Clarksville, AR · Member since 2017 · 10 posts · 1 vote
Looking for advise or words of wisdom concerning renting out a room/s in our house via Airbnb. We own a large 5BD/3 1/2BA home near (within 5-20 min drive) 3 ski resorts in northern Utah. Great skiing in the winter and hiking/mountain biking in spring, summer, fall. The rooms we are considering renting out are in a full walk-out basement with private full/bathroom. We were thinking about renting one room for X amount or both rooms to the same party for a higher amount as both rooms would have to share the same bathroom. We live in a beautiful area and a big house and thought this might be a good way to generate some extra cash. Is there anybody out there in a similar situation with information on this topic? Thanks
@Johnny Tallon What a great asset you have! My wife and I rent out our San Francisco home when we are on vacation and my sister regularly rents out the master BR in her nearby home. It's a terrific way to make extra income. If you want to make real money, consider renting out your whole home and staying in a smaller place nearby for a week or a month at a time. From the AirBnB Eden listings, seems you could make about $400 nightly for the whole house or $100 per bedroom. The exact amount depends on bedroom size, location and amenities. If renting out bedrooms, a small kitchenette goes a long way (mini-fridge, toaster, microwave, coffeemaker with good coffee, etc.). It should be very comfortable, e.g. hotel-quality mattresses and pillows, thick cotton sheets and towels, etc. You are in the hospitality business! Start with great AirBnB photos, a great listing and low prices. Then after you get some good reviews, increase your prices. Good luck!
@Johnny Tallon What a great asset you have! My wife and I rent out our San Francisco home when we are on vacation and my sister regularly rents out the master BR in her nearby home. It's a terrific way to make extra income. If you want to make real money, consider renting out your whole home and staying in a smaller place nearby for a week or a month at a time. From the AirBnB Eden listings, seems you could make about $400 nightly for the whole house or $100 per bedroom. The exact amount depends on bedroom size, location and amenities. If renting out bedrooms, a small kitchenette goes a long way (mini-fridge, toaster, microwave, coffeemaker with good coffee, etc.). It should be very comfortable, e.g. hotel-quality mattresses and pillows, thick cotton sheets and towels, etc. You are in the hospitality business! Start with great AirBnB photos, a great listing and low prices. Then after you get some good reviews, increase your prices. Good luck!
Thanks Ethan for the good advise! It sounds like we may need to upgrade the amenities in those spaces a little to maximize their potential. Thanks again for the response.
@Johnny Tallon We started out in Airbnb by actually renting a shared space (a bunk in our living room!!) and had an amazing experience with it. Especially being close to ski resorts, there are always going to be young couples/small families/friends that are looking for an inexpensive place to stay and ski.
Although I would definitely invest in things like good photos, small amenities like a coffee maker, etc; the difference between renting your whole home and renting a room is that you are going to be selling YOURSELF more than your room. If you'll be sharing any common spaces with guests, you need a great profile page that gives potential guests a feel for you, your family, and your space. Then make sure (especially for the first handful of guests) to go above and beyond to be friendly, outgoing, and offer some "locals only" information to your guests. That will get you a good base of reviews, and that's all that matters in this biz! Good luck and have fun!
Thanks for the good advise and the response. Did you find that your guests were respectful towards your home? I know that some of the younger ski/snowboard crowd can get a little rowdy. I'm a cop and fairly confident that I can handle most interpersonal issues that may come up, but just curious about what your experience has been. I'm sure you're very busy, but thanks again for responding. Also what do you think about extending the privacy to the whole basement floor, which would basically include a family/TV room? Would that increase the rate over just a private room/w bath?
We currently have our first AirBnB "guests" staying in our guest apartment on our hobby farm.
Yes, rent out the entire basement level if you can afford to give up that much space! If your house has a lower level egress, I would even consider installing a door between the upper and the lower levels, and out fitting the family room with a small refrigerator and microwave. IMO, privacy sells. I can see this being a great asset for families with children to stay during ski trips. I also see your background in law enforcement as a plus -- I would definitely put it in my profile. That would put undesirables on notice not to rent from you, and reassure the desirables that it is safe for families.
Price your STR as a "suite" with a bedroom and a sofa bed in the family room for the kids, and a small dining table with chairs. Add a TV and ski racks, and you would be in business!
Addtional information to support making a private space: AirBnB has a forum they call the Community Center. There is a long discussion that AirBnB is pushing an option called Instant Booking -- where you need to accept a guest reservation without the ability to email them or screen them. This is causing quite a stir among the longer term hosts who rent out extra rooms within their homes and feel their safety is being compromised.
Our AirBnB propety is actually on our farm but in a separate building, so we are OK with Instant Booking.