About us
Welcome to GRID!
GRID Smokies is a real estate community built by investors for investors. We are a group of real people doing real deals.
Our core mission is to connect to, learn from, and collaborate with like-minded people interested in building wealth and creating impact through real estate.
We welcome investors of all experience levels. We are life-long learners and believe everyone has value to share.
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How it works
We meet once a month, 12 months a year, on the same day, week, and time of the month. Each month we cover a different investing topic in the Lifecycle of an Investor—ranging from wholesaling to rehabbing to becoming a bank through private lending.
Our meetings are not sales pitches. They are opportunities for us to dive deep into a real estate topic, connect with local experts in our marketplace, and build long-term relationships with other doers and deal-makers.
All of our events are 100% FREE.
Learn more about GRID Investor at www.gridinvestor.com
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Join the GRID Facebook Community online 8K+
https://www.facebook.com/groups/gridinvestor
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Your GRID Leadership
GRID Smokies is led by Vernon Corum and Nathan Gort.
## About Vernon
Vernon Corum, known as “The Short-Term Pro,” is the Founder of Staycating, Realtor, and GRID Coach focused on the Smoky Mountains short-term rental space. He works with investors and agents on building and operating vacation rentals through clear strategy, structured systems, and a strong emphasis on hospitality.
His focus is on helping others better understand how short-term rentals operate, from setup to guest experience, while contributing to a growing investor community in the Smokies.
At home, Vernon is a husband to Jeannette, father to Bryce, Jake, and Seth, and dog dad to Zelda, Winnie, and Koda. He is also involved in the 865 Academy, where he supports youth education around entrepreneurship, homeownership, and investing.
## About Nathan
Nathan Gort, also known as “The Coach,” brings a strategy-focused approach to real estate and lending. Raised on Hilton Head Island, he was exposed early to real estate and construction, which shaped how he evaluates deals and market opportunities.
Nathan works with clients across a range of real estate strategies, including short-term and long-term rentals, house hacking, and lending structures. His approach centers on understanding each situation, analyzing the numbers, and helping clients make informed decisions.
He has experience with traditional financing, non-QM products, DSCR loans, and private capital. His focus is on deal structure, planning, and helping clients navigate options with clarity.
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Our partners:
Casago Smoky Mountains
Casago Smoky Mountains is a locally owned vacation rental management company specializing in luxury cabin getaways throughout the Smoky Mountains.
Their team provides full-service property management while delivering exceptional guest experiences rooted in southern hospitality and local expertise.
Led by experienced East Tennessee investors and operators, they bring extensive knowledge in vacation rentals, real estate development, and property management.
Learn more about Casago Smoky Mountains
https://casago.com/smoky-mountains/
theLender is a direct mortgage lender that provides financing solutions for homebuyers, real estate investors, and self-employed borrowers. The company offers a range of loan programs, including conventional and non-traditional options, designed to accommodate different financial profiles and property types.
Learn more about theLender
https://thelender.com/
Upcoming events
2
From STR Property To Money Machine
The Pines, 230 Court Avenue,, Sevierville, TN, US🔥 THE SMOKIES STR GAME HAS CHANGED. ARE YOU CHANGING WITH IT?
The Smokies vacation rental market is not the same market it was a few years ago.
More properties. More competition. More sophisticated guests. Higher expectations.
Today, owning a great cabin isn’t enough.
Your short-term rental has to operate like a BUSINESS.
That’s why this month at GRID Smokies, we’re bringing owners, investors, operators and local experts together for an interactive STR roundtable:
🏡 FROM PROPERTY TO MONEY MACHINE### The 4 M’s of STR Investing
💰 MONEY — Finance It
How are successful investors financing properties today? We’ll talk lending, capital, reserves, deal structure and knowing your numbers before you buy.
📣 MARKET — Market It
Having a cabin doesn’t mean people will book it. We’ll dig into positioning, photography, amenities, pricing, OTAs, reviews, direct bookings and what actually makes a property stand out.
⚙️ MANAGE — Manage It
Who cleans it? Who answers the phone at 11 PM? Who handles maintenance? Who protects the guest experience?
We’ll talk self-management, co-hosting, property management, vendors, systems, technology and building an operation that can actually perform.
💵 MONEY MACHINE — Monetize It
The goal isn’t simply collecting bookings.
How do you improve revenue, control expenses, create additional income, build equity and turn your STR into an asset capable of producing long-term wealth?
And we’re excited to have Erin Kavanagh, REALTOR®, Productivity Coach/Mentor, STR owner and short-term rental advisor with THE CAZA GROUP, joining the conversation.
Erin brings 23+ years of real estate experience, a hospitality background and hands-on experience buying, operating and helping clients scale short-term rentals.
But this isn't going to be another room where someone talks AT you for two hours.
This is a ROUNDTABLE.
Bring your questions.
Bring your experiences.
Bring the problems you're dealing with right now.
And bring what you've learned that might help another owner.
If you own a cabin, manage vacation rentals, invest in real estate, work in hospitality, provide services to STR owners—or you're thinking about buying your first Smokies property—
🔥 GET IN THE ROOM.
MONEY → MARKET → MANAGE → MONEY MACHINE
Come for the conversation.
Stay for the relationships.
Leave with ideas you can actually put to work.
👇 RSVP and bring another STR owner or investor with you!━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Join the GRID Facebook CommunityJoin the online GRID community here to post deals, ask questions, and connect with other investors across the globe.
2 attendees
Commercial 101: Office, Retail, Industrial, and Storage
The Pines, 230 Court Avenue,, Sevierville, TN, USCommercial real estate can seem daunting to budding investors.
But in reality, the process of finding, analyzing, managing and maximizing a commercial property is very similar to residential rentals, you just add some zeros.
In this month's meeting, we will cover the basics of the different types of commercial real estate, including office, retail, industrial, and storage property.
Join us to learn how to add some zeros to your bank account.
Come for the training, stay for the networking!
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Join the GRID Facebook CommunityJoin the online GRID community here to post deals, ask questions, and connect with other investors across the globe.
2 attendees
Past events
7
