All Forum Posts by: Russell Grevler

I am a real estate agent in Upstate, NY but have had a request from someone to manage their newly purchased property. It is pretty close to me so I said sure lets talk about it. But I have never managed an Air BNB for someone. I never really thought about it till now. So my questions are:

1) Do I need a contract or something for just one listing?

2) How does a PM get paid exactly? Monthly? Weekly? Via a check? Venmo? Do you send an invoice?

3) If I charge 20% fee say, do you collect on the total amount of nights for the booking? so say a weekend is $400 (I get $80)-- if you give a weekly rate at a discount then whatever the week is eg: $1260 (I get $250), etc?

4) How do the cleaners get paid? Do I pay them? Does the owner pay them? How do you handle that?

5) I am planning on telling them that they need to directly pay someone for their snow plowing & mowing, but I am happy to give them contacts to call. Is this typical?

6) When setting up the listing on Air BNB--is it just in my name or do I put the owners name on the listing? I am guessing the PM is the "co-host"?

I am so sorry if this seems completely ridiculous to ask but I am better versed at being a broker than a property manager for someone else. If I can get this to work out who knows, maybe it can grow, but ANY advice / help you can give me would be much appreciated!!!

Hey Laura - I think we've met before at a listing or two! I can help answer your questions here. I manage 10 properties in the western catskills area in Roxbury, Margeretville, Denver, Andes, Stamford, Jefferson, Hobart etc...

1) 100% get a contract in place. This sets out you and the owners role and responsibilities, fees, payments, liabilities etc...

2) I get paid monthly, but I pay the clients. To explain... I collect the rental income and send the money to the client less any applicable fees or reimbursable expenses. I provide a statement which reconciles to the clients net payment.

3) You charge the % based on a nightly rate. I don't include my % as part of the cleaning fee collected and paid.

4) Guests pay the cleaning fee. We pay the cleaners. We show this on the client statements, but its effectively just an in and out.

5) Yes, but it really depends. For some owners, we pay the mowing/plowing and then deduct these costs off the monthly client payments. For some, they pay directly.

6) It can be either. You can also set up tax IDs in Airbnb. Don't forget about VRBO and 1099 requirements at the year end.

Hope this helps!! Feel free to DM me

1 Vote

@Brian Cerezo

Happy to chat. I own and manage several Catskills STR properties.

1 Vote

@Jean Pierre Beltran @Leah Aaronson

Also happy to give my my 2 cents. I own a couple STR properties in Roxbury area and manage another 8 in the surrounding areas.

0 Votes

@Manik Jain

Sure. Feel free to DM

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Quote from @Joseph DiBernardo:

Quote from @Russell Grevler:

@Joseph DiBernardo where in the Catskills?

Greene County

Where in Greene county?

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Upstate New York, New York

@Joseph DiBernardo where in the Catskills?

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Upstate New York, New York

@Linda Bar I manage 2 properties in Margaretville - since Feb 2021. Logically occupancy has been down since covid, and thats across the board with all properties in the Catskills, and I'm sure nationwide. Covid occupancy was an anomaly and you cannot compare. Things are becoming normalized, but we are still seeing most weekends booked out and some mid week bookings. Summer was still very busy and no we're seeing a normalized winter season ahead.

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Upstate New York, New York

@Linda Bar I can only comment on Margaretville. Summer was busy. And now most weekends are booked out. We expect to get busier as the snow falls. Margaretville is close to two ski mountains so it’s truly a year round destination.

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Upstate New York, New York

@Adriana Bruno where in the Catskills?

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All Forum Posts by: Russell Grevler

Russell Grevler has started 6 posts and replied 37 times.

Post: Hunter / Windham NY Short-Term Rentals

Post: Someone wants me to manage their property & I have questions

Post: Shot term rental question

Post: Hunter / Windham NY Short-Term Rentals

Post: AirBNB / VRBO - Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York Best Locations

Post: New build for STR in Catskills

Post: New build for STR in Catskills

Post: Roscoe vs Margaretville NY STR Viability

Post: Roscoe vs Margaretville NY STR Viability

Post: Hello and welcome to BiggerPockets!