165. Double Your Bookings with This STR Listing Strategy

How can you ethically list your large rental twice to make the most of a bigger property?

In Sarah’s example, we split a fourplex in two by installing quality door locks on the two upstairs bedrooms, and listing the property twice: one listing with 4 bedrooms for 8 guests, and the other with 2 bedrooms for 4 guests.

With this setup, you can still make the most of your property based on the time of year and local events, by prioritizing the larger listing and making the smaller version unavailable. Then, open up the small listing on select dates or for last-minute bookings.

To get the most out of this type of multiple listing (also called a parent-child listing):

• Offer a lower cleaning fee on the smaller listing version
• Avoid automatically-locking door locks
• Be sure there aren’t major amenities behind the locked door(s), like a WiFi router or fire extinguisher
• Link your calendar for both listings in Airbnb so that when it gets booked, it automatically blocks off dates for the alternate listing*
• Flex your pricing based on booking traffic to get the most out of both listings and avoid orphan nights
• Set expectations so that guests booking the smaller version of the listing are aware of the restricted area
• But, don’t forget to upsell the larger listing for guests that book and who may be interested in the extra space

Remember: we’re not advising that you list your same home twice. Platforms like Airbnb use property addresses to help cut down on duplicate listings and prevent spam. Be sure that your two listings are unique and have different check-in instructions to avoid issues with Airbnb.

*Note: things change, and Airbnb may change the calendar sync functionality in the future

Resources:

• Our preferred Schlage lock for this setup: https://amzn.to/39zKIPR
• Visit https://thanksforvisiting.me/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!
• #STRShareSunday: https://instagram.com/twistedleafcabin

Thanks for Visiting is produced and published by Crate Media.