Have you Sought out Design Expertise for your Short-Term Rental?

Question

Hosts and investors that are in the short-term rental space:

Have you sought out design expertise for your short-term rental property?

A well-designed space captures guests attention when scrolling through online listings. And guests tend to post pictures on social media of where they're staying – helping you with marketing for your property.

But, do you invest in this?

I've heard the "I can just go on Pinterest" responses. The dilemma that's been shared with me by hosts is that it is time consuming and there isn't a cohesive end result.

I'd love to hear your input or experiences on this topic.

Paul Sandhu · Answer

I just decorate my places like Hugh Hefner's Mansion.  It works for my tenants.  'Nuff said.

Amanda McKane · Answer

@Doreen M ODonovan

I just designed a 3,000sqft STR for a client in Lake Tahoe (in a similar 3 week turnaround to be listed by Thanksgiving), I estimated $50k for furnishings and came in at $30k + $8k design,sourcing and installation fee (with Covid delayed required a lot of running to find available pieces).

It’s a pretty good estimate of what you’ll look to spend to furnish an STR of that size nicely.  I’m a big believer that you attract the type of guest you want to host.

Angelo Forzano · Answer

@Tamara Recinos hi. It takes nothing more than a creative mind. You must know a friend or family member that always wows you when you walk into their house. These creative people love to decorate they're not going to charge you. take them to your location for tips. My GF is the creative one she loves to scavage garage sales, estate sales Craigslist letgo , etc... all those websites.  the four units that I have  by the beach feature pastel colors lots of beachy furniture in mostly whites, blues and yellows and lots of wall decor which people give away for less than $5.  don't make it look like a rental make it look like someone's summer house but never never buy retail keep adding to make it fresh. All my units have water coolers, blenders, I found 2 Margherita machines  for less than 20 each. 2 units with patios have electric George forman grills, and always 2 coffee makers. My outdoor storage shed is filled with used  stoves , acs, refrigerators, wall art and appliances. I always have 3 -4 bikes that can be used. Think resort, not hotel!

Forrest Faulconer · Answer

@Tamara Recinos

Just look at it like an investment that will save you time and determine if the value is worth it. Get some quotes in your area and view some examples of the designer’s work. I’ve seen spaces that surpassed my creative abilities, but also many spaces that I could have done myself with a little time on, you said it, Pinterest. With the internet, trends have become uniform across the board with some spurts of creativity throughout, however, I always appreciate when someone thinks outside the box and makes a place unique. Those are the interior designers worth hiring.

Paul Sandhu · Answer

I think you get to stay 2-3 weekends all inclusive (2 hunts, 6 meals, accomodations), plus you can attend several special one day events.  Everything after that is full price.  They also have dog kennels and a horse stable.  It's on 640 acres.  Flint Oak Lodge.

Michael Baum · Answer

Hey @Doreen M ODonovan, wow that was a huge cost! Our lakehouse is 2700sqft with 3/3 plus a bunk room for the kids and we didn't spend more than 15k including all the linens.

All made in the USA used furniture in excellent condition. New linens and mattresses of course. We weren't up against a 4 week deadline.

Doreen M ODonovan · Answer

@Tamara Recinos I had to furnish my new empty house in 4 weeks so I could rent by Christmas. No regular stores ship that fast. Used Wayfair and Amazon and the local store for last minute items. I paid for a http://Modsy.com designer full package. I had her do the living/dining room to start. She picked furniture and did a rendering. I liked her work and had her do one bedroom and the TV room too. There were pros and cons but I would do it again. Looks better than if I had done it. It didn’t cost much considering the discounts they offer on purchases. It took a while for her to understand the 4 week deadline. If I couldn’t get what she picked out I found something similar that would ship in time. They work with Wayfair, so that helped. Now I say in my listing that the cabin was recently updated with designer finishes.  It did add time to wait for her to do her work. My property manager built furniture and set up the rooms. For reference our place rents for $400 - $800 regular and $1,200 a night for the holidays. We spent about $50,000 for 2,700 sq ft, 4 bedrooms. Including pool table, arcade, everything for the kitchen and all bedding except for linens and towels. Bought so many things the week of Black Friday. I saved money but also bought better quality than I would have without the huge discounts. I didn’t have any cash since we just bought the house. Put some of it in an interest free credit card and borrowed from the bank of Mom. It’s all worthwhile as it looks like once the the cards and Mom are paid off we will be netting about $3,000 a month on our $300,000 cash in. $575,000 purchase. (I know that is a lot of cash to put all in one place but compromises must be made when married.)

Paul Sandhu · Answer

There is a hunting lodge about 45 miles away from me that has all that ^^^ and a runway.  It's main clientele is professional football and baseball players.  I looked into getting an annual membership, but it was $5000.

Have you Sought out Design Expertise for your Short-Term Rental?

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