Are you planning on listing your home or rental property as an Airbnb? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
It’s still a great time to list a property on Airbnb because, despite the high cost of gas and other expenses, people want to travel and they aren’t staying in one place, especially during the summer months.
In this article we will share with you several tips that you can use as an aspiring Airbnb host.
1. Save money on electricity
In order to save money on electricity, many hosts recommend buying a “Nest Learning Thermostat” or other, similar “smart” thermostats that turn off the A/C whenever the house is empty. It’s also a good idea to switch all of the lights to LED in case your guests leave the lights on.
2. Find a niche in your desired area
“In our area we’re the only baby/kid-friendly and we are constantly booked with mainly families,” – Katie, from the AirHost Academy Facebook page. Look through the listings in your area and try to see what’s missing. Too hard to compete on price? See if you can angle yourself as the premium, luxury Airbnb in your area.
3. Spend some time as a “guest”
Darren says, “Be a guest at multiple Airbnbs and multiple areas before hosting.” It’s fantastic advice. Try to get a good idea of what it’s like to be a guest before you try to host.
4. “Create a place you would like to stay in.”
Wise words from yet another one of our hosts, Victoria. When in doubt, apply the Golden Rule and treat others how you would like to be treated. Put yourself in your guests’ shoes and ask yourself, “What would my ideal Airbnb stay be like?” Then, be that Airbnb.
5. White towels stain easily
No one likes dirty towels. White towels can stain pretty easily. Think about wine, food, makeup. If someone gets a bloody nose and grabs one of your pristine white towels to absorb some of the blood, that’s a towel you’re probably going to have to throw away. The best Airbnb towels are gray because they’re the hardest to stain. Buy grey towels.
These Luxury Turkish Bath Towels are our personal favorites, and we put the grey versions in all of our listings.
6. To add on to that, invest in makeup towels
7. Write great house rules
House rules outline how you want people to act in your Airbnb. If you have clear, well-written house rules, it’s going to be that much easier to win any dispute you might have with your renters. Also. according to one host on our Facebook group, rules help scare off extreme partiers who are going to end up being more trouble than they’re worth.
8. The customer is always right (sort of)
Try to keep a mentality that “the customer is always right.” Another one of our hosts, Kara, said, “It can be challenging, especially when guests have ridiculous requests and questions, but it has really served us in the long run. We respond with understanding and kindness, even when we don’t want to.” If you provide five-star service, you’ll have no trouble getting five-star reviews.
9. Be careful accepting “local” bookings
One piece of advice that pops up again and again is to be very hesitant about accepting locals. In fact, some hosts have a “no locals” policy. No doubt part of the reason it’s a bad idea to accept locals is that, invariably, they could be searching for a party house to trash for a weekend. Travelers are often a safer bet but that’s not always the case.
10. Write clear check-in and check-out times
Write clear check-in and check-out times and instructions. Your guest should have no doubts whatsoever about what times you’re available.
11. Set up a lockbox
Failing that, if you’re unavailable for a good portion of the day because of work, friends, or other obligations, it’s probably easiest to just buy a lockbox so that your guests can use self check-in. According to our (admittedly informal) survey, over 84% of Reddit users prefer self check-in over more traditional styles of checking in, like having to meet with someone face-to-face. You’re going to end up giving your guest the key, anyway, so why not just put it in a lock-box (that you can change the code to, of course) instead of handing it to them? It’s just easier.
12. Go above and beyond
A lot of our hosts mention doing a little something extra. Even a bottle of water can go a long way. One host even said, “Provide coffee with real milk and creamers and you will get five stars.” As an avid coffee lover myself, I can’t help but agree.
Contact Square House Property Management
At Square House Property Management, we specialize in managing Airbnb’s in Dallas and the Oklahoma City areas.
To learn more about our property management service, contact us today by calling (972) 523-1389 or click here to connect with us online.