All Forum Posts by: Allison Craft

If you are looking for reliable/trusted boots on the ground for your short-term rental here in Tampa and the surrounding areas, please reach out! I not only provide hands on support and care for your property, but I specialize in optimizing your listing to get it to that first page. We focus on guest experience in which will boost your revenue numbers! 

 I completely agree with Matt here. The permit process was stressful but I got through it. I had to get permits from the township and the community I am in. It was a pain but I am booked every single weekend and if you look at my listing, I am completely booked the entire month of July and August. Every weekend is booked through October. My total gross revenue is averaging $10k a month. Yes, the Poconos area is saturated but I still believe if you buy the right property in the right spot and you invest in design and amenities, you will do very well. There are millions of people who live in NY, Philly, NJ.. all driving distance.. there is still demand in the Poconos area. 
If you are wanting to buy a short term rental, I would reach out to John Bianchi with STR Search. He analyzes Airbnb data all day long and finds properties for his clients. He can even give projections on how much that property will make.

Yes!

I'm sorry for your loss. It's great that you're looking to turn this situation into a positive venture with Airbnb.
I think there is a lot to unpack here to answer your question. If the house is paid off, that takes away a lot of pressure. But sounds like you have old furniture in the house? STR are very competitive today and investing in a well-designed home is key to your success. Generally, I would recommend giving your Airbnb at least 6 months to build some credibility. It will give you the time to adjust your pricing strategy during different seasons and give you time to gather reviews which impacts your booking rates.
You also need to consider the effort and time required to manage a short-term rental compared to a long term. 
Best of luck to you, I hope you find success in whatever strategy you go with! 

You click on the details of the current reservation and scroll down to change reservation. Change the dates and the price. It will send the change request to the guest. The guest can then accept or deny request. It’s super easy! 

Thanks! Yep, through trial and error I have found weekly is working for me now. But there was a point last month where I had some guests spill a drink or something because she had to drain the tub. It was that bad kind of thing. But I am learning as I go! I appreciate your feedback! 

Hey ya'll! 

For those who have a hot tub for your rental, may I ask how much you schedule maintenance and how much you pay for that maintenance?

Currently my hot tub maintenance person says I need to schedule her to come out to the property after every turnover to poor chemicals in and clean the tub. There are times I may have 3 turnovers in a week. I pay $60 for each time she comes out to clean the tub and put chemicals in. It is eating into my margins and was curious if I am overpaying for maintenance..? 

The best place to look is this website here:
Pocono Vacation Homes for Sale (poconovacationhomesales.com)

For me personally, I own an Airbnb in the Penn Estates community. It is an HOA but is it STR friendly. But even though it is STR friendly, the HOA staff there are terrible. They are very mean to guests and not respectful to any STR owner. A lot of the residental owners want the investment properties out. But the issue with that is, the STR owners bring in so much revenue to the community. The HOA is money hungry so they will never ban short term rentals.

Anyway, I think the Poconos area is a great place to invest. You have to stand out from the competition to do well since there are so many rentals there. But I am booked solid all summer and every weekend is booked in Sep and Oct. The demand is there if you give a good product! 

Here is my listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/888987869071828372?photo_id=183...

I just wrote a blog on this topic - it's on my website! Personally, I think it is paramount to hire a designer to maximize your investment. There is so much data out there that shows the difference of a well-designed/photographed property compared to an Ikea property. Competition is fierce and you can't cut corners in my opinion. 
Investing in Design and Amenities: The Key to Standing Out in the Short-Term Rental Market (craftycohost.com)