OT: Anyone host their home with Airbnb?

[AngryScientist]

Howd it go?

stories, experiences?

[mhespenheide]

Nick, I assume you mean "host their home" or "list their home"?

[AngryScientist]

Nick, I assume you mean "host their home" or "list their home"?

yes, meant host. good catch!

[Ken Robb]

Good friends rent their guest house that way. They are about 45 minutes from the west entrance to Yosemite Park in a very rural area. They have had lots of nice renters and they end up socializing with quite a few of them from the USA and other countries.

Rentals in other "more happening" areas might attract a different clientele that wouldn't be as much fun for the hosts.

[Kirk007]

We did VRBO for about 3 years - a separate mother in law space. Generally positive experience and quite lucrative $$ but after awhile the management - booking, cleaning etc. got old. We put in under a property manager that specializes in these types of listings and that worked ok - less $$ and less visibility on tenants etc so we've stopped.

I don't think I'd be comfortable doing the Air BNB thing if it was a room or part of our contiguous living space.

[woodworker]

We currently do it in North San Diego County. It seems to work well, and we've done better than with a long term rental. We've generally been happy with the quality of he people who stay there. Definitely more work though than a long term rental. Ours is a separate, stand-along unit.

[jlwdm]

About 4 months ago someone showed up at the guard gate where I live and said they had rented my place on Airbnb and paid a deposit. My home was not on Airbnb.

Never heard anything more.

Jeff

[alexstar]

I wouldn't rent out my primary residence. Too many horror stories. A guest cottage or in-law unit is something else and could be a good source of income. Just don't furnish it with anything that has value, sentimental or otherwise. And above all be aware of local regulations.

[PeregrineA1]

I had a home in North Carolina that I did Air BnB, VRBO, et al with through an agent. They took care of everything. Cleaning, linens, booking, deposits, repairs, etc.

The first year was slow, second and third quite nice. They took a good chunk, but it was worth it to me.

Home was a second home.

I did close off the office and store family keepsakes, etc there. Made it less personal for us when going there. Ultimately sold the home three years after leaving the state. Too far to go and we felt like we had to go there.

All in all the VRBO experience was positive.

[smontanaro]

We have a three-flat, rent out two units that way (we are currently in the "garden" unit). It's generally gone very well. It allows Ellen (it's her day job, I'm just the part-time unskilled labor) to get in and work on things which aren't finished during gaps. At this point, it's mostly small bits of finish work, but we feel like the units are "good enough" to rent out this way, where if we were aiming at longer-term leases they wouldn't be. I think we will eventually switch to long term leases.

[paredown]

We have good friends who have been renovating a historic house here in the Hudson Valley, and they were renting out their city apartment on AirBnB while they did major renovations. It worked out extremely well for them--the rental income subsidized a staggering amount of work on the historic house and let the husband work full time on the reno.

Now they have the reno finished, and have continued to live in the basement suite while they are renting out the upstairs on AirBnB and have continued renting the city apartment.

While they have some stories of disasters, most of their stories are pretty positive--but they are also very social and love meeting new people. They have also worked really, really hard to maintain a high rating, so that they get premium renters.

(They've encouraged us to rent out part of our house for weekenders who ride because of our proximity to Hariman State Park--but so far we have not done so.)

[chiasticon]

I wouldn't rent out my primary residence. Too many horror stories.as someone who frequently stays at AirBnB's, I'd agree. not so much the horror story part, but that honestly I just prefer if it's a second home, devoid of family photos and sentimental keepsakes, etc. I prefer it to feel more like a private hotel than like I'm kicking you out of your house while you stay at a friends for the weekend.

I don't rent a space but I have a friend that does; cabin in the mountains in PA. he provides a fair bit of firewood for people to use while there. one time the neighbor saw a renter, at the end of their stay, back their truck up to the wood pile and take every last bit of it. AirBnB said there was nothing they could do because he had nothing in his listing about a limit to how much they could use. now he has a very specific clause in the listing, to that effect.

my only big piece of advice: take good photos and make sure you take ones of every room, especially the kitchen and bathroom. just like selling your home, these things will make or break it. if a place looks awesome and has a sweet location but the photos are garbage and there's none of the bathroom...alarm bells start going off for me and I'll skip it. just my $.02...

oh, and don't put a dropcam/nest/canary type of camera up in your home without telling people. quick way to lose ALL of your rental fee (and worse). ask me how I know :eek:

[AJosiahK]

About 4 months ago someone showed up at the guard gate where I live and said they had rented my place on Airbnb and paid a deposit. My home was not on Airbnb.

Never heard anything more.

Jeff

whoa

ive used it many many times. some experiences were meh, some great.

I would never host. I just dont have the space or parking. And Im hearing murmurs that MA will start taxing hosts more than they currently do.