All Forum Posts by: Michael Kugler

This is happening everywhere. The hotel lobby is furiously pushing forward with this providing a lot of weight behind the banning of STRs.

Thank you Ariel - we are going to be the Craigslist model - through and through. 

We are going to do the per listing with the PMs and have discounted pricing. Now, whether or not anyone/everyone abides by it is another story. ;)

Love Burlingame - lived in the area for 7 years. Great homes and neighbors.

But, here is the thing Julius. I see it from their (the individual homeowners) side as well.

If I am paying a membership to list a home - how is it fair for a PM to list one and then use that same listing to fill dozens - possibly 100s of units off of one single listing. This is the exact reason AirBNB, VRBO, FlipKey and others do their listings like they do. 

They control the listing, the client, the money and the calendar. If you want to fill more homes you have to sign up and pay for more. There is no way to do it otherwise. Watermark your images to call for more information - they suspend you.

BTW - I think we have worked through the "Pro" part. The customers don't necessarily mind if there is a PM or not. It is the owners who are in flames over us allowing PMs to list. Like I said though, I think we have it resolved.

See? And THIS is why I love BP!!!!

Thank you Mr. Ramirez!! Invaluable advice. 

Still open to more.

We will be nothing like AirBNB. Now, you might say that AirBNB was a copycatter of VRBO and the case could be made. Or that VRBO was a copycatter of Craigslist and that case could be made. Or that Craiglist was a copycatter of the Wooden Nickeal and make that case.

We will not charge commissions to the traveler or the owner. That alone makes us wildly different. 

Andrew - we will be a nationwide listing service. We are already working on ways to differentiate our site from the others. More to come.

Julius The owner/property manager will be the ultimate vetter if you will, but we would like to assist them in this process to let them know that we at least made an effort to get responsible renters to them.

Hi Julie

( I had to laugh - my wife's best best Bessssst friend in the world is also a JMC and she is definitely not a BP poster, so it caught me off guard)

Okay, we will be 100% membership based. That is an absolute slam dunk and we have zero interest into doing a commission structure such as the big 3 are doing. We will be peer to peer and leave the rest to the homeowners. It is our job to bring them together and stay out of their money.

I too like the postcard and thought it was a great solution, but there are a lot of people telling me the same thing. I don't live there - I get my mail forwarded - anyone could do it. But, you and I think alike on this and I really believe this is going to be the solution in the end.

The opposition boils down to this - the old bait and switch. The PM list one unit on a VR site and when that books they just keep taking the inquiries without paying anything more than the person who has a single listing. I do believe I have a solid solution for it, but... the best laid plans.... 

The photo ID at the time of registering is still pretty light as it can be anyone for anything, but I can't see a method short of biometrics scanning that will cover all the bases.

We are looking into all of this in advance. That is why I come here to BP :D The best advice is from here.

Have a good one, Mike

We are going to roll out a powerful vacation rental website in about 2 months. It has HUGE seo potential and will be a viable alternative for homeowners who want a great place to list. 

Having said that, there are things that I am running into a brick wall on and I could really use some advice here.

To start - another group I am a member of is adamantly opposed to letting property managers list on the site. IOW, telling me that they will not list with me if I allow PMs to list. Some have been more conciliatory and said they will still list, but the PMs have to pay to list each of their properties just like the individual homeowner does. How in the world could I enforce something like this?

#2. Verification - while the homes that we have been testing are all verified, what am I going to do for future listings? I need something more than scout's honor when dealing with something this large. If you say utility bill - easy to photoshop. Send a postcard that has to be returned - that would also be easy to set up a false listing and a PO box. If you say check county court records, it still does not stop the elaborate thief from using a public record. We want to ensure that all listings are vetted and above board.

#3. Following up on #2, do you think we should also vet travelers? Currently, the people that I have polled have went 80 20 against saying they will vet their own clients and that it would drive away more potential customers than bring them in. Again, I want to protect the homeowners as well without being a nanny state.

I would really appreciate some feedback on this.

 Exactly right. People don't realize that more exposure gives you a better chance to connect with someone out there. Not everyone types "Miami beach rental" into Google. Someone might type in "Condo Miami handicap" or "Florida Condo ocean view".

Yes, if they are in the directory of VRBO or AirBNB that is that and it will move on. Don't limit yourself. Craigslist has brought me $10,000 worth of business over the past 5 years. MyAlpu has also brought about $10,000 over the past year. If it doesn't cost anything, take the time to list and get found.