All Forum Posts by: Jon Martin

I agree . . . . And I would phrase it along the lines of, "Would you mind sending me a photo of your service dog's certification tag/license? I am more than happy to accommodate certified service dogs and their owners, however I have had problems in the past with people claiming non-certified dogs as service dogs. Thank you in advance" 

If they really are a person who requires an actual service dog, then I imagine that they are more annoyed with people claiming ESAs as an equivalent to service dogs than are with having to comply with the above request. 

What a drama queen. Wants better quality but also wants to be more affordable and competitively priced with hotels . . . . lol. I usually don't get a full kitchen, separate living room, front porch and backyard with a hotel room so why should a STR be priced competitively with a 200 SF hotel room that has none of that? In the rare case that you do have those amenities in a traditional hotel you usually pay a high premium for them, so why should it be any different with STRs? He's not comparing apples to apples.

Markets determine price potential, not hosts, and hotels will eek out every dollar they can from their customer just like hosts do. 

I find it is reasonably good at pulling past performance data. Predicting that forward is something that no platform or algorithm can do. Far too many factors. 

Even with a rentalizer estimate, that estimate is only as good as the comps it pulls in to make an average from them. If the comps are relatively similar to the quality and location of your listing, then it is reasonable to assume that yours would have performed about as well. However if it is pulling in comps that are clearly in a better location, better view etc then you have to take that into account, and same goes on the other end if it's pulling in dumps. 

I like to run estimates based on one less bed/bath than the property I am considering. If those numbers work, then it's reasonable to assume that it should work at least as good with an extra bed/bath, nice decor/furnishings, service etc 

Great list, spot on 100%

All stuff that I have thought of at some point so having a hard time adding anything else, except that your decor should match the theme of the surrounding area. I don't want to rent an STR in the desert and see photos of white sand tropical beaches, and vice versa. It just looks dumb. In some cases people are traveling there from far away and the decor should fit the vibe of the area. A few hundred bucks (if that) spent on Etsy or Ebay picking up items that fit the theme of your area, such as horse shoes and spurs for a desert property, goes a long way. Hang some prints of local natural and historical landmarks, or maybe an aerial photo of what it looked like 50-100+ years ago.

I’m tall so I love the CA King but I don’t like the lack of options. The Hotel Signature from Costco is the only reliable set that I like but they are pricey (~$100).

Don’t get me wrong- with Amazon you can find everything you just have less options and pay more for them, and if you need to replace something same day in a pinch you could be SOL. I have standard kings and was able to replace a bed frame same day with a delivery from Wal Mart, no way are you doing that with a Cal King. 

I don’t think it’s worth $50k to get a slightly bigger bed that looks shoe horned in. Queens will do. 

And yes- cleaners typically wash linens off site, so you need at least one spare set that they can change right away. 

@K.S haha no I think you misread the avg price which comes up at $119. I charge $160 on weekends and will raise rates next spring once I have a full year of booking metrics and more reviews. Appreciate the compliments!

Like that closet setup. 

Sounds cool! I like steampunk. My listing in Greenville SC is in a reviving industrial area so I've incorporated some industrial elements into my listing 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/788487343968059581?source_impre...

Agree with house hack, especially if you can segment off a self-contained unit in a basement or wing of your house. Rent it out as a budget STR or MTR for 1-2 people and you can easily cover your mortgage if you buy right.

If that's not practical for your situation a 2 bedroom STR is a good start as well. You can learn the game with low overhead/startup costs, and you have several exit/pivot strategies if things don't go as planned.

For both, location and unique amenities (walkable, views, easy access to fun places etc) is crucial. Be mindful of local regs as well. 

 This is the one I plan to put in my next property on each side of the bed. Slightly wider than a standard nightstand, no assembly (most nightstands require this) and kills 2 bird with 1 stone.  Dressers are by far the hardest thing to shop for, even moderately priced ones are marginal in quality. 

https://www.nathosp.com/product/et36f_c/hotel_guest_room_fur...