I don’t know about the LC Oakes area. But as you mentioned, the main market for the furnished rentals are corporate market or if it’s a desirable area then vacation rentals.
I own many properties and I furnish all of them. I don’t go for the long-term rental rather the short-term market (both tourists and corporate business travelers).
Generally your properties have to be in super desirable areas for both of those types I mentioned above. You can use websites like VRBO.com, Homeaway.com, Flipkey.com, AirBnB.com and many others.
On longer term rentals, people mostly want to use their own furniture I’ve found unless you have REALLY nice stuff. I’ve done a few longer term rentals with my properties. Even though they weren’t geared towards the long term market, they really liked it as the furniture was all really high end, LCD/LED TVs in each room, etc.
There is a segment of the population out there that will be more interested in renting a furnished rental as long as the furniture is high end and not funky. Comfortable, high end mattresses are also a big plus, especially with the corporate executive type.
In my rentals, even in the properties outside of the USA, I put in VoIP phone lines (via Vonage.com) so business executives can stay in contact with their family/business associates/friends. It’s more professional and convenient vs. Skype or other things. I also include a GSM local cellphone that they can use to have a local #. They pay for any airtime via refillable credits so it doesn’t cost me a dime other than the expense to buy the cellphone. I also put in a local phone line and have a block on it so they can only call local #’s.
Obviously I include free wi-fi high speed access and put in the extensive cable package or DirecTV so they have all the essential channels. This really helps attract the high $$ crowd. It’s so much more convenient vs. a hotel. The ROI is MUCH higher than renting it out on a long-term tenant.
