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We hit the road again, and we came back with some great memories and a great conversation with Superhost Patti Whalen! Patti actually left a career to become a full-time Airbnb host, after a serendipitous opportunity to host Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell for several months – and that then turned into 38 consecutive short-term rentals! Patti was having so much fun that she bought a second unit, and everything just kept growing from there. You’re going to be so inspired by this conversation and we just can’t wait for you to meet her.

We discuss Patti’s fact-finding expeditions to Airbnbs in Europe, the long history between women and B&Bs, following the rules, furnishing apartments (with minimal IKEA), Patti’s worst Airbnb experiences, tips and tricks for managing multiple properties, and investing in yourself.

Resources:

• Stay with Patti: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20519860?s=51
• Watch “Stay Here” on...

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Annette and Sarah just came back from a road trip, and we had the opportunity to sit in Pittsburgh’s only tiny home! So today, we talk to superhost Casey Smith about how the tiny home became his first Airbnb listing (and his future plans for a house boat), creating memorable experiences for your guests, and differentiating yourself from other hosts.

Resources:

• Stay with Casey: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15870125?s=51

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Today, we walk you through a real listing, step by step. We cover what you need to have to start the process, what you need to know about the prompts that come up, and share the answers to some questions that have come up in our own short-term rental businesses.

Listing Your Space on Airbnb

When you are listing your space on Airbnb, the first round is sort of a “quick start” – but you’re not really done yet. We encourage you to immediately go back and add some extra details so that your listing really shines, and we’ll walk you through both of those processes in this episode.

The very first thing is creating an account, if you don’t have one already, then going to the top of the page and clicking “List Your Space.”

Step 1: Start with the Basics.

This includes your place type, bedrooms, baths, location, amenities, and shared spaces.

• Even if you aren’t listing your whole space, you will...

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We’re passionate about cleanliness in our short-term rental spaces because we KNOW this is a difference-maker.

When we talk with other people about Airbnb, the two topics that come up most often are, one, it didn’t look like the pictures and, two, it wasn’t clean. It’s a little disheartening that this comes up so often because cleanliness is one of the easiest things to achieve in any space!

How to Clean Your Airbnb (and Keep it Clean)

• Every guest who walks through the doors of your space should feel like they’re the first guests to walk through those doors.
• Especially if this is your first rental, but even if you’re a veteran Airbnb host and this is a new space, start by cleaning it yourself and nail down a system. Write down everything you’re doing, then when you’re done, figure out where you can save some time.
• Creating a system will save you time, but it will also make it easier to outsource this...

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Photography is probably the most important thing you put out there when you start to list on Airbnb, so today, we’re going to offer our tips and tricks for what to shoot and where to find a photographer.

Photography Tips & Tricks for Short-Term Rentals

• You NEED to hire someone who professionally takes photos of homes (or be lucky enough to have a professional photographer in your life).
• Hiring a photographer definitely costs a small chunk of change – here in Columbus, it’s about $125 - $150 to photograph a space under 2,000 square feet – but it’s still something you should be able to make back in a night or two.
• We recommend making this investment right away, before your first listing. Yes, it’s another investment in a long list of investments, but it’s the first thing people see when they’re considering your space.
• Make sure a photographer comes during the day when there’s flattering...

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When you’re operating a short-term rental business, you’re part of the hospitality business. Just like a luxury hotel, the most successful short-term rentals sell their guests more than just a space to stay – they offer unique experiences. 

This is a lot more work than just providing a space and cleaning it up when your guests are done using it, for sure, but it’s also a way to stand out in a crowded market and make a little bit more money per night.

So whether you’re just starting out or well on your way to building a successful short-term rental business, it never hurts to think like a guest and be proactive about offering things that might make staying in your locations a better experience.

Thinking Like an Airbnb Guest

The best tip that we give new hosts is to get your space set up, pack your bags, and stay in it yourself – but don’t stop there. Make any improvements you might want after your...

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Pricing is a multifaceted subject that is always changing and evolving, and it’s something you need to be paying attention to constantly. So, today, we’re going to offer an introduction to pricing short-term rentals – but you can be sure we’ll talk about the subject more in the future.

Short-Term Rental Pricing 101

The first question a lot of new or potential Airbnb hosts ask is, “How much money can I make?!”

And the honest truth is... it depends!

However, you can get a rough estimate using Airbnb’s pricing estimate calculator: https://www.airbnb.com/host/homes. 

Compare that to what other Airbnbs and hotels in your area are charging and you should have a pretty good range for what your apartment can be listed for. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples here: weekdays vs. weekdays, weekends vs. weekends, two beds vs. two beds, etc.

Other things to consider:

• If you’re just doing...

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One of the biggest obstacles you might run into when starting an Airbnb is area regulations, and we actually first met at a city council meeting when our city was trying to regulate Airbnb. We think that the sharing economy is (not so slowly) becoming the new normal, but it’s still weird for some people and there might be some pushback.

So today we’re going to discuss what kind of market research you need to do to make sure your new Airbnb will be legal, and what you need to know to make sure you position and price your rental appropriately.

Market Research 101

Here are a few things you should be looking at:

• Firstly, are there any city or county laws that currently exist or are proposed that limit short-term rentals? If any regulations already exist, we obviously can’t recommend starting your business there. However, if one is proposed, you can go to public hearings on it and speak up like we did!
• You also need to check if your...

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Airbnb can be a tremendously profitable side hustle or even a full-on business, but it can also be daunting figuring out where to start. 

The very first step is considering what you want to invest, and that really comes down to three things: time, money, and heart.

Heart

It might seem a little silly, but you should probably consider how much heart you want to put into your rental before you do anything else because that will dictate how much time and money you’ll need to invest. There’s an emotional investment involved with renting out your space, and that can be scary, but it’s also what’s going to set you apart from everyone else in your space!

Money

It can feel like a chicken-and-egg scenario: do you give yourself a budget first and then see what you can get or do you come up with an idea for your space and then figure out how much it costs?

It just depends on where you’re coming from, but most people...