EP 2 - CoLiving Cait: The Systems, The Stories, The Reality

Feb 18, 2026

Caitlyn Verdugo, Atlanta-based co-living agent, investor, operator and coach who builds and converts shared homes. She discusses converting properties (including garage builds), screening beyond platforms with eviction checks, and designing themed homes that feel personal. She also covers systems to reduce conflict, using commissions to finance deals, and building women-focused co-living education and networks.

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INSIGHT

PadSplit Dominance In Atlanta

Atlanta is the most mature PadSplit market with the largest room supply and deep platform awareness.
In markets where PadSplit dominates, operators often must use it to avoid long vacancies.

ADVICE

Name Houses And Theme Rooms

Personalize units with house names and themed, alphabetized room labels to improve resident experience and appeal.
Frame and display room art to make shared houses feel like homes rather than generic rentals.

ADVICE

Pick Conversion-Friendly Homes

Target mid-century tri-level and split-level homes for easy conversions into 8+ bedrooms and frequent garage conversion potential.
Avoid properties in HOAs and prioritize layouts that reveal conversion opportunities from listing photos.

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In this episode of The Co-Living Show, Craig Curelop and Miller McSwain sit down with Caitlyn Verdugo — aka Co-Living Cait — an Atlanta-based co-living agent, investor, operator, capital raiser, and coach who’s been in the space since the early PadSplit days.

Atlanta is one of the most mature co-living ecosystems in the U.S., and Caitlyn has seen the model evolve from “rent-by-the-room” experiments into a real operating business. She shares what she’s learned from acquiring and running co-living homes, how she approaches conversions (including garage builds), and why she intentionally designs each house to feel like a home — not a template.

This conversation is packed with operator-level nuance: screening beyond platform checks, searching local eviction records, managing resident conflict without becoming a mediator, and how to build systems that protect your time while improving resident experience.

In This Episode, We Cover:

Caitlyn’s origin story: real estate agent → house hacker → co-living operator
How she used her real estate commission creatively to reduce money needed to buy
Why Atlanta’s market maturity makes PadSplit a major factor in marketing + leasing
Lessons from her first co-living conversion (capital gaps, holding costs, and what she’d do differently)
What she looks for in co-living properties: layouts, vintage builds, no HOA, conversion potential
Garage conversions: HVAC strategies, insulation, code risks, and payback vs. “ROI” framing
Her signature approach: naming houses + themed rooms to enhance resident experience
The screening stack: forms, interviews, and why she checks eviction records manually
How she prevents resident conflict with boundaries, addendums, and expectations
Handling tenant-landlord conflict fast (and why respect is non-negotiable)
Women in co-living: safety realities, contractor dynamics, and solving problems differently
Building She Leads Co-Living / Wealth By The Room to support women operators
How to find operators in your market (Facebook groups, meetups, and “search within groups” strategy)
The Big 3: a tenant horror story, her first house rule, and her most valuable operating system

Follow the Hosts

Miller McSwain: www.instagram.com/millermcswain
Craig Curelop: www.instagram.com/craigcurelop

Join our FREE Community: www.millermcswain.com/community

Guest: Caitlyn “CoLiving Cait” Verdugo

Find her as CoLiving Cait across social platforms and check out her community:

She Leads Co-Living (women-focused events + network)
Wealth By The Room (education + coaching series)
Instagram: www.instagram.com/colivingcait