How to prep your primary home to rent out as STR, AirBnB ?'s

[Tandi H.]

Hi all-

We have a AirBnB guesthouse that is doing well on our property.  It's small and affordable, so we get mainly single travelers, which has been nice and quiet.  We've enjoyed meeting new people and it's a pretty quick job to clean and turnover.

We are now considering renting out the main house, our home, during a big event (Balloon Fiesta) that happens annually here in Abq.  It is a 10-day event.  We have not rented out our home before.

Questions that are coming up for us:

1. Should we list the booking on AirBnB as a full 10-day event rental?  Doing that would narrow down the possible renters, but it would also remove the need to completely clean and turnover the house partway through.  Or should we list it that way now, and we can always change it later if it doesn't book?
2. How much personal stuff should we remove from the house?  Do we need to empty the closets, or just part of the closet?  Do personal photos need to be taken off of walls?  
3. Is a STR lease recommended by others who have been in our situation? Or what kind of protections have you put in place? How do you vet guests beforehand?
4. How far in advance do people usually book for these type of big events?  How soon do I need to have the listing ready...still working on getting great photos of each room, and we are still doing some redecorating.

Thanks!  

[Kathy Hansen]

JUST got the following in a review: "The house is so much more than we expected. She has lovingly filled it with cherished possessions....we truly felt we were staying at the home of a long time friend."