First STR SFR/House in Seattle

[Henry T.]

I've quit Seattle as a place for LTR, but before I totally get out I wanted to try an STR.

My place is pretty much ready, some final sprucing to do. The question is should I go VRBO or Airbnb?  Why one and not the other? Are there any gotcha's in the signup process to be aware of with either?  

I've been reading many listings and putting together my rules lists, so I'm feeling pretty good there.  I have quite a bit of LL experience and good at tenant proofing, etc. I just have no experience with the platforms and hope I don't miss something important in the sign up.  Thank you all.

[James Dainard]

Quote from @Henry T.:

I've quit Seattle as a place for LTR, but before I totally get out I wanted to try an STR.

My place is pretty much ready, some final sprucing to do. The question is should I go VRBO or Airbnb?  Why one and not the other? Are there any gotcha's in the signup process to be aware of with either?  

I've been reading many listings and putting together my rules lists, so I'm feeling pretty good there.  I have quite a bit of LL experience and good at tenant proofing, etc. I just have no experience with the platforms and hope I don't miss something important in the sign up.  Thank you all.

Hey Henry,

From what I understand VRBO demand is more for longer-term stays while AirBnb is geared towards shorter stays. AirBnb recently updated their site to make it more oriented towards special stays or unique locations. It's a good thing to know which direction a company is headed if you're using their services.

Furnished finders is a good way to offset your income in the low months if you find that STR income isn't getting you through.
If you're planning on keeping this as an STR for a while you'll eventually want to consider getting your own website together for direct bookings to cut out the middleman.
Hope this helps!
Best of luck!