Our Story

Sell, Rent, or Airbnb?

In 2015, after spending many years renovating his National Historic Register home, Lee Sartain faced a choice. He had decided to relocate to grad school in New York, and needed to make a decision about his Raleigh home. Each had pros and cons, and came with their own requirements.

The housing market at the time was fine, but not great. He would profit on the sale, but not at the level he hoped. He could try to find a traditional renter, but that would require him to move his stuff into storage, all while risking damage and financial ruin if he landed a deadbeat tenant. 

So, Lee began to look into Airbnb. He doubted the feasibility, but decided to give it a go. He told himself, if this isn't covering my expenses in 6 months then I will sell the house. The house was an instant success, and led to the passion that is at the core of our business model.

A Decade of Stay(ing)Bettr

Ten years later, Lee is still in the business of short-term rentals. While that house was sold in 2018, StayBettr Vacation Rentals has continued to expand. First by exclusively owning and operating our own properties, and then expanding our platform to independent owner-clients. In 2025, we expanded our platform to national availability.

Full Service Management Stinks!

Our winning combination consists of pairing wonderful spaces that guests want rent with industry leading technology and customer service.  We understood early that success required a focus on what we do well. We knew that partnering with excellent cleaners and caretakers in our local communities created a better package.

Property managers who are "full service" are often good at one or two things and really bad at the rest. Unfortunately, owners figure this out too late--often at significant financial cost.

Partnerships = Bettr Results

Each home is unique and will need a custom strategy to optimize it's revenue and occupancy. Our model allows owners to pair best in class local management with our robust revenue, marketing, and guest management platform. The results are clear, when experts partner, owner-clients win. Our homes consistently outperform the market on all key performance indicators: RevPAR, ADR, and Occupancy. Our guest reviews speak for themselves as well.