All Forum Posts by: Kim Becker

@John Park These news stories are definitely painting a bad picture of Airbnb and it is causing cities to crack down on them. I know recently here in Arlington there were 4 town hall meetings regarding it but we found out that all the people complaining about Airbnb were complaining about one host in the area. To answer your question people shouldn't be looking at properties for Airbnb use unless you are in a true vacation market. You should look at a property for corporate rental use. Airbnb is great but it's also taking some of your profits every time someone stays. I personally only use Airbnb during vacancies that usually last two weeks and the majority of the time I'm putting corporate renters into my places. They will pay you the Airbnb money for way less work. I don't think Airbnb will go away but they will continue to come up with regulations for it and for us investors ain't nobody got time for that. I see you are just north of me in Lewisville. Are you looking in the DFW area for properties? 

1.  Landlord can charge above market value for rent.  Steady income. Doesn’t have to worry if it’s not booking, that’s on the host.   If he holds the property, he is only paid for nights booked.  
2.  STR mgt companies charge a good chunk of change. I haven’t crunched the numbers, but once you factor in expenses and mgt fees  you might be looking at a wash, or worse.  
3. You are losing that personal connection with guests that a host provides. In my experience as an Airbnb host, this is huge in motivating a guest to respect your property - treat them with kindness and respect and they will reciprocate. 
3. A host is personally invested in that property. This translates into attention to detail in decor and extra touches that make a difference in bookings and property maintenance. They provide that “x factor.”  A mgt company- not so much. 

Hosts need to be thoroughly vetted though!   I would want to look at other properties he is hosting,  check reviews, perform background check, request letters of reference from their landlords, etc.  


Originally posted by @Aaron K.:

I think that would be a tough sell, because the business model would cause more wear and tear to the unit than a normal tenant with no increased return to show for it.  Once they saw whether or not you were making a profit they might just find a short term rental management company and do it themselves.

@Kim Becker On the wear and tear issue, what we've observed is that when you adopt Airbnb's price suggestion and we lower our nightly rate, we tend to attract renters who typically do not take care of our unit. Very interesting dynamic, but I guess one could debate the same scenario for long-term tenants too. 

Oh, Kim, as for your question, I think it's about transparency with the landlord if you tell them what are trying to do and they allow you, that could be a win-win. 

Hope this helps, Kim. Goodluck. Thanks! - Ola

The other issue is how legal is Airbnb in your city? In our area, less than 30 days rentals are not allowed. Recently an Airbnb operator was fined $25,000.  If you are taking a risk you should be compensated.