All Forum Posts by: Michael Baum

Hey @Tom Dieringer, so the Expedia Group has a market cap of 21+ billion so I wouldn't worry too much about them. They have a good set of advertisements that focus on their whole house strategy which is good IMHO.

We are running about 50/50 on bookings for 2025 right now. I good mix IMHO. Like @Bruce Woodruff I prefer VRBO guests but I haven't had terrible luck with AirBNB guests. They just seem to leave the house in rougher shape.

I don't change them either. It is time for new ones and this time I will use a pro once I find one where I own the pics and not them.

Hey @Joy Daniels, so we looked at triple sheeting and it is kinda neat, but it is time consuming to flip a house when you have to triple sheet 7 or 8 beds.

We use the Big One sheets from Kohls. They are the 70/30 or 60/40 cotton/poly blend in a percale weave. Not sateen. White only. They are reasonably priced, especially when on sale. The wash great and are very durable. We still have fitted and top sheets from our first year in the mix.

Just make sure you don't use bleach on them or any sheet. Bleach binds with body oils and causes them to yellow. I do use bleach on spots if necessary. Hit it with straight bleach, let it sit and rinse with cold water. Stain gone then wash.

We use Charisma/Berkshire summer weight comforters from Costco. They are really great. They hang on the beds really well. Not short or anything. Look great. They wash up easily and are tough. We have all of ours still in service after 7 years. They are lightweight so we have puffy comforters in the closets along with multiple blankets.

We use this system on our beds (not on the bunk beds). 2" memory foam topper on a Zinus Green Tea 12" mattress. Over that goes the Serta Black mattress covers which are quilted and waterproof. Makes the beds super comfortable and thick. Never had a complaint and lots of compliments. We used the Big One 2" memory foam topper. We have them everywhere including our primary house. The Serta Black covers can be had at Costco from time to time.

All of these wash up great and quick. If you have a decent washer the king comforters fit just fine and wash quickly. 

Hey @Jerry Zigounakis, gratz on the new place!

I will say that even though you get the boost from VRBO and AirBNB, the first year of operation is usually lean as you build up the rep.

Offering a discount on the stay is a way to be more attractive but don't go crazy. You might get the dregs staying at your place and you don't want it trashed.

Make sure you list it on VRBO and AirBNB for maximum exposure. Get some professional photos. Now for some nice winter shots then schedule for summer so you can add them as well. Nice to have a mix seeing as it is both a winter and summer destination.

Is the place furnished or do you have to do the whole nut? There are a lot of good posts on here so I would take some time and read the forum so you can hit the ground running.

Great post @Collin Hays. This is one of the reasons why I don't use dynamic pricing. I have considered it but I keep things at a flat rate for the exact reasons you stated.

I want people to get the exact price when they stay at our lake house.

I have studied things and I feel I would only make maybe an extra grand a year and frankly I don't want to squeeze every last time out of people coming for vacation.

Most of our guests are regular people. We aren't the cheapest place but we are affordable for the size and I want to keep it that way.

Yup @Dawn Harris. Ask them all the details. Don't let them keep you in the dark about what they are charging vs what they are telling you they are charging.

Sounds like a good plan @Stephanie Medina!

Groovy @Stephanie Medina good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

These sorts of things are problems that no one really things about when buying a property and it is something that should be in their mind.

Ok, so I see this might have been a design flaw in the original build so there isn't much you can do unless you rip it all out.

You could have it all scoped and see what's what so you can get an idea of what you are dealing with.

You could comp the guests a night. That isn't a bad way to keep folks happy and make sure they want to leave a 5 star review.

Yeah, the toilet is one thing but the tub, whew. Nasty! :)

I am sure this is a solvable issue with some work.

Do you happen to have an HOA covering the neighborhood? If so, there might be a way to make the HOA take care of the issue as it is part of everyone's sewer and not just yours.

I would get it scoped out. Most plumbers have camera systems that can go 100's of feet usually and it is pretty easy. Then you can see where the issue is. If there is a weird bend, maybe that can be dug up and fixed.

There could also be a slope issue. Sometimes a sewage line will sag over time due to settling of the surrounding soil. It could cause a low spot where things slow down and then it all compounds until there is a clog.

Hey @Stephanie Medina, so it sounds like this is the sewer main line right? And the problem is the other units?

So it sounds like this is a once in a while problem. It doesn't sound like a showstopper to me.

Did you ask the plumber if there is anything people can flush that will help keep the lines clear? Something once a month or 2x a year that will help dissolve anything stuck.

There are things that you can flush to deal with roots.

If it does happen with guest there, just get someone out to deal with it asap and move forward.

You might ask about a backflow preventer on just the tub. It could cause an issue with more pressure on the toilet but less messy if it happens.