All Forum Posts by: Monika Haebich

Hi Patrick! 

The forums are a great place to start, and I'll copy my answer from another thread:

Blogs:

• Lodgify's blog: Covers everything from marketing to guest experience
• 1chicretreat: Vacation rental blog that focuses on increasing 
• Mashvisor: Great for learning more on investing in short-term rentals (& real estate in general)
• Airdna: Uses performance data from over 2MM vacation rentals to explore how investors can price, optimize, and grow

Forums/Groups:

• SmartHosts: Definitely my favorite site & newsletter. Great place for discussions with other managers & homeowners, and a really good way to stay up-to-date on industry happenings.
• AirHostsForum: Primarily amateur Airbnb hosts. This may not be as useful (there's a lot of venting in there) to you, but if you ever need advice in relation to guest relations, etc., it's a great place to go.
• LinkedIn: There are a number of really great LinkedIn groups, and I've found the the VRMA group & Vacation Rentals group particularly engaging. Here are also 12 others that you might want to join.

Conferences:

• Vacation Rental World Summit: An independent event held in Florence this year, smaller group (attendance capped at 200 people)
• Rezfest: Hosted by HomeAway, primarily for homeowners
• Vrtech: Another one that's primarily European, has a focus on technology
• Phocuswright: Travel conference (not specific to vacation rentals)
• Vacation Rental Success Summit: Another independent event primarily for homeowners, held in Toronto

Finally, the average yearly vacancy rate will depend on a lot—including location, the home, how you're managing bookings, etc. I'd say the average occupancy rate is anywhere from 50-60%, but it shouldn't be difficult to book significantly more than that—especially for urban short-term rentals. 

There are a ton of WiFi cameras. Most of the people in this thread about Airbnb security cameras seem to recommend Nest.

My pleasure! :) 

@Michael Greenberg, here are a few others that might be of value:

Blogs:

• Lodgify's blog: Covers everything from marketing to guest experience
• 1chicretreat: Vacation rental blog that focuses on increasing ROI through interior design
• Mashvisor: Great for learning more on investing in short-term rentals (& real estate in general)

Forums/Groups:

• SmartHosts: Definitely my favorite site & newsletter. Great place for discussions with other managers & homeowners, and a really good way to stay up-to-date on industry happenings.
• AirHostsForum: Primarily amateur Airbnb hosts. This may not be as useful (there's a lot of venting in there) to you, but if you ever need advice in relation to guest relations, etc., it's a great place to go. 
• LinkedIn: There are a number of really great LinkedIn groups, and I've found the the VRMA group & Vacation Rentals group particularly engaging. Here are also 12 others that you might want to join. 

Conferences:

• Vacation Rental World Summit: An independent event held in Florence this year, smaller group (attendance capped at 200 people)
• Rezfest: Hosted by HomeAway, primarily for homeowners
• Vrtech: Another one that's primarily European, has a focus on technology
• Phocuswright: Travel conference (not specific to vacation rentals)
• Vacation Rental Success Summit: Another independent event primarily for homeowners, held in Toronto

Noiseaware is great! Haven't used it myself, but I've been hearing a ton of good things about it—especially in areas where there are strict noise ordinances.

 Because you get automatic alerts to your phone if it gets too loud (and you can set hours & noise levels), it's a lot easier to monitor than a camera system. 

@Account Closed, I'd definitely recommend having a party policy (i.e., something that defines how many people are allowed, etc.), and if there's a problem and you get alerted, I'd imagine you'd call your guests or swing by if it continues & you're in the area

Here are the VRMA membership dues. What you pay will be dependent on how many properties you manage. 

I'm assuming that part of @Bill Higgins's costs were those associated with attending the Phoenix conference.

@Michael Greenberg, yes, the VRMB is a great resource as well, and it tends to be more useful for self-managing homeowners. For vacation rental managers, I'd still recommend joining the VRMA (if you're looking to network and learn more about management operations, technology, etc.).

Have you looked into Evolve? They definitely integrate with VRBO & HomeAway. Astrid is in BiggerPockets & should be able to tell you more about them.

Hi all,

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Rented Corporate Leasing or leasing multiple units to short-term rental management companies at market value. 

Essentially it would allow operators lease multiple units (10 to 20 at once) to corporate tenants—in this case, professional short-term rental management companies who would pay market rents, furnish the apartments, pay utilities, and take responsibility for guests and interior property conditions.

Multi-Housing News published an article on it this morning, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. As the program is still developing, I'd really like to hear your feedback & if you've had any similar experiences.  

Hi all,

My company, Rented.com, helps homeowners find & compare local Airbnb managers for free, and we're currently running a promotion where we'd pay you for any referrals who find and sign up with a property manager through our site. 

We currently work with over 750 management companies nationwide, and we help homeowners accurately and transparently compare their local options.

If you or any friends would be interested in finding short-term rental management and would like to browse local options, or if anyone wants to corporate lease a long-term rental to a short-term rental company, please let me know!

Thank you!

@Account Closed, the company is not a scam. They simply do not provide full-service management.