All Forum Posts by: Michael Baum

Last year we had a few things. There is a divot in the glass of our new stove top (my fault for a 

porcelain steel teapot) and the curtain tie backs keep getting bumped off the wall in one of the queen bedrooms.

Other than that, no problems. We have had great renters so far.

Our home is setup specifically for families. We do get plenty of couples as 3 of the 4 bedrooms are setup with King and Queen beds, but the ground floor room is oddly shaped, long and narrow overall with a 3 sided wider area near the front. 

So we stuffed 2 sets of bunk beds in there and turned it into a kids oasis. It has been very popular. Gives kids some space for themselves and the adults can hang on the main floor. Only downside is there is no bathroom on that floor.

Super fisheye but you get the idea. It is a fun space!

We had an inquiry for all of Nov thru Dec 20th at our lake house. I called them up before moving forward. They were physical therapists doing a job swap in Coeur d' Alene from Colorado.

It would have been great, but the gig for them fell through. We were prepared to do a significant discount for the near 2 month stay. Winter in north Idaho on the lake isn't most peoples idea of fun (30 degrees, snow or freezing rain etc) so anything we made during the winter months was a bonus. 

Looks great Tim!

My rental agreement is 7 pages or 9 pages with the pet addendum. I think that is a normal thing. Otherwise you run the risk of getting raked over the coals by guests.

I would rather spell out things in writing so everyone knows the expectations. The stories from various hosts can make you cringe with the outcomes.

Our place is 2400 sqft with 3 bedrooms/3 baths and a kids bunkhouse space with 4 twin bunk beds. I pay $175 for each cleaning. 2 people and they take the laundry with them and bring back the next time.

Our house is about 40 miles down lake from Coeur d' Alene, Idaho on the lake so it is a bit of a drive to get there an back on a twisty, 2 lane highway. Thus the extra costs for the cleaning.

I keep 3 sets of linens as well as 3 towels per person (10 guests) on hand.

What kind of heat do you have now? I installed an accessory tank onto a boiler system that provides tons of hot water at a fairly low cost.

Also, depending on the unit, the temp delta is not as big an issue as you would think. I installed a Takagi 199k BTU unit in our home (NG) 2 years ago and it works like a champ. Incoming water temp is about 43 degrees in the winter and it pumps it up to 135 no problem. 

I do have it set higher by 10 degrees than standard due to the size of our house and length of the runs. Works great.

Hey Daphne! Sounds like you are building up a nice place! Paul has some good ideas with having some fun things to do around the house. 

I think it would be good to know how big the home is. If it is larger, you will most likely get a different crowd than a smaller place. 

If it is smaller, you could cater to a couple or 2 which makes for a more relaxed type of vacationer. Do you have wineries near by? What kind of other things other than golf. Frankly, golf folks sound like some great guest IMHO. What kind of view do you have? Do you have a pool? 

Personally I would not offer massages or nail services on site. I am not sure how that would work out. 

If you are close to a cool downtown area, that is a plus. Make sure you get information on things to do in town. Maybe work with some of the other local businesses to build a co-marketing plan that benefits everyone.

Lots of things can be done in the right area.

I saw it actually. I just added my 2 cents to try and answer her question.

Don't go eat worms. They are super high in cholesterol... :)

So what we did for this is to buy a bunch of cheap dark grey and black washcloths. We leave them in a small basket on the counters in every bathroom and embroidered on them MAKEUP so it is pretty obvious what they are for.

We have a mix of standard terry cloth and microfiber in each room. My daughter is in the makeup business (Josie Marin) and tells me that some people prefer one over the other.

Frankly, we skimp hard on those towels. I troll Big Lots for those most often. Usually less than 25 cents each. I wash them in cold water on a short cycle and they usually come out ok for a while. Then I just toss 'em.  My wife embroiders stuff so that is cake. 

As for moving to dark towels, remember that some sunscreens and other skin products have some peroxide and will ruin a colored towel. 

Also, we have a top quality Maytag front loader HE washer and it does a great job on everything. Maybe that is why our towels last longer.