Consulting
STR automation and AI that actually runs a business.
The smart home industry promises a lot and delivers fragmented chaos — thermostats in one app, locks in another, cameras somewhere else, and a $300/hour integrator as the only way to tie it together. We build unified systems on Home Assistant and open-source software instead: no monthly fees for hardware you already own. Our own lake house in Clemson runs entirely from a phone, and we build the same for clients.
Live workshop
Saturday, June 13 · 10:00–11:30 AM · Google Meet
Automated Hosting: Live STR Automation Workshop
Build the guest kiosk, automate check-in and checkout, and manage your rental remotely — the guest dashboard, smart locks, thermostat automation, remote Wi-Fi reboot, and the host dashboard, all in one 90-minute live session. Everything shown is open source or subscription-free.
The guest kiosk
The house greets your guests by name.
On the day of check-in, the tablet inside the door updates itself: your guest's name, their dates, their checkout time. You didn't type a thing — the reservation did the work. Guests scan one code and they're on the Wi-Fi, so the 9 PM "what's the password?" texts stop.
From the same screen they can raise the shades, set the lights, check the weather, and see what's worth doing nearby — only the things you want them to touch, and you're one tap away if they need a real person. It runs on an $89 tablet with no monthly fees, and we set up the whole thing.
Want the nuts and bolts? Read the home automation guide.
Guest kiosk & dashboard
An in-unit tablet kiosk (built on an $89 Amazon tablet) with stay details, local map, time, and weather, house controls for guest areas, and one-tap contact with the host — backed by non-public automations that keep management in control.
Check-in to checkout, automated
Booking data drives the house: door codes issued per stay, welcome messaging, and thermostats that adjust 45 minutes before check-in and 5 minutes after checkout — no timers, no manual steps.
Home Assistant integration
Thermostats, shades, garage doors, locks, and live cameras unified in one dashboard you run from your phone — plus remote Wi-Fi reboot so you never drive over to power-cycle a router.
AI agent development
AI assistants and whole agent teams that run the home, monitor the property 24/7, manage calendars and email, draft documents, and operate your systems through APIs and MCP — with per-action guardrails so you can trust them.
Direct-booking platforms
Your own website with live availability, instant quotes, and request-to-book — synced with Airbnb and VRBO so you keep the booking and skip the platform fees.
Automation audits
Already running an STR or a portfolio? We map your manual work, rank it by hours saved, and automate the top of the list first — favoring open-source, subscription-free tools.
Proof, not promises
You're looking at the demo.
This website runs our rental business end to end: a direct-booking engine with live availability across five linked listings, two-way calendar sync with Airbnb, a key-secured REST API, signed webhooks, a Home Assistant integration for occupancy and door codes, and an MCP server that lets AI agents check availability, quote, and book. We build the same for clients.
Case study
A board of directors, staffed by AI.
Behind Southeast Buildings runs a working AI organization we built for ourselves: an executive assistant that controls the house (thermostats, locks, shades, garage, cameras), manages email and calendars, builds documents, and delivers a morning briefing — plus a roster of specialist agents, each with its own personality, domain, and tools. A CFO that keeps the books across our entities. A pricing strategist that watches the rental market. A construction advisor, a fitness coach, even a morale officer that tells one joke an hour.
Booking data flows through the whole system: when a reservation lands, the calendar agent updates the house — guest displays, door codes, and per-unit thermostats that warm up 45 minutes before check-in. It all runs on a mini-PC at the house, on open-source software, with no monthly platform fees.
That's the level of automation we design for clients — scaled to your portfolio and your tolerance for letting the machines drive.
Who you'll work with
Jeff Schiffer, RA, NCARB
Jeff owns and operates Lakeside on College Ave, a lakefront short-term rental on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, SC. He built its automation system because he was tired of managing multiple apps that didn't talk to each other. A licensed architect and real estate investor, he has spent the last several years building AI and automation systems — including a local AI assistant that runs his home and monitors his rental property 24/7.
Ready to stop driving to your property to fix things you could handle from your phone?
Tell us what's eating your time — guest messaging, calendar chaos, door codes, reporting — and we'll show you what automation and AI can take off your plate.