
Short Term Rental Pros Podcast
Building a $37K Land Deal Into a Viral Airbnb
In this episode of the Short-Term Rental Pros Podcast, host Jeremy Werden sits down with Rajan Chida, a 22-year-old entrepreneur and real estate developer documenting his journey of building a short-term rental development from the ground up. Rajan's journey started far outside traditional real estate. While in college, he built a successful shoe-flipping business, saving aggressively until he was able to purchase his first investment property at just 21. Soon after, a partnership with his longtime friend Renzo led him to a much bigger challenge: purchasing 2.5 acres in Virginia for $37,000 and developing a four-unit short-term rental project called Royal Oak Retreat—despite having virtually no development experience. What makes Rajan's story even more interesting is how he has built the entire journey in public. His social following grew from roughly 20,000 followers to more than 185,000, allowing him to attract contractors, mentors, investors, creators, and opportunities simply by documenting the process. Jeremy and Rajan break down what it's really like to develop an STR from scratch, build an audience, and turn attention into a potential business advantage. In this episode, you'll learn: How Rajan went from shoe flipping to real estate investing How he found and evaluated the $37K land opportunity Building a short-term rental development with little prior experience How building in public attracted contractors and experienced mentors The social media hooks and storytelling strategies behind his growth Why documenting the journey can be more powerful than simply promoting the finished product How to use social media to build an audience around a real estate project The challenges of getting financing as young developers Why testing one STR before building an entire development can reduce risk How Rajan plans to turn Royal Oak Retreat into a standalone brand Designing a health-focused guest experience with amenities like saunas, cold plunges, hot tubs, and wellness products Why understanding your unique story and audience can become a competitive advantage Whether you're an aspiring real estate investor, Airbnb host, STR developer, content creator, or entrepreneur, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at what happens when you combine real estate, hospitality, social media, and the willingness to build in public. Save Your Spot! Join Our Lakefront Retreat at Hyco Lake Mastermind: https://www.investstr.com/lake-front-retreat Property Management Mastermind: str-pros.com Need help buying a property: investstr.com Save 25% on BNB Calc. Use our exclusive discount through the link below: https://bnbcalc.com?fpr=strpros






