Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Touchette.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was always interested in niches and am fascinated by real estate’s role helping people create their identity. When my wife and I had an opportunity to invest in real estate, one of the 1st properties we bought was being sold with all the furniture in it. This gave me the idea of renting out properties to business travelers who are coming to DC for monthly assignments or relocations. I knew that building this niche out would take longer than just building out a traditional property management company, but I was curious enough to see if it could work. My background was in event marketing and I saw prepping furnished rentals was like getting an property ready for an event. A few benefits that came out of this approach was working with business travelers from all over the world, which allows me to travel vicariously and also create travel wish lists. After that first property, we added 2 more then I started managing other people’s properties. Prior to COVID we had more than 300 properties in our inventory, and we are currently sitting at a around 210 properties. We have seen a lot of changes in the 25 years I’ve been doing this and am excited about enacting AI as a tool to help us personalize our customize our services for continued growth.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I started, I had to take photos with film, then get the film developed and then scanned into a digital file. My advertising was spending hundreds of dollars on a 2 or 3 line classified ad in the Washington Post in a subsection of the rentals called furnished rentals, that pretty much no-one read. I would hang printed out flyers on bus stops around town. I would call or stop into law firms and other businesses asking companies to trust a tiny company that they never heard of with their executive temporary housing. As one can imagine, it was not a fast or easy growth early on. I was also doing this while being a stay at home dad to be my newborn son, while my wife worked full-time. Fortunately, we had friends who helped spread the word and also watch my son when I went to showings and open houses.
We’ve been impressed with Attache Corporate Housing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Attache Corporate Housing manages more than 200 monthly furnished rentals in the DMV area. I started it back in 2001 with just 3 properties. We manage people’s houses and condos and who give them to us to rent them out to business travelers who are coming to town for work assignments or relocation. We also work with insurance housing and many of the embassies in town. We are known for offering an amazing variety of housing options that cater to travelers who want to live in property that matches their style, is easeful and provides them with a sense of joy. Since no two properties are alike and we professionally manage our guest experiences, we are most proud of providing Joy in Every Stay.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Yes. Get out and go to events. Ask a lot of questions. Volunteer at events. Be curious and helpful and join organizations. I feel so fortunate to have joined groups such as EO and Vistage for business peer mentoring and also joining industry organizations like CHPA (Corporate Housing Providers Association).
Pricing:
- studios start around $2750 a month
- 1bd – from $3500 and up
- 2bd – from $4500 and up
- 3bd – from $6500 and up
- 4bd- from $8000 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.StayAttache.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stayattache/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AttacheCorporateHousing
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stay-attache/
