Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
5y
VRBO hands down. They are so much easier to work with. My wife tells me this all the time! This is based on customer service, functionality, tech support and company philosophy!
Investor · San Diego · Member since 2021 · 8 posts · 1 vote
5y
I would never go with purely VRBO, if you're just picking one, I'd stick with Airbnb. They offer insurance built in so if anything goes wrong, you *may* not need additional insurance. Your margins will probably be higher if you're on several platforms and have a software to link them up, but I think Airbnb is the best platform to start with from my experience due to the large customer base. Their customer service has been great so far, and I haven't actually expanded off the platform yet. Where are you looking to invest in STRs? It's important to understand the local regulation first as these can be tricky to permit.
Property Manager · Pigeon Forge · Member since 2016 · 199 posts · 208 votes
5y
Vrbo is easily better to deal with than airbnb but from the support side and being more "owner friendly"....
BUT you should list on both so you double your market audience. Then you'll be able to raise your rates quite a bit since you have twice the eyeballs looking. (Ie - the supply is 2x so the demand is 2x. You won't get 2x the boost but it may be 20 or 30%)
Also note that each city is different about market share. Even in my market it'll differ on size: Airbnb comprises most of the smaller sized units but it flips to vrbo as unit size gets larger.
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
5y
By the way, I didn't state my preference, but it is VRBO, hands -down..... except with the small issue of their site being not quite so easy to manipulate for me....but that's small potatoes...
Real Estate Agent · Los Angeles CA + Lake Tahoe, NV and CA · Member since 2021 · 180 posts · 158 votes
5y
Goes by region a bit. You need to do what's popular in your area. Maybe for you that's both. I have pulled the airbnb insurance/guarantee once or twice, it takes a month though always has gone through. Airbnb app is great, I only use the desktop version once a quarter to set up my pricing for the season. 5 mins a day playing with your phone to manage it, pretty sweet!
Walnut Creek, CA · Member since 2020 · 285 posts · 318 votes
5y
My preference is Airbnb. They're putting out commercials, attacking ridiculous regulations, and creating host-friendly tools on our behalf. I love VRBO but I'm not choosing Carl's Jr. over McDonald's...
But they are so host unfriendly its just silly......horrible service to hosts, re tech issues, cancellations, refunds......and their people that answer the phone actually speak English...
Rental Property Investor · North Fork, NY · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 631 votes
5y
Good question. If I had to choose one, I'd say vrbo.
This is from a super host for 5 years who has generated a lot of $ for airbnb. In return they give me renters, true, but they have routinely taken my money and given it to my guests without being logical and reasonable.
Fairly new to vrbo and compensate for their higher host fees by charging more on that platform.
Hands down, my vrbo guests have been nicer and reasonable and contrary to the reputation, even the young vrbo guests. Downside is I can't verify their identity but I like that I know their last name upon inquiry.
But they are so host unfriendly its just silly......horrible service to hosts, re tech issues, cancellations, refunds......and their people that answer the phone actually speak English...
Sure, customer service is left to be desired. That's probably why they create all these self-help tools so we don't have to call them :)
Sure, customer service is left to be desired. That's probably why they create all these self-help tools so we don't have to call them :)
Hahah yeah....Have you noticed a lot of the big corporate monsters are making it nearly impossible to find even a contact phone #...? Yet their self help tools are worthless.....it is rare and surprising to find decent customer service.
I called my local bank the other day (they're state-wide) and someone picked up on the 3rd ring and helped me open a new account....I was nearly speechless!
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
5y
Not really trying to just bash AIR here, VRBO does this too, but I went on today to increase my pricing for next year as reservations are starting to come in. One place is $110 a night and is booked almost all the time. AIR suggested that the right price would be $81.......huh? Do they know they make zero sense? So I raised the price by $10.
Like I said, they both do this to get more listings (for them, not for us) but I find AIR to be more non-sensical about it if that makes sense.....
Rental Property Investor · Member since 2019 · 276 posts · 235 votes
5y
I prefer VRBO guests and customer service but their platform is junk and their app is terrible. I have 5 properties on there. Three work fine. One always shows a minimum of two nights even though I have it set to three. The fifth one always shows a minimum of one night even though I have it set to three. Eight phone calls to customer service, no one has any idea what’s going on. All of my double bookings come through VRBO. So I really don’t know which one I’d pick.
South Padre Island, TX · Member since 2018 · 81 posts · 69 votes
5y
Maybe it's because of what I'm used to, but I never liked VRBOs interface. Although my parents who are in their 60s refuse to use Airbnb because they can't figure it out.
Initially we were on both platforms, but after a year and a half we were getting 98% of out bookings through Airbnb. Then during our busiest week of the year VRBO double booked us without any notification of the booking. After that it just wasn't worth it for us to be on both platforms.
I'm sure there are people with the opposite experience though.