Jarred from Wholster (a top app for real estate wholesaling) shares his strategy for keeping every single one of his PadSplit rooms filled year-round, and what operating a PadSplit really looks like day to day.
I bought my first rental property in 2013 and spent the next decade building a portfolio of single-family homes.
Over time, I learned how to operate rentals at a high level. Scaling acquisition, renovation, tenant management, the whole cycle. But as the portfolio grew, so did the complexity. More doors didn’t necessarily mean better performance; it just meant more to manage.
Along the way, I also founded a software company called Wholster, which focuses on helping real estate investors and wholesalers market and distribute deals more effectively. That experience gave me a different perspective on the business. Not just owning properties, but how deals are sourced, how they move, and where opportunities get missed.
Eventually, my focus shifted toward a “less is more” approach. Fewer properties, stronger returns, and systems that were easier to operate.
PadSplit came onto my radar at the right time. It offered a way to increase cash flow without increasing property count, and it aligned well with the direction I was already heading.
What operating a PadSplit really looks like
One thing that becomes clear quickly is that PadSplit isn’t passive. It’s an operational business.
The difference between an average property and a high-performing one usually comes down to how the house is run day-to-day. A lot of that starts with how members are treated.
We focus heavily on communication, setting expectations early, and creating a consistent experience inside the home. Before accepting a booking, we take time to talk with prospective members to make sure it’s a good fit. If they’ve lived in other PadSplits, we want to understand that experience as well.
Move-in is a key moment. We send a message to the house introducing the new member, make sure the room is fully turned and ready, and provide a clear, structured move-in experience so there’s no confusion.
From there, it’s about consistency.
We use electronic locks to simplify access and turnover. We have a dedicated cleaning team that handles common areas monthly. Maintenance is handled quickly, and communication stays open and easy.
None of this is complicated, but it creates an environment where people actually want to stay.
What that looks like in practice
Over time, that approach has translated into strong and consistent performance.
Today, our PadSplit property in Tampa:
- Is operating at 100% occupancy
- Holds a 5.0-star rating
- Has averaged over $90,000 per year in gross rent over the past three years
- Achieves rents between 6% and 21% higher than the market in our zip code
- Still has our very first member living in the home (nearly four years of tenure!)
We’ve also seen members leave and ask to come back when space opens up.
That level of retention comes from the environment inside the house and the level of care placed on member relations.
Staying competitive over time
When we first launched as one of the first five or so properties in the city, it didn’t take much to stay full. As the area became more saturated, that changed. Our zip code is the most competitive in Tampa, so adapting as the market grew was essential.
We had to become more intentional about how we positioned the property. Listing descriptions evolved to highlight the experience, not just the room. With a focus on amenities, convenient location, and reviews, we have been able to maintain performance. Professional photography and staged rooms have always been non-negotiable for us, but I always recommend this to new hosts who sometimes don’t see the value. If you’re serious about operating at a high level, it’s worth doing this upfront.
We also leaned into incentives to stay competitive. We offer no move-in fees, discounts at booking, and stay rewards with a free week for members who stay six months.
Those help drive initial bookings, but they’re not what keep people there. Retention comes from delivering on what you promise.
The other side of the business: finding the right deals
Operations are one side of PadSplit. Deal flow is the other.
Not every property works for this model. Layout, location, and the ability to convert space efficiently all matter. Understanding how to take something like a 3/2 and turn it into a higher-performing layout is a skill in itself.
Our Tampa property, for example, was purchased for $305,000 with about $75,000 put into renovation and conversion. We took it from a 3/2 to an 8/3, and it has remained over 90% occupied historically.
But deals like that aren’t easy to find consistently. A big part of sourcing them comes down to relationships, especially with wholesalers and agents who understand the PadSplit model.
For investors, this is one of the best ways to expand your reach.
For wholesalers, it opens up an entirely different buyer pool.
PadSplit buyers are looking for specific types of properties, which creates an opportunity for wholesalers to build a niche around identifying and bringing those deals to market.
Where distribution starts to matter
Even with strong relationships in place, there’s still a gap.
Deals don’t always get in front of the right buyers fast enough, and opportunities get missed.
That’s something I ran into personally, and it’s part of what led me to think differently about how deals are distributed.
If wholesalers are sourcing PadSplit-friendly properties, and investors are actively looking for them, there should be a more direct way to connect the two.
That’s where Wholster fits in.
Instead of broad, untargeted distribution, deals can be categorized more intentionally. A wholesaler can identify a property as a PadSplit opportunity, and buyers who are specifically looking for that type of deal can get notified immediately when it becomes available.
For wholesalers, that means:
- Reaching the right buyers faster
- Building a more targeted buyer’s list
- Creating a repeatable channel around PadSplit deals
For investors, it means:
- Less time searching
- Faster access to relevant opportunities
- The ability to act quickly when the right deal shows up
PadSplit becomes an additional acquisition strategy, and Wholster becomes the distribution layer that supports it.
For those interested in how we approach deal distribution and finding PadSplit opportunities, I’ve shared more about that here.
Why PadSplit became more than just an investment
Beyond the numbers, PadSplit has been one of the more meaningful parts of our portfolio.
We’ve had members reach out to tell us that the home helped them avoid living out of their car, gave them stability during a difficult time, or simply provided a clean and respectful place to live. The amount of positive feedback that gets sent to us, totally unprompted, really makes us feel like we’re making a difference–not just investing.
That’s not something you see on a spreadsheet, but it matters. It changes how you think about the business.
Don’t think PadSplit is passive
PadSplit isn’t passive. It requires attention to detail, consistency, and a focus on the people living in the home.
But when it’s done well, it can outperform traditional rentals while creating something that has a real impact.
And as the space continues to grow, the operators who combine strong operations with a consistent pipeline of the right deals will be the ones who continue to stand out.
