All Forum Posts by: Sofia Sharkey

Hi Joe, 

Superhost status means that Airbnb promotes your listing more by putting you at the top of the search on specific criteria such as your area. In addition, there are guests who have had unpleasant experiences with regular or new airbnb hosts so they book only with superhosts. From an SEO standpoint, it's a nice perk to get you promoted. 
However, monetarily speaking I have not seen a decline in bookings / profits by being or not being a superhost. Many of the large STR management companies are not super-hosts.

You are correct on your first assumption, most newbie investors who jump into the STR world leave a lot of money on the table. Not only that, but I have worked with clients who have lost thousands of dollars on damages and not being familiar with the claims systems or city regulations. A good STR management will focus on those areas and maximize your profits!
Good luck

@Chanakya J. The short term rental success stories is a good podcast to listen to.

@Linda Thomas I wear a mask when I go to visit the tenants but will not ask them or require them to wear a mask. If you are high risk and are scared, perhaps send someone else to take a look.

I will be happy to help, sent you a DM. Thanks! 

@Liz Brock Aside from summer, is the property fully vacant after that? 50% vacant? Does the purchase price include all the furniture?

If not, will you hire that out or furnish yourself? If you hire out, how much will they charge? Are you self managing or hiring that out? If hiring that out, how much will that cost you? How much are utilities and all services monthly? Are there any updates needed? What kind of loan will you use so you can determine your interest rate?

I recommend that you pay for a consulting session and have someone analyze this with you.

@Colin Taira as far as specific products, here is what I use:

- Remote lock (I love the simplicity of it and that it auto generates new codes for each guest, no issues so far)

- Arlo (I’ve been buying the latest versions as they come out).

- Nest (a nice to have but not a must for me. While it’s nice to control every aspect of the house, saving $50 bucks every now and then doesn’t justify the extra work or cost if it isn’t already setup in the property)

- I’ve been exploring either noise aware or minut but have not pulled the trigger on either one.

As far as integrating them, the lock and noise monitoring will be connected to my PMS and I use the apps for the camera and thermostat.

I was using Google home kit with the Google mini but guest kept unplugging and shutting off the Google speaker (equivalent of Alexa). Many people thing we can “hear them” so after a few times I just gave up on that.

@Brian Kantor like everyone else here, I use proper for my higher end properties and travelers for my mid tier STRs.

@Luke Carl for the record I’m a regular but I guess I’m not part of the club. I do support arbitrage and have successfully implemented and seen others reap the benefits as well. Just want to clarify for future readers that only a select group of BP members disagree with this strategy.

Cheers!

@Melissa Patten

- Remote lock is wonderful, look into it.

- if you only have one rental, I don’t believe you need a full software like IGMS or smartbnb, unless you plan to listed on several different sites. Airbnb has automatic messaging so you can start with that.

- Pricelabs is great for pricing.

- Noise aware is great for noise monitoring to prevent parties.

There a ton of answers in this forum because this question has come up a lot, check that out!

@James Elden there are several management companies that offer the option to help with just cleaning and maintenance, or guest communication and cleaning, or full house. Take time to check out options in your city, their services, and their fees. It can be helpful to consolidate and have boots in ground while you’re gone. Self-managing is also an option if you get a good team around you, good cleaners are essential.