House hacking with AirBnB

[Daniel Lehrman]

What's your opinion on house hacking with AirBnB? Here's the general idea of what I've experienced as a guest in San Diego and Vancouver. You stay at property that has a guest house. We retrieve the keys from a lockbox, or a hidden location. Other than through the app, we don't communicate or see the owner during our stay. No awkward tension, no missed payments. Sounds pretty awesome for the owner! Also, it seems you could make more money than renting to a tenant. AirBnB's rating system eliminates much of the host's risk of dealing with an unpleasant or unreliable tenant. Worst case, if the guest is unpleasant, it's only for a few days. Now, I get that it may be more regular maintenance (changing sheets, cleaning bathrooms, etc.) than a traditional rental. Also I'm paying utilities. There also might be more vacancies. But I like the idea of being a host! (rather than a landlord) Laws are different in various areas, and HOAs can be restrictive, but ignoring that, what is your opinion on house hacking this way?

[Phillip Faries]

Hi Daniel, 

Every condo I buy I house hack and then Airbnb the second bedroom while looking for my next deal to house hack. 

Few things Ive learned (assuming the HOA is cool with it)

Some people are messy - like disgusting, after they leave you have to clean up. (unless you have a cleaning service which will cut into your numbers.)

Its a lot of work..... on average I have 15-20 days booked a month, 7-10 guest, that's cleaning the place 7-10 times, plus laundry so at 2-3 hours per guest you're looking at 14-30 hours a month. I don't even work more than 10 hours a year on my other 3 rentals combined. 

Competition & Time of year - From my experience, there is a ton of competitors, i'm always watching what their prices are and adjusting mine accordingly trying and beat the competition to get the place rented. (more time, not included above) The time of year is also important, in the winter i'm looking at $40-70 a night and in the summer i'm looking at $99-$150 a night. Your monthly income is never the same month over month. 

Cash flow - Not sure about any other Airbnb'ers but at most i can only get 50-60% of my expenses covered, its better than nothing but i've yet to do Airbnb where it covers all my expenses like a rental does and then some. (15-20 day vs a full 30 day is more than likely the reason coupled with price fluctuation from timing and competition)

The Plus side, 

Im living in an awesome place only paying for 40-50% of my expenses which is helping me save fast for my next deal. 

Ill have the places to myself for 10-15 days a month so its like having a roommate that's not always there so i can enjoy my place and my hard work. 

All my expenses are now tax deductible, from the Mortgage, Heat, Electricity, HOA fees, all expenses, this will come in handy during tax time as it looks like i took a massive loss.

Hope this helped

Phillip Faries