Investor · Idaho Falls, ID · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 62 votes
Hi Everyone!
I am closing on a property next month that I plan to rent as an Airbnb. Looking for any tips from other Airbnb hosts about what technology is essential vs just nice to have. What has made your life easier? What wasn't worth the expense?
With Black Friday/Cyber Monday approaching I don't want to miss out on deals.
What are your thoughts/recommendations for...
1) Key-less entry
2) Ring door bell (too intrusive?)
3) Other home security tech?
4) Fancy coffee maker
5) Smart TVs
6) Smart thermostat
I really want to create a seamless experience for my guests. Any tips/best practices you can share would be super helpful.
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
@Rachel Hughes, I just thought it would be nice to give them options! I do have a small French press as well.
I also keep a spare key in a lock box just in case.
Like @Kerry Baird, that smart thermostat has saved me money. Being able to check and see if the guests have the A/C set at 60 or the heat set at 80 is awesome.
I also added a small iHome sensor. It measures temp, light and sound. The temp is nice so I have another source to match against the thermostat. The sound is nice so I know if people are in the house.
@Paul Cox Congrats on your new place! Thanks for the detail. I noticed Schlage has many different models...what sold you on the Encode? I noticed a few other models are less expensive.
@Rachel Hughes, We went with the Encode because it was the only one in the store that didn't need a hub to use it. I'm still not sure what a hub is yet, but I'm sure I may eventually be using one, but in the moment we were short on time as our time down at the cabin was coming to a close and we needed to get something and the idea of being able to work it from the WiFi from our phone was appealing.
Hi Rachel, I’ve been Airbnb ing for years and have yet to get a bad review. I have to say that nothing and I mean nothing is more important than a great cleaner. If you can manage to find someone that knows the layout and set up, you’ve pretty much gotten a pm that lays eyes on everything. She tells me with pictures as soon as she walks in what damage she might have found etc. This person is worth taking good care of.
With that said, a WiFi thermostat is great so you can turn things off once people leave or prep it for those arriving.
I also really like the keyless entry that nest and Yale make. It’s a bit pricier, but it’s been my favorite so far. It has a camera so it’s like a ring, but in addition you can set a unique code for each guest remotely as well as an expiration on the code. You can give a handyman a unique code to get in once. You can see if 20 people are coming in the door when only 2 guests are supposed to be there.
Coffee maker, make it simple and throw in a French press for aficionados. Maybe a bean grinder (not necessary)...I don’t have one in my Airbnb’s.
Maybe a motion sensor or timer light to come on in the dark for guests who say they’re arriving at 2 pm but end up arriving after dark.
I don’t do this, but I think the idea is nice...a cheap old with videos on how to do things like washer/dryer, reset a breaker, dishwasher etc.
Rental Property Investor · Clarkston, GA · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Rachel Hughes
entry door cameras are a must . be very leery in fact you may refuse same city renters those are often Partiers. I've heard some folks will no longer list on VRBO because of the Luther control over tenant screening re renting professional party spaces from unsuspecting short term rental operators.
You have to use your entry door camera system on typical party night evenings. Have a strong lease and security deposit that says no parties you'll be thrown out. And check up on party nights. Str is an active business. Lol
Google the local real estate investor associations and join. Use Meetup. Org and find short-term rental meetups.
The typical stuff like hiring cleaning crews how to decorate you can learn from afar but the local Dynamics and where your house is located and how prone it is to burglary parties vandalism is a must.
Rental Property Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2018 · 40 posts · 17 votes
6y
@Rachel Hughes this thread is great thank you for starting it. I just setup my STVR in August and it's going well with a combo of the tech mentioned in this thread - just 2 things to consider from my experience:
1) I got a 55' 4K smart TV from Walmart w/delivery for $350 this summer, it came with something called "LG Channels" which is about 150 free channels just like cable. Added Hulu to this as well.
2) We have a normal coffee pot with grounds, and we also get local coffee beans and a grinder for a unique element. To me Keurig seemed more expensive, and 1 more thing that guests could take, which you'll need to replenish more often.
Rental Property Investor · Wrentham, MA · Member since 2019 · 137 posts · 104 votes
6y
@Selina Banda A camera inside the house is extremely creepy to me! If I rented a place the first thing I would do is unplug and then I would be untrusting that others weren't hidden throughout the house.
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
My repeat STR renters know I keep a camera facing the front door and HDTV. When they arrive, the front door is unlocked. They look at the camera and say "Hi Paul" then unplug it. They plug it back in when they leave.
Still on the fence about this one... I have never used one before. Do the benefits outweigh the cost?
The property is a duplex. My husband and I are planning to live in one side for the first month or two but ultimately plan to Airbnb both units (we purchased as an investment property, not primary). Hopefully our learnings from furnishing the first unit will help us with the second unit. Planning to share our experience once we get it up and running.
Thanks again for all of your insights. I am so glad I discovered the BP community.
Rachel
The smart thermostats were the first smart thing I added. I use the Honeywell 9000 color touchscreen. I would say they pay for themselves. They are easy to use. I can set min and max temps (I have 68 min during AC use), they have different levels that you can lock out to prevent someone changing them, but I've never used this option. No one has ever had a problem understanding how to use them. You can also set a temp differential so it looks like they are a couple degrees warmer or cooler than they actually are. Sometimes a temperature is a mental thing. It has an awesome phone app that I can control and see the temp and humidity. I can set alarms on temp and humidity and be notified if out of temp/humidity range. This is helpful to let you know if a HVAC fails or if someone is leaving a door open.
Side note. People were leaving the back door open that over looks the lake. I changed out the hinges to ones that have a spring return in them so that if the door is opened they will slowly close the door. It is not obvious that the door is being closed by the hinges. The hinges do not look any different than standard ones.
Investor · Idaho Falls, ID · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 62 votes
6y
@Joseph McCrillis Thanks for the input. The property is in Memphis. We close on it mid-December. Planning to share my experience on this forum so stay tuned.
It's been working great, though I've had to replace the batteries every couple of months. The app gives us a heads up that they're getting low and then I have my cleaners replace them. Looking at getting one on my primary residence.
Although it isn't physical goods, automated messaging is what I really loved. It just saves tons of time, makes me behave more professional with guests (by sending a set of instruction on time). There are some vendors as cheap as less than $10/month.