All Forum Posts by: Lisa Graesser

I rent to the older population or families of. I only have 1 of my 4 rentals on airbnb, so no impact on my rentals. I am receiving more direct bookings.

Hi Anthony, We own 4 homes that we short term rent in The Villages. We purchased between 2015-2021. when my husband was 55, but you do not have to be 55 to purchase a home in The Villages I am not familiar with the 80/20 rule, but did just read a post regarding trying to get 80% of yearly cost covered in high season and 20% in low season, if that is what you are referring to then 80/20 rule will apply. High season being Jan-April and low season being May-Dec.

I am happy to connect with you and answer any questions I am able to.

Lisa

No decrease in bookings, I get inquiries daily for peak season Jan-March 2023 and 2024. I am booked through April with direct bookings in May, June and October. I think demand is determined by the popularity of the area where your rentals are located.

I allow dogs only,  max 2, I charge an extra $10/night. I have not had any issues, no size or breed restrictions. I do not have any separate agreement for dogs.

 Cleaner charges an extra $25 for added time to do any exta cleaning(dog hair) Dogs are alot less wear and tear then kids(and I can't charge any extra for kids)

Message the host privately. Like Luke said, ants all of a sudden show up and the house can be treated to get rid of them. The host may not have known the dryer was not working, so they need to be told so they can take care of it as soon as possible. I have noticed that guests will tell me of some minor issues, but do not want someone to come during their stay to take care of it, but I truly appreciate it when they let me know of any concerns, so I can remedy the issue as soon as possible.

Stick to your cancellation policy,  you have that for a reason. Recommend travel insurance. Bad weather happens, whether hurricane season or snow season. That is what the guest agrees to when the reservation is made.

Quote from @Gulliver R.:

Thank you all for the input!

@Bruce Woodruff - Does the free Wix version give you the ability to receive credit/debit card payments like via Stripe? How much are you paying per month?

@David Bergmann - my PMS has a direct booking site feature but it's in beta right now. 

@Lisa Graesser - what's houfy.com? I never heard of it. I just pulled it up and it looks like a listing site like an airbnb.com.

It is a direct booking site, I use this in place of having my own website to take direct bookings.

Houfy.com 

Add your listing and receive direct bookings. It is free to use for hosts and guests. You can receive credit card payments through Stripe or Square or take payments however you like....venmo, zelle, PayPal, check...your choice. Upload your rental agreement and have guests sign on the site when making the reservation. 

Quote from @Vincent M.:

Quote from @Lisa Graesser:

Quote from @Ryan O'Connor:

Quote from @Lisa Graesser:

I highly recommend that you list your property on Houfy.com, it is free for hosts and guests. It is a great platform to accept bookings, receive payments via Stipe or square or if you prefer you can accept payment with any platform you choose, such as venmo, zelle, PayPal or check....your choice.  You can upload your rental agreement and guest will sign when making the reservation. I have had great success with booking repeat guests from  other platforms that charge a booking fee.. 

To promote your listing, whether on Houfy or another platform, social media posts on local FB groups is a great way to get exposure to your listing.

 Thanks for the input!  I am familiar with Houfy, however our property is not in a destination location and there aren't currently any other listings on houfy in our general area, so I'm not sure how effect it would be in this market.  Definitely something to keep in mind though!

Houfy doesn't advertise, so the fact that your property is not in a destination area doesn't matter, I was the only the only member in The Villages for quite a while, it is just a resource for you to steer previous renters and new guests from social media posts to book direct. It is a way for you to have more control of your own property. For me it is like having my own website that I didn't have to create myself. I have been on Houfy since close to its inception  and have watched how  hard  the admistrators have worked on this with help from input from the members. It has come a long way since I joined them over 2 years ago, it has benefited me and I have enjoyed watching them grow and improve. 

@Lisa Graesser Following this thread - I am wondering how Houfy monetizes from the listings if they don't charge either hosts or guests.  is there a premium service? Very interested in listing

At this point they make a little on featured listings and last minute deals, but they have bigger plans coming in the near future, you can find this information on a post from 2 days ago on the Facebook group "Say Yes to Houfy"

Quote from @Ryan O'Connor:

Quote from @Lisa Graesser:

I highly recommend that you list your property on Houfy.com, it is free for hosts and guests. It is a great platform to accept bookings, receive payments via Stipe or square or if you prefer you can accept payment with any platform you choose, such as venmo, zelle, PayPal or check....your choice.  You can upload your rental agreement and guest will sign when making the reservation. I have had great success with booking repeat guests from  other platforms that charge a booking fee.. 

To promote your listing, whether on Houfy or another platform, social media posts on local FB groups is a great way to get exposure to your listing.

 Thanks for the input!  I am familiar with Houfy, however our property is not in a destination location and there aren't currently any other listings on houfy in our general area, so I'm not sure how effect it would be in this market.  Definitely something to keep in mind though!

Houfy doesn't advertise, so the fact that your property is not in a destination area doesn't matter, I was the only the only member in The Villages for quite a while, it is just a resource for you to steer previous renters and new guests from social media posts to book direct. It is a way for you to have more control of your own property. For me it is like having my own website that I didn't have to create myself. I have been on Houfy since close to its inception  and have watched how  hard  the admistrators have worked on this with help from input from the members. It has come a long way since I joined them over 2 years ago, it has benefited me and I have enjoyed watching them grow and improve.