All Forum Posts by: Lisa Graesser

 At this point into Oct 2023 I have 24 reservations on Houfy.  These are either repeat guests or leads from local websites in our local area, zillow or Google. It has been a great platform that gets better with every host that joins. The owner and administrative staff are very receptive to all recommendation from hosts. They do not do any advertising,  you do your own promoting on social media.

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.

My homes in The Villages, Florida for December is  75% occupancy at this point

Congrats on 19,000 posts! Very impressive with a WEALTH of knowledge.

STR have seemed to become the cool thing to do over the last few years, many have jumped in due to FOMO and I think most likely paying more for a property than they may have spent otherwise, due to expectations of a greater return.

I was fortunate to get started in 2015,with additional purchases in 2016, 2018 and 2021(I paid $30,000 more for the comparable 2018 proptery, but the numbers still worked)

I am not in a glamorous market(at least according to the majority of STR's out there) but I do have a specific demographic that I think is a great benefit....retired or want to soon be retired folks!

I have not had any decrease in booking, I have a waiting list, I have booking right now into October 2023, with requests for 2024 and I have many repeat guests. 

My overall profits are not what key vacation destinations may be, but each year is better, I have some else paying my mortgage(with pretty good interest rates) and all of the homes have appreciated. I can guess that maybe the prices may come down a little, but I have no plans to sell for many years.

Point being, don't get drawn in by FOMO and make sure the realistic numbers work, even with a lower than expected occupancy and know what you are getting into, STR's are alot more work than long term rentals and you have to like being in the hospitality business.

I agree to keep the carpet until it needs replacing, then switch to a luxury vinyl or what ever new product comes out. Invest in a Hoover power scrub carpet steam cleaner, it does wonders on carpets when needed and I use it on my waterproof luxury vinyl also.

I have this one at our rentals, so the cleaner has access to them in the event of the house being left with an odor such as a smoke smell and it has done wonders to remove the smoke stench left. Only needs to be run for a hour or two and then air out the space. I have only used it in one home so far that was a 1200 sq ft home.

Enerzen Ozone Generator 11,000mg Industrial O3 Air Purifier Deodorizer (11,000mg - Black) https://a.co/d/eBSL5dV

We have garages that the guests use. We have a key pad on the outside and we do not give out the code. We do not have wifi access to the garage door.. We leave the garage door opener for the guests to use. The guests access the house from the front door at arrival and then when they have the garage door opener  they can also use that access. We have never had a problem with this and in 7 years have never had a guest lose the opener. We do send out a reminder with checkout info to remove the opener from their car.

 What do you think a good nightly rate is?( I would rather do a nightly rate vs. Flat fee)

Honestly I would rather have dogs then kids, but you can't charge extra for kids, 😀