All Forum Posts by: Leon Lee

Hi, Fellow BPers

Among all jobs related to STR operations, I find that finding the right people for internet issues in your rentals is the trickiest: who you usually call when guests complain about internet issues? Those IT solution companies wouldn't even reply back to you if your projects are less than $500. My handypeople and cleaners are not even close to be helpful in terms of technologies. Any inputs and ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Best

Lee

 Is this an old model? I don't remember newer Schalge "Encode" Lock requires hubs, but Schlage Connect does. I used to use some Schlage Connect locks that uses z-wave technology and requires Smartthing hub, but quickly found that one more device means one more hassle. Some guests simply unplug it when they need to charge their phone, as they don't see how their stay is disrupted by removing the hub. 

Ken

This info is super useful, thanks! Since you've already put in a lot of work gathering guest emails, I'm guessing reaching out directly through Airbnb for their emails might risk a ban? Also, have you considered text message marketing? Looks like we've got more phone numbers than emails in our database.

Thanks

Lee

Hi, Fellow BPers

I've been hearing from a few groups about using "runners" for simple operational tasks. I'm curious to get some insights from you all. Specifically, I'm wondering (1) what kinds of tasks you usually assign to these runners, (2) how much you pay them (either per hour or per month), and (3) where you find people for this role. Considering how spread out short-term rental properties can be, not to mention the rising costs of gas and wear and tear on vehicles, I'm really interested in how you all manage this.

Thanks a lot! 

Lee

Hey Sarah,

Thanks a bunch for the info! About marketing, I've got a question for you. We're thinking of collecting guests' emails and phone numbers from Airbnb for marketing, but we want to be super cautious about it. Our plan is to include something like "Feel free to send your working email and phone number with us to our team so that we can better coordinate for any emergency during your stay" in our message asking for their estimated time of arrival. This way, we hope to gather contact info from both current and future guests. What do you think? Is there a risk of getting us banned from Airbnb for this? We've gone through Airbnb's privacy policy regarding off-platform communication, and it seems like it might be crossing a line. Curious to hear what you and others in the community think about this approach.

Thanks again!

Hey Michael,

Thanks for the update! Just to clarify, when I talk about the $3,500/month gross income, that total includes both nightly fees and the cleaning fee, so we've got to take out the 13% for cleaning. About the maintenance, could you give me an example with some specific numbers? I get that for a cabin bringing in $8K a month, spending $560 (7%) on maintenance might seem high. But for a single-family home near a metro area making $3.5K a month, $245 (which is 7%) on maintenance doesn't seem too excessive. After all, even a simple job like tightening a towel bar can start at $50, and handyman rates are at least $40/hour. I'm also factoring in a bit for capital expenses, i.e., HVACs and roofs as I am holding them long-term. This is why I'm curious if larger properties with higher income might be more profitable, both in terms of cash flow and CoC, especially since many expenses don't really change proportionally with the property size. But it seems Sarah said not necessary.

Hi Sarah,

Loved the insights in your post, especially about marketing – that's an area I've been grappling with lately. Email campaigns are tricky since Airbnb keeps those addresses under wraps (looking at StayFi now). We've got a website through our channel manager, but direct bookings are still few and far between. Why do you think Airbnb and VRBO bookings still dominate, making up about 85% of bookings for many (although we get a good number of mid- to long-term guests through word-of-mouth for our listings)? It seems like guests prefer the security of those well-known platforms, which makes sense given how common online scams are these days. I'm diving into email campaigns now, but wow, they're a time sink! In your experience, what are the most cost-effective marketing strategies?

Did they say that their company is paying for their vacation? I usually reply asking which company they are working for and I want to apply for a position too, so that my company can cover all of my vacations. ;-)

Hey Ken,

Thanks a ton for the info! I'm with you on the 5% CoC thing, especially considering the likelihood of not seeing strong appreciation anytime soon. I'm still in the phase of expanding and figuring out if I should keep buying more properties, so your insights are super helpful.

Cheers,
Lee