New to Real Estate · Jupiter, FL · Member since 2018 · 5 posts · 5 votes
Hi BP!
I'm finishing up renovations on my first property in Pittsburgh. Planning to have it rented out by the end of this month with AirBnb.
I'm looking for an AirBnB management company in Pittsburgh. Do any of you have any experience with the management company, HostAid? (https://www.host-aid.com/) They offer short term rental management services out of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. I've done some research and haven't found many reviews with them. They seem to be the only property management company online that specialize in those services.
I'm open to other recommendations, just mentioning the above company from my initial research. Thanks!
I have a neighbor that turns our units for us. I operate multiple STRs from a different state. I manage all of the communication, listings, bookings, etc - she takes care of cleanings and assists with assisting guests if they need help.
I reached out to them about a month ago to inquire about having them manage one of my 1BR apartments as an Air BnB. I filled out the form on their website twice and then finally emailed them because I never received a response. It took about a week after emailing them before I received a response saying they don't work with my type of property.
I ended up renting this unit to a tenant on a 1-year lease, so it all worked out. However I was very surprised to hear that they wouldn't manage a fully remodeled 1BR/1BA apartment that's within a 10 minute walk to PNC Park, Heinz Field, etc. Please share your experience if you reach out; I'll be anxiously following this thread!
Thanks for the input. That's odd. I did notice the form on their website. I was surprised they didn't list a telephone number to contact them.
The property is a duplex - the one side is a 2BR/1BA - so fairly similar to yours. Sounds like they don't have their stuff in order. I may hold off. I have another potential management company I may go with. They primarily manage long term rentals, but are starting to move into short term rental management. Ideally looking for a more established company. I can PM you their information.
Property management and managing short term rentals are vastly different. On the surface it sounds reasonable that a management company would offer STR services, but that usually isnt the case. Real estate and property management are highly regulated industries. Many companies are not interested in getting involved with STRs, which are still largely unregulated in many areas. Its just too much liability.
What is holding you back from managing it on your own? Find a good team of cleaners, a reliable handyman, and a person that can respond to urgent issues. All of the communication and bookings can be done electronically.
I see your point. Ideally it would be a company dedicated solely to STR management. However, there doesn't seem to be one in Pittsburgh.
I've strayed away from managing STR myself, because I live in FL and work a full time job. I know it requires more effort compared to LTRs. And to be honest, I don't feel confident in managing and orchestrating all that remotely on a day-to-day basis.
What has been your experience managing STRs yourself?
I have a neighbor that turns our units for us. I operate multiple STRs from a different state. I manage all of the communication, listings, bookings, etc - she takes care of cleanings and assists with assisting guests if they need help.
Following-up on this thread as in one of your previous messages you mention you found a potential management company who would oversee your long term rental unit. I was hoping to connect with you offline about this company, would it be ok if I PM'd you? I am a fellow RE investor living in Pittsburgh, and would love to learn more about this company for future reference.
I'm finishing up renovations on my first property in Pittsburgh. Planning to have it rented out by the end of this month with AirBnb.
I'm looking for an AirBnB management company in Pittsburgh. Do any of you have any experience with the management company, HostAid? (https://www.host-aid.com/) They offer short term rental management services out of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. I've done some research and haven't found many reviews with them. They seem to be the only property management company online that specialize in those services.
I'm open to other recommendations, just mentioning the above company from my initial research. Thanks!
Abel,
You're head is in the right place not wanting to manage it yourself however if this is your first Airbnb property then I suggest that you take the next 3-6 months managing it yourself so you can learn all of the detailed stuff for later on when you scale.
This way you can build systems and processes using real data and feedback from your first hand experience.
Then once you're ready you can get what's called a "Co-Host" through Airbnb which is basically someone who is a host but had no properties of their own. This will be your personal property manager that you can split the profits with (much less than a company), and all you need to do is pass on your systems and processes to them for operation.
At this point I advise people to start scaling out as quickly and as largely as they feel comfortable with. You could be making a lot of money in the next 12-24 months with Airbnb if you do it right.
You might want to give Go Realty a try. They are a newer startup in Pittsburgh. I just recently heard of them managing AirBnb's. I didn't see anything on their website specifically mentioning AirBnb management, but it'd probably be worth reaching out to them.
Congrats on your new property! There's a lot to know with short term rentals and long term management companies typically don't know the ins and outs of what is involved. You can hire a company that is not local to the area to manage the bookings, guest interactions, reviews, etc and then have boots on the ground people in Pittsburgh to deploy when issues arise and to maintain and turn it. That's how we've been able to manage our vacation rentals in Florida from Wisconsin or vice versa. Have you gotten your permits and licenses from the municipality/state yet? That will be a great place to get rolling if you haven't.
Let me know if you end up with a good management company for short term rentals (air bnb). We get a lot of requests to manage air bnb properties and while we are open to looking into this option, we currently don't have a ton of experience so I would love to have someone we can refer these interested investors to!
@Wendy Schultz that's another great strategy, thanks! Based off the responses I've received, it seems there are many options with splitting up the management responsibilities. I haven't decided yet on which one's I can/should take on myself, and which one's to outsource. As far as permits and licenses, I'm planning to apply for an occupancy permit in Pittsburgh. Is there something specific to AirBnB I should be aware of?
@Elise Bickel Tauber Definitely! It seems like it's a new market these management companies are tapping into.
@Abel C. - we typically have to apply for a special permit with the municipality to collect and remit room tax and a health inspection with the state. Plus we register for a sales and use tax number so we can collect and remit sales tax to the state.
I am an experience property manager who has recently taken an interest in learning more about short term rentals. My background is in conventional full market rate and affordable properties. I have recently decided to learn more about the STR's in the Pittsburgh area, which is where I am from and currently live. I plan to start my own short term rental management company. I see there is clearly a need in this area. Once I am prepared to launch, I hope someone is willing to give me a try in my early phase.
This is a really old post, but just in case anyone searches and finds it. We hired Host-Aid to manage our property in Pittsburgh in Nov 2021, and are firing them this week. Gave it a shot, but they're a small start-up that hasn't quite figured out how to do this well. Too-small team for what they manage (I assume... or they're busy with other stuff, hard to tell), terrible communications with us as clients, and communications to guests were often grammatically incorrect, sloppy, and failed to use the guest's correct names or truly read what was being asked. We tried to note that we needed more communications from them, but response emails to us were always very defensive in tone. I wouldn't recommend given other options out there (there are other options that we found in Pittsburgh - Facebook page is a great place to locate them).
This is a really old post, but just in case anyone searches and finds it. We hired Host-Aid to manage our property in Pittsburgh in Nov 2021, and are firing them this week. Gave it a shot, but they're a small start-up that hasn't quite figured out how to do this well. Too-small team for what they manage (I assume... or they're busy with other stuff, hard to tell), terrible communications with us as clients, and communications to guests were often grammatically incorrect, sloppy, and failed to use the guest's correct names or truly read what was being asked. We tried to note that we needed more communications from them, but response emails to us were always very defensive in tone. I wouldn't recommend given other options out there (there are other options that we found in Pittsburgh - Facebook page is a great place to locate them).
@Marek Ma Curious as to whether you ended up finding a STR property manager that you liked in Pittsburgh. I'm looking for one myself.
I specialize in Airbnb & short term rental spaces-
I work & live in Lawrenceville & manage/co-host in surrounding areas, in particular managing Airbnb'/VRBO. I'm familiar with all cleaning protocol and can offer special rates for managing & cleaning your space- I take great pride in what I do!
One of the benefits of living in the same neighborhood as rental spaces, I offer same day cleanings, and am available for any emergencies.
I'm also a great resource for your visiting guests on Shopping, Eateries, The Arts...
I've provided services that take you from ordinary"HOST" to "SUPER HOST" !
This is a really old post, but just in case anyone searches and finds it. We hired Host-Aid to manage our property in Pittsburgh in Nov 2021, and are firing them this week. Gave it a shot, but they're a small start-up that hasn't quite figured out how to do this well. Too-small team for what they manage (I assume... or they're busy with other stuff, hard to tell), terrible communications with us as clients, and communications to guests were often grammatically incorrect, sloppy, and failed to use the guest's correct names or truly read what was being asked. We tried to note that we needed more communications from them, but response emails to us were always very defensive in tone. I wouldn't recommend given other options out there (there are other options that we found in Pittsburgh - Facebook page is a great place to locate them).
@Marek Ma Curious as to whether you ended up finding a STR property manager that you liked in Pittsburgh. I'm looking for one myself.
We decided to just manage ourselves remotely. Hired a cleaning company, found 3 good handymen/contractors and an HVAC guy, and just do it ourselves for our two properties. It's been working well and saved us a ton for very little effort...
This is a really old post, but just in case anyone searches and finds it. We hired Host-Aid to manage our property in Pittsburgh in Nov 2021, and are firing them this week. Gave it a shot, but they're a small start-up that hasn't quite figured out how to do this well. Too-small team for what they manage (I assume... or they're busy with other stuff, hard to tell), terrible communications with us as clients, and communications to guests were often grammatically incorrect, sloppy, and failed to use the guest's correct names or truly read what was being asked. We tried to note that we needed more communications from them, but response emails to us were always very defensive in tone. I wouldn't recommend given other options out there (there are other options that we found in Pittsburgh - Facebook page is a great place to locate them).
@Marek Ma Curious as to whether you ended up finding a STR property manager that you liked in Pittsburgh. I'm looking for one myself.
We decided to just manage ourselves remotely. Hired a cleaning company, found 3 good handymen/contractors and an HVAC guy, and just do it ourselves for our two properties. It's been working well and saved us a ton for very little effort...
Marek, I'd love to hear your experience. i do long term rentals but just finished a very nice rehab and wondered if airbnb would be a more lucrative approach. please Pm me if you are willing to share your knowledge! Thanks!
I specialize in Airbnb & short term rental spaces-
I work & live in Lawrenceville & manage/co-host in surrounding areas, in particular managing Airbnb'/VRBO. I'm familiar with all cleaning protocol and can offer special rates for managing & cleaning your space- I take great pride in what I do!
One of the benefits of living in the same neighborhood as rental spaces, I offer same day cleanings, and am available for any emergencies.
I'm also a great resource for your visiting guests on Shopping, Eateries, The Arts...
I've provided services that take you from ordinary"HOST" to "SUPER HOST" !
I'm a specialists on the DETAILS!
References available upon request-
TTFN-
Kalliope
Hi, do you still cohost or manage? I am interesting in finding a cohost who will manage bookings and cleaning. I can do maintenance