All Forum Posts by: Scott K.

Seems in most of my houses this becomes a problem after a year or so of use on hardwood/tile floors. The dirt or perhaps rubber from black soled shoes just builds up over time with heavy traffic.

Any suggestions on how to clean this up, maybe implement a procedure every 6 months with a specialized tool or solution?

Using an algorithm like pricelabs is clearly the solution BUT Airbnb just introduced promotions. Where they will put a big "discount" sign on your listing AND bump it up in the rankings. This to me, makes pricelabs fall severely behind Airbnb. Can they be combined? It seems better now to skip pricelabs, keep your price high, then use promotions when needed to get a boost. 

30%+ but we do better than 95% out there. 

Those advising you to use airbnbs platform to offer your email are being foolish. You risk being permanently banned for violating Airbnb, to what, save your guests 15 percent?

Take the booking and get their email once booked. You are allowed to email guests, text, etc once they have booked you. As mentioned above there are quite a few automated softwares that collect the email addresses, I use hospitable personally. It then connects to mailchimp and I have a full email list of every guest that's stayed with me. 

I would never ask my guests to enter their email to use wifi. That seems like a surefire way to piss them off in a review "I paid for this house, and now I get to be spammed?" or to make them uncomfortable "my kids aren't going to enter their emails just to watch YouTube" 

 That is very incorrect. You can use any text messages as evidence when getting reviews removed. I've done it a few times when guests try to extort me. Just take a screenshot and send it. 

Welcome to the Poconos! Lesson learned... You'll have to contract with a septic company and get it expanded. Did you even read the str ordinance for your Township? You could be fined heavily, especially if you're in Tobyhanna, which it seems you are because you mentioned they're backed up.

Dont be a dick - follow the ordinance. Purposefully violating the terms because you didn't do your due diligence on a home you purchased isn't good karma. I hope you treat your neighbors more kindly than this post would suggest. Welcome to the neighborhood. 

I'll add something new: Look at the MLS listings and see how many clearly were STRs in the past but now clearly are trying to get out of that business.

How do you know it was a STR? - tons of beds, with sheets on them, with similar bed frames. Hot tubs. Basements with pool/foosball/arcades. Minimal decor. Grey paint. Bunk beds especially.

My area in the Poconos, PA is starting to have a ton of STRs come onto the market. Definitely a bad sign. 

 I'd strongly caution you to ever say something like that through airbnbs messaging. They could find that message, ban you, and you'd never be able to make another account. Not worth the risk! 

I've been running strs in the Poconos area for 5 years now, one of the hottest markets in the US.

I no longer tell people it's easy money. I tell them it's a full time job, housing prices have doubled, and competition is so high that I've seen houses come onto the market 2 years ago, rent for 2 years, now they're trying to sell and ditch them. 

I used to make a good living without any real knowledge or effort. My houses looked like prison cells. I didn't have to hire an interior decorator or a professional photographer, I didn't have to make bedrooms look different from each other, I didn't need a hot tub, or pool table, or arcade machines. 

I see people struggling to enter the market now and I wish them the best, but they're facing people like me who have evolved dramatically and spent the last 5 years perfecting their craft. Unless they can quit their day job and devote themselves to it, it's not going to be pretty!

This new Airbnb AI party blocker is potentially costing me thousands of dollars. I've spoken to two groups now over the past few months who said they couldn't book my property because Airbnb rejected them when they're staying with children, grandparents, and extended family.

I have larger 6 bedroom homes. I'm being unfairly targeted by this dumb@ss system that simply says "oh too many people! Can't let you bother the neighbors" 

IVE called Airbnb support but they say they are powerless to step in and override it. 

I Have no clue what to tell these potential guests how to get around this block. They clearly aren't partying, I don't allow excessive guest counts, and I require guests to be over 25 years old. What else could I be doing?