Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2018 · 295 posts · 208 votes
Hi Everyone,
I currently manage my own Airbnb units but am about to double my number of units from 3 to 6 within the next month. I work full time in the military and am trying to spend less time hands on with running errands and handling issues when they come up - that is what I want to outsource. For 3 units it has been manageable but I expect it will get worse when we have twice the number of units. I am thinking about hiring property management so they handle it all but also want to find a way to maximize my income by handling it myself but with the systems in place to make it less demanding on my time.
How have you outsourced all the random tasks?
What systems do you have in place to spend less time answering guest questions/requests? (I use Smartbnb now for automated messaging)
How have you detached yourself from running all of the errands that come up?
Any tips on time management, task management, and operating more efficiently are greatly appreciated!
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
@Sam Shueh, that is simply not true. I am booked solid until mid September. Many on the forum are in doing just as well and even better.
It might be true for some areas, especially in those markets where the government has shut down the STRs, but saying that most of AirBNB is dormant and no one is booking is not correct.
Rental Property Investor · Stewartsville, NJ · Member since 2016 · 418 posts · 280 votes
6y
@Ryan Proffit I am using SmartBnB.
I had a similar issue with another platform and found it confusing and I was getting nervous that the guest messaging would be messed up so I stopped. So far I’m really liking SmarBnB.
based on my limited info about your situation, this is my advice: 1 make your favorite cleaner your executive housekeeper. 2 hire a VA.
If between your six properties average 30 cleanings a month and pay $100 per cleaning that's almost $3000 monthly.
If you charge guests $150 a cleaning you bring in $4500 in cleaning fees. Pay an executive housekeeper $3000 monthly. She will be a full-time and when she's not cleaning units she can replinish inventory, wash linens, and shop for pillows it other items that walk away. Given the fact that she has to drive around a lot anyway it she's the person who would be least inconveinenced by running errands. She will also have responsibilities to do things like report if something is broken, leaking, stained or stolen. It would be difficult to keep track of those things if you're using random cleaners.
Finally, you can use $1500 a month to hire a virtual assistant to handle all of your customer service inquiries, and communicate with guests, maintenance, and your cleaner on your behalf.
So in this hypothetical, you can get away with not having a property manager, but I don't know your numbers. I have heard of a host who has 30 properties and he only has 2 VAs. It's possible. And if you hire from the Philippines via upwork you can get 2-3 high quality VAs (so you can have all hours of the night covered) and you could still come in under budget.
Real Estate Investor · Saint Paul, MN · Member since 2017 · 543 posts · 474 votes
6y
@Ryan Proffit We are new to the STR biz and are using YourPorter to manage our property. Once you figure it out it works great. (Big thank you to Lucas Carl for his assistance) everything integrates well with AirBnB and VRBO and with our cleaner's calendar. Automated messaging has gone without a hitch.
We also just started using Stessa for accounting. Really like it so far.
Saint Joseph, MO · Member since 2018 · 401 posts · 244 votes
6y
@Mark S.
Lucas is trying to help me get my calendar synced up, shooting a message over to porters customer support now. Hoping it all works swimmingly for us. Thanks for your response.