About 70 miles due east of Nashville is a watering hole known to many Tennesseans as Center Hill Lake. This lake area was never on Marissa Stephen's radar until she began to dive into the short-term rental business in 2016. Marissa says she first began looking at an Airbnb property in downtown Nashville, but then felt pulled to look elsewhere. She eventually started zeroing in on various homes in the Center Hill Lake area and was especially fond of one house in particular.
“I was almost mad when I realized we were going to look at this house that I already knew about. I didn’t think we could make it happen. It was our last stop of the day, and I didn’t even want to go look. When I saw the house, I had this overwhelming, almost spiritual feeling,” says Marissa.
Fate was on Marissa's side, as she and her husband snatched up this beauty just in the nick of time. “When the pandemic hit, there was a lull there with bookings for about a week or so. After that, rentals really started to pick up again. Now I have to make sure to book a weekend for our family months out, or we’d never get to go. We’re currently booking well into the fall,” she says.
After The Treehouse was purchased and became a big rental success, Marissa decided to add to her property portfolio. She and her husband purchased a cabin in the same cove and went on to eventually purchase a lot where the two collaborated to build a gorgeous A-frame house from the ground up.
Judging by the glowing reviews and amazing pictures, it’s clear all three of these properties have their own individual charm and appeal, and have captured the hearts of many from various geographies.
“Every time we receive a great review for one of our properties, it seriously brings tears to my eyes,” Marissa reveals. “The people who rent our properties are from all over the country and are coming from Nashville, too. I love that these properties are bringing family and friends together and allows people to have the perfect backdrop to connect away from the noise of everyday life.”
The devil is in the details, and Marissa certainly has that dialed in with her properties. She’s a 17x consecutive AirBnb super host. “I’m pretty proud of that,” she admits.
“All of our properties have the extras. I do everything myself, so I make sure it’s super clean and everything has been thought of,” she adds.
Just browsing through the reviews of these properties, it’s evident Marissa has been able to bottle magic by providing an escape off the grid that so many often crave. And luckily for Nashville, these stunning rentals are just a hop, skip and a jump away.