All Forum Posts by: John McGonigal

@Chuck Kramer thanks for taking the time for this detailed response! Our condos are in Branson, so generally the guests are families looking to experience Silver Dollar City or older guests who attend the many shows offered in town. It’s definitely more family focused as compared to party/nightlife vacation locations. Although, we’ve had great experience with the relaxed booking requirements, we’ll likely add the government ID and previous positive host review in order to instant book.

For us, AirBnB seems to be where most of the reservations come in here at Branson. We’ve had substantially fewer bookings with VRBO.

@Chuck Kramer thanks for that info! I was able to talk to the individual and he agreed to cancel, so this potential crisis is averted.

I’m sure this question is addressed in other posts, but since today’s topic addresses policy, what are considered best practices as it pertains to AirBnB booking requirements? We currently allow instant bookings and don’t require a government ID or host review. 

We  thought this approach was good to build up quick bookings and positive reviews before the 1 April Superhost assessment. Now that that is accomplished, we’d like to know what other seasoned hosts use as standard practice that isn’t too restrictive in nature and doesn’t inhibit  steady bookings... but reduces risk to the property.  Thanks

@Chuck Kramer the way I read the AirBnB policy on COVID is we would be penalized under normal cancellation rules unless the guest initiates or requests we cancel on their behalf for COVID. 

As new hosts, We were on track to earn Superhost status on April 1st. That now appears in jeopardy if we initiate the cancellation.

I would think the guest has a requirement to respond to our message asking for clarification of their group makeup and visit intent. Our stated house rule is no parties and the person booking needs to be at least 25 yo.

Can they just ignore us and show up asking for entry? 

I’m considering canceling a short notice instant booking that appears to be a group of college students trying to find a place to spring break in Branson. The booked yesterday and arrive on Monday. Hate to do it, but it doesn’t pass the sniff test.  I asked the guy who booked to state the reason for their visit, and for the makeup of the group, and haven’t received a response.

I hope I can justify under the AirBnB COVID guidelines.

@Account Closed though the temptation is there, we wouldn't put ourselves in that position. This COVID-19 experience provides a great reminder as to why our personal REI philosophy works for us... assume some risk(but not too much), diversify assets to offset that risk, and have the ability to cover the load for a while when $&@) hits the fan.

This too shall pass.

My wife and I purchased 3 condos in Branson since last November.  Spring Break business was booming until a few days ago. Summer bookings were coming in regularly until a few days ago. We’ve been able to rebook some of the cancellations at a much reduced rate, but the once full March calendar is now increasingly empty.

Luckily, we didn’t sell the farm for this business and have the ability to weather the storm with excess from my W2 job, along with whatever extra we get from the STRs. I know many others aren’t so fortunate. We wish all of you luck and bumper crop business in the summer months.

@Mark Miles my wife and I use Hostfully for our two Branson condos and like it so far. For around $20 per month, you can create up to 5 electronic guidebooks. These are easy to set up and maintain and it allows the guests to review our information before checking in.

@Daniel Halsted Indian Point seems to be a popular area, especially for those visitors who spend a lot of time at SDC. We only looked at the condos for sale on Indian Point at The Cliffs. According to our REA, the other places for sale while we were there were either overpriced or had PM restrictions.

Many of the condos sit on the market for a long time due to the seller not having urgency to sell a condo that is making money as a STR. These condos are likely at or over market value, have high HOA fees, or PM restrictions to be sitting that long.

However, I’d discuss with a local REA if there’s a condo you’re liking that’s been on the market a while... could be other factors.

@Anita Parsa. Thanks Anita. We ended up purchasing a couple of Condos from one of Kelly Worley’s agents. It was a great experience overall.

Ultimately, there is no cheat sheet. But the local Branson agents are well informed of the various condo association pros and cons.

We ended up in Holiday Hills. Various factors led to our decision, but location, PM flexibility, and amenities (huge indoor pool) were the primary drivers. The low HOA was nice, but no utilities were included.

@Nigel Guisinger that’s interesting. So you find the long term market more profitable? What kind of ROU are you averaging? Are you renting furnished or unfinished mainly?

That part I struggle with is getting a realistic expense list that accounts for all the extras associated with STR (house cleaning, toiletries, utilities, etc)