About the STR Certification Course

This course was developed after public officials in Las Vegas asked Julie Davies if she knew of any accredited courses for the vacation home/STR industry. When they investigated the educational resources, they found some webinars that promoted products or companies and a lot of dangerously flawed webinars and blogs. Still, no courses within accredited settings were explicitly designed to educate about best practices for this emerging industry. 

Officials asked Julie to write and teach an STR course, and she did so. She enlisted a knowledgeable Millennial to round out her experience using time-honored best practices, and they added innovations and changes within this emerging industry. After testing the curriculum in 2016 (earning excellent reviews from seasoned professionals and officials), Julie contacted the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) and presented the curriculum. After months of Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) academic review and documentation, educators determined that there was a community need for this education, and they rolled out the Course within educational settings in February 2017.

As City officials reviewed STR licenses and permit applications, they saw a marked positive difference in STR Certification Course graduates, so other Planning Commissioners and City Council Members strongly recommended or mandated the course for many applicants. Several municipalities have approved the course for their education requirement for all STR registration/license homeowners/applicants (and their applicable designated local contacts/property managers). Other cities strongly encourage STR permit holders and managers to complete this respected certification course.

Regulations lack action verbs and detailed explanations that tell hosts why they should be compliant, how to do it, and what it will do for their profitability. This class answers questions that save city staff time, and it gives hosts and managers practical tools to be more code-compliant and neighborhood-friendly.

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Other colleges and universities recognized the need for this education in their communities. They added the course to their continuing education catalogs in the professional-level 2-day live and online versions in classrooms, the self-study e-course version, and hybrid versions. It is also approved as a semester-long course within Hospitality Management or Business Management degree programs. Real Estate Divisions and Cities requested a short course (4 hours) that covers the essentials needed to work with or govern this often misunderstood industry.

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Due to the approved real estate CE in certain states, this innovative live course has had regulation class sessions offered in city offices and real estate division classrooms --- but it has been available in other locations, too! This course is offered within Accredited Higher Education Institutions, Cities, Real Estate Divisions, and respected Associations without influence-pushing sponsors or commercial endorsements. This keeps the content secure from special interests and dramatically reduces the cost of this vital education.

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Now, it is offered within Hospitality Management, Business Degree, and Sociology programs in some universities (as a semester-long for-credit class), too. 

Whether you own, manage, sell, or reserve nights at a vacation rental home or homeshare, this course is a great way to learn about this alternate lodging option. Improve your profits and earn more 5-Star reviews----for less than the cost of a short reservation!

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Why did we develop this course and agree to give so much of our time to provide it? It was partly due to the repeated requests from public officials who recognized that a few hosts know what they're doing, but too many hosts make disruptive mistakes because they simply don't know how to host well. The course authors also received numerous calls from hosts, managers, and realtors who were in serious trouble --- and it was usually a costly problem that could have been avoided if they had received quality vacation home/STR education (these calls included reported hefty fines for not being properly licensed or for not following STR regulations; penalties for the bad behavior of guests in STR homes and neighborhoods; lawsuits; costly damage to their homes; injured guests; disputes with the hosting platforms; even some tragic deaths; ... and hosts who lacked sufficient income to cover the expense of hosting a home or room because they simply didn't know what they were doing or were following lousy advice). This course reviews applicable laws, best practices, and innovative tools and tips that every host and property manager needs to know to stay out of trouble and develop more profitable businesses!

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Universities put this course through stringent academic reviews before holding it within accredited higher education institutions. Real Estate Divisions also put the course through reviews before allowing CE for course graduates. And publishing a textbook required legal and content reviews--- all of which it passed. This is not just a simple webinar, podcast, or seminar. This is a college-level course, complete with an acclaimed textbook! (The same textbook is also used in semester-long courses within degree programs. The 2-day live course and e-course versions are for industry professionals, but both versions use the textbook. Graduates report that it is an ongoing reference tool they use for their businesses).

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Course graduates rate this course with the highest scores and consistently click the evaluation box, saying they would recommend the education to other hosts, property managers, realtors, vendors, municipal leaders, and investors. Learn time-honored short-term rental industry 'best practices' along with laws and tips about innovations that help hosts better communicate with and monitor guests, keep more of the profits, and become more neighborhood-friendly.

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This course qualifies for Real Estate CE in some states due to the critical need for real estate professionals to understand this emerging industry. Realtors who don't know zoning requirements and the difference between traditional property management and short-term rental contracts/procedures are causing problems for themselves and their clients. We offer the 4-hour seminar for those who need to know these fundamental differences, how to find the laws and zoning requirements, and essential best practices. This short class is great for brokers and officials. But those realtors who actually manage or specialize in STRs need the full course.

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Universities and real estate divisions set the tuition price, so the course costs vary between $275 and $550 per student (including tuition, instruction, testing, references to the renowned textbook, and course materials). This is a valuable, cost-effective investment in your STR business! Owners and Managers from every US state and many countries have completed this course.

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When you earn the certification, you can use the honored STR Certification Seal to show that you have taken your knowledge and commitment to a professional level! We've lost count of the number of countries where course graduates host and manage STRs.  And many guests look for the STR Certification seal when they're making reservations.

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Space is limited in live class sessions, so register early!  (Classes fill quickly, and academic institutions usually close registration a week before the course date for live courses). There's always room in the self-study online classes, though.

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If you don't see a date that works for you, we can usually add a class date with the commitment of a minimum of 20 registrants. Get together with your associates and contact Julie about scheduling a convenient session for you!