All Forum Posts by: Derek Miller

@Dave Stokley

I don’t disagree with what you’re saying.. but I do believe there is a middle ground. Of course I don’t want a guest standing in the rain trying to get in. What I was trying to say in my post though, was that you can set up some pretty robust systems that cut down on those kind of phone calls/messages without being out of the loop. And then follow on systems that are set up for the inevitable situations like you mentioned.

I don’t want to be overly involved where I have to worry about remembering to send check in info or information about the house, so I automate as much as I can. In my 3-4 months so far, I’ve had one phone call saying they can’t get in. I gave them my back-up code and was off the phone in a minute . I’ll do that any day versus paying a monthly fee. All that to say is if you set up your systems correctly at the beginning, it seems like the software becomes less valuable.

@Justin Anderson good input.

I think that may be what I would end up doing with more properties as well. I’m an engineer by day, and I think that is part of why I don’t see huge value in the extra cost of a simple software program.

@Joshua Strickland With syncing calendars between platforms, does it really just become a single dashboard to view? Can you push out price updates, etc. to all platforms simultaneously from a single calendar?

I plan to expand to other platforms, but AirBnB has us currently booked solid through October. I’m going to hold off on listing on VRBO or other platforms until we have some closer availability. The initial push the platforms give you seems to be huge, so I’d rather use that when I have dates available that aren’t 5 months out.

We're now into STR for a few months and have learned a few things to make the process more automated. I've already got it to a point where I am pretty much hands off. Mind you… we have one property.

Before I get to my question… Im not looking to start another post about what the best software is out there.

With that said, why do folks use these PM services at all? I’ve read the forums comparing some, but through free options like AirBnBs scheduled messaging, sharing calendar with our cleaner, etc, why would I pay for an additional service?

Maybe I just have my blinders on because of having only one STR, but I don't see what the benefit is at the moment if your system is set up in an efficient way.

Where do you see these additional systems pay back?

Thanks for all the input. We've decided to stick with a hard stop of 8 at the moment. First time hosting so we're leaning conservative. Our outdoor space and pool is what seems to be attracting the larger groups but not necessarily "partiers." If they find another location to sleep some of the people do you allow them all to use the outdoor area and pool during the day? Or is that another hard stop of guests only?

@Luke Carl I remember you talking about a "happy number" for each house, and I agree - 8 is about it.

@Joe C. Great input. We've thought of all the indoor aspects (beds, seating, kitchenware, etc.) but parking is one that was not at the top of my mind. 

@Brad Hammond we're going to do that as well. I realize now that AirBnB lets us add the cost after 8 rather than our listing number of 6. Maybe that will lessen the inquires for the larger numbers.

We've officially listed our first property on AirBnB, and we have began to receive our first reservations. What seems to be a common thing already is guests inquiring about the number of people the house can hold. It is a 3BR, 2BA house, so it is not a large house by any means. We have it listed as sleeping 6, but I'm sure an air mattress for an extra 1-2 people would not be a big deal. 

So far, we've had one inquire for 9 (4 adults, 3 kids, and 2 toddlers) and another for 12 (6 adults and 6 kids... which sounds crazy to me). 

We've taken the approach to respond and kindly let them know we believe it will feel like a crammed house, and reiterated our sleeping arrangements. The responses we get to those messages almost sound like they are trying to reason with themselves on how they can make it work.

As new hosts we don't want to put a bad taste in anyone's mouth, but also don't want to jam a ton of people in here. For multiple reasons.

Does it sound like we're handling this correct, or is there a better suggestion? Is this common?? Do you use the feature to tack on cost for extra guests, or does that deter people who may have only one over the limit?

Getting things finalized for our first AirBnB. We’ll be moving out of our current house at the end of February, and then I’d like it open to guests beginning in March.

Do you become a host early on and have to blackout dates before it’s ready, or do you wait until it is ready to go live? I know there are perks when first starting, so just trying to time it properly.

Appreciate any input/experience

@Marian Smith thanks for the input! With the current market (at least in our area) we are leaving that option on the table. We’re watching a few houses in our area at the moment, and if they sell at or above the listing prices, we may follow suit. I know you can’t predict the market, but homes seem to be selling for more than they are worth because of the lack of supply. If they don’t sell, or sell for less than asking, we’re going to go the AirBnB/VRBO route.

If AirBnB doesn’t get going as well as we would hope for, we would have a time period to sell while still avoiding the capital gains taxes like you mention

@Boris Mordkovich thanks for the input. Never knew about Prime Now, but that is helpful.

Our biggest question at the moment is the pool.

We spoke to our local pool company, and they would come out every two weeks to monitor salt and other levels, backwash the system, and any of the other specialized maintenance tasks.

Our pool is salt water, so it doesn't require quite as much of the chemical up keep, but how do you manage the more frequent cleaning? We have a robotic vacuum so it doesn't have to be manually vacuumed all the time, but do you ask the housekeeper to empty the skimmer, clean out the vacuum, etc.? I've read some others provide information for the guests to be able to skim the pool and empty the basket, but curious what your take is if you have experience.

You're the expert for AirBnB, so are you talking personal insurance?

For personal home/auto(s)/umbrella, I shop around and its always a pain. I try to shop once a year though. I'm with Statefarm now and can't complain. They cover all three and discount accordingly. Are you using some third party to do the shopping aspect for you? I've had the best luck going straight to the insurance companies.