might be in trouble.
...is financially, this is, this is a gem.
[Stephen] This is huge.
[April] It is very large.
[Stephen] Oh, my gosh.
[Jen] There's an arch in the bathroom.
[Stephen] Oh, my gosh.
[Jen] Look at this.
Hello, April. [laughter]
-That's really interesting. -Oh, and a walk-in shower.
[Jen] Oh, wow. That is huge.
[Stephen] This is a great space.
[Jen] That is really impressive.
This is a fantastic main suite.
-[April] Yeah. -I'm shocked.
I was not expecting to see something this large in a condo.
I want to see what the loft area--
[April] We do have a flex room.
-Let me show you that next. -[Stephen] Let's take a look.
[April] It is pretty big. It sits above the main bedroom.
You could put a door and wall it off if you wanted a third bedroom.
[April] You could.
I think the kids would actually really think this is an awesome space.
-[Stephen] So let's talk. -[April] So, okay.
[Stephen] What are my numbers?
[April] So this one's about 240 in the summer.
Oh, my gosh. Really?
[April] So that's pretty good. You're only about 15 minutes away
from all the major action in Gatlinburg.
And then you're, and then you're another ten minutes away from Pigeon Forge.
But we got to take off the HOA,
so that's like, that's like seven grand right there.
[Jen] Wow.
So that's a lot. But if it's really netting
that kind of money at this price, I mean, goodness gracious.
It's a lower amount out of pocket initially, right?
And granted, you are going to pay the higher HOA,
but a couple of nights a month has paid the HOA.
[Jen] It's hard to read Stephen sometimes,
but I have a pretty good idea how his brain is working
and I think he's ready to just push for this one
to be the one that we choose.
I think that this is a wonderful condo,
but just isn't the vision that I had in terms of having
that single family cabin that would really work for our family.
It's just so pretty here.
[narrator] With only one day left before heading home,
Jen and Stephen are back in the remote area of Townsend to see one more place.
This one is in a community which is a little different.
I'm not so sure about that because
there are other houses and cabins around.
How much is this property?
Four-ten.
So not... not with a three number.
Is that it?
Yeah, I think that's it.
Wow!
Super green, babe.
[Jen] We're definitely in the mountains, right?
[Stephen] Yep. Pretty far from the road.
-[Jen laughs] -[Jen] It does blend into the trees a bit.
[April] Hey, guys. How are you?
-[Stephen] Oh, hey, April. -[Jen] April.
I know, I know. It's not a log cabin, but it is,
it is a cabin in the mountains,
in the beautiful foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
So let's try to embrace it a little bit and see what it has to offer for you.
-All right. -[Jen] All right.
-I'm ready to see what's inside, at least. Let's do it. -[April] All right.
Well, let's come on up. You can see the Smoky Mountains from...
Get your own chair.
[Stephen] It does have a good mountain view.
[Jen] I mean, this is what it's all about right here.
[April] So not a log cabin on the outside. However,
we have the log cabin feel on the inside. Sure.
-This is kind of unique. -It is.
-It's textured. -Little rustic.
[April] This one even has a wood-burning fireplace.
So not a gas one.
It's a real fire for Christmas.
Oh, my gosh. It just really
has that homey feel to me that I'm really looking for.
I know you may not be crazy about it being real fire, though.
[Stephen] I do like a gas fireplace. It's less work.
[April] So this one does come fully furnished.
Everything you see comes with the purchase.
[Jen] Please tell me that this VCR comes with the cabin.
[April] It does come with the cabin.
[Jen] I don't think our kids even know what a tape is.
[April] Well, but I have some from the '80s and I'll be happy to loan them to you.
[laughs]
The appliances are a bit dated, but they are in all working order.
[Jen] Yeah. I was going to say I haven't seen an electric stove
-top with the coils... -With the coils.
...in a really long time.
This is like my grandparents' kitchen.
It wouldn't be too much to make this...
-[April] What you want it to be. -[Jen] ...what I want.
[Stephen] We'd have to talk about it.
[April] This would be the guest bathroom.
[Stephen] This is a full bathroom, babe.
[Jen] It's kind of a little dingy.
[April] This is the additional bedroom.
Lots of light, big windows. I love that.
[Stephen] It's big enough.
-[Jen] Big enough. -[Stephen] Big enough.
[Jen] Big space. I must say,
I don't think I've seen a three-inch bar on a Vallance in a long time.
Well, it could be yours for the low, low price of 10,000 dollars.
Yeah. Okay.
[Stephen] Well, there's a bathroom back here, babe.
[April] So there is a bathroom.
Oh, wow! That is a huge tub.
[April] That is one of those things that guests love when they're on vacation.
[Jen] Well...
[laughs]
I'm not sure that this is what I envisioned
for enjoying this, but the view is beautiful.
Although, hello, neighbors.
[Stephen] Yeah.
[April] You would have to make friends.
'Cause of the area that it's in,
there are a couple of bear caves in this neighborhood.
-[Jen] Bears? -[Stephen] Bears?
Yeah. You will see bears in this neighborhood.
Turkeys run wild through here.
[Jen] Not that log cabin appeal.
-That's what I have in my mind. -[April] I know, I know.
But it's hard because I have that vision and it's like,
"Can I let go of that vision?
-Can I, you know, transform it?" -You should.
You should let go.
-No. -[April] Just buy a condo.
Condo, Gatlinburg.
So, um, we're gonna need to learn more about the numbers on this one.
[April] Yeah. And it brings upwards of $120 a night for a rental.
[Jen] Okay.
If we rent it out every day of the year, we can make 43,800.
I am concerned that the rental rates
that we get won't offset the cost that we put into it.
So that is definitely a concerning aspect of this particular property.
[narrator] So now they have to make a choice.
We should probably start narrowing it down at least.
That was a lot of properties that we've seen.
It's a little overwhelming.
[narrator] Jen and Stephen have saved up
to buy a vacation home for their family
near the Smoky Mountains.
Now they're ready to pick one.
[Jen] Let's start with the cabin that was right on the river.
That was incredible.
I mean, it was
definitely my
quintessential log cabin, secluded.
And it had the third bedroom.
Which might give us a little more money
on the rentability side.
The price, though, was up there.
So is the amount we're going to get enough to outweigh the increased money?
So how about that condo cabin?
[Jen] Oh, the condo. Your condo.
Yeah. You know, calling it a cabin
because it had some logs outside on the railings for you.
You can't beat that $300,000 price.
[Jen] I will give you that.
However, how about those HOA fees?
High is an understatement.
From a rentability standpoint,
I mean, you know, we're probably talking 200-plus a night average.
What did you think about that house on the hill?
You know, it wasn't perfect in terms of
that log cabin that I was picturing, but the price was a lot nicer.
[Stephen] More in your range, not quite down to my range.
I'm a little concerned about the rentability of that place.
And don't forget, I feel like that one's gonna have some
serious money that you're gonna have to put into it.
[doorbell rings]
Where should the rug go? What are we thinking?
Here, come help me.
[Stephen] So we chose...
[Jen] The house on the hill.
This property was listed 410, and we ended up buying it for $418,500.
Open it that way. Okay, that's fine.
How many boys does it take to open a tent?
-How many men? -[Jen laughs]
What makes Jen and I a great match
when it comes to looking at a second home,
real estate investment, um, is
Jen's naturally talented at emotional side of things,
how will people love a property.
She's amazing at that. And my, and my side of things is numbers.
So, um, I think together we're usually able to kind of figure things out.
You know, I didn't get the 515 cabin
that was beautiful and gorgeous because I knew that it would push our finances.
But we were able to find a place that still created those
great family memories.
[Jen] Can both of you fit in there?
-[Nathan] Yeah. -[Zachary] Oh!
[Jen] I think they like it.
I think they love it.
I haven't actually figured out what we're going to rent it out for yet
'cause we're in the process of working that out
-with a management company. -Mmm-hmm.
We think somewhere in the 200 to 250 range
because we've put a lot of work into this property
already just in the last couple of weeks,
and Jen's done a ton of stuff on the inside.
[Jen] I'm excited for the first cold night,
Dad, when you can teach me how to make a fire in the fireplace.
My parents also ended up moving to Tennessee,
and it's really neat to know that
we're going to be able to recreate memories with them,
just like we did at their cabin in Big Bear.
Say memories.
[all] Memories!