House hacking through Airbnb

House hacking through Airbnb

Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes

Hello BPers!

I was initially hesitant to post this as I was contemplating whether this is a success story yet, but I'll let the BP world to decide. I'm sure everyone has a story on how they came across BP and here's mine.

About me- I'm an engineer by profession and based out of Indianapolis. I bought my primary residence 2 yrs ago and I've had spare bedrooms so I decided to give Airbnb a try. 

I've had an out of state investor from California stay with me and we got talking about investments ( that's my fav topic) and that's how I came across BP. He suggested my rental to his investor friends and I got more and more folks to stay with me.

Long story short, doing airbnb on my primary residence has not only helped me connect with great minds, socialize and share stories and give me a chance to host some wonderful folks, but it also helped in mortgage payments, provide additional cash to invest in rentals and also provide tax breaks. 

Though airbnb-house hack isn't for everyone, I'd like to point out the benefits.

1) Higher rate of return than a monthly rental.

2) Flexibility on whether to host or block dates.

3) Help with mortgage payments.

4) Re-invest additional cash in home improvement which helps in appreciating property value.

5) Tax Benefits

Here's a snippet of how I used the spare change to renovate the family room( pardon my poor photography skills). I'm not sure if this is the best strategy for everyone, but this is A STRATEGY that folks can try. I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

16Reply
82 views

Most Popular Reply

Miami, FL · Member since 2017 · 9 posts · 6 votes
9y

Look up Zeona McIntyre ... she recently interviewed on the BP podcast. It was excellent, regarding Airbnb. You'll get some good idea from her, she's great.

See this reply in the discussion

75 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Real Estate Broker · Temecula, CA · Member since 2014 · 992 posts · 782 votes
    9y

    Hey, there are many different ways to make money in real estate.  This is definitely one of them, especially if you enjoy having people over and meeting them!

    Probably a better place to stay than a hotel!   Great job!

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    @Christine Kankowski I definitely agree and thank you!

  • Real Estate Broker · Windsor, CT · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 268 votes
    9y

    @Mihir Bhimaraju this is definitely a great success story! 

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    Thank you, @Melissa Gittens!

  • Real Estate Broker · Windsor, CT · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 268 votes
    9y

    No Problem! @Mihir Bhimaraju So what is your next step in continuing your investing track? Are you going to purchase another property for Airbnb?

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    @Melissa Gittens My next step would be to diversify my investment portfolio and get a single family and then a duplex. My offer might get accepted on a property I made an offer on, as we speak. But here's to a new beginning! I'm paying all cash for this one and a good chunk of it came from saving up and AirBnB!

  • Investor · Herndon, VA · Member since 2015 · 185 posts · 74 votes
    9y

    @Mihir Bhimaraju

    Congrats and this is good start. You don't need validation rather inspirations and guidance. BP is good in providing all of them though so you are at the right place. 

    Much success to you in future!!

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    Thank you @Mayank S. !

  • Real Estate Broker · Windsor, CT · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 268 votes
    9y

    WOW @Mihir Bhimaraju Thats awesome!!!!! Congrats either way that is a great success stories, keep us updated on what the outcome is with your next purchase would love to hear more :) 

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    Will do, @Melissa Gittens

  • Miami, FL · Member since 2017 · 9 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    Look up Zeona McIntyre ... she recently interviewed on the BP podcast. It was excellent, regarding Airbnb. You'll get some good idea from her, she's great.

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    @Carlos Guerrero thanks man! Will check it out

  • Rental Property Investor · Miami Beach, FL · Member since 2017 · 105 posts · 59 votes
    9y

    Definitely a success story! I am currently looking for a SFH to give Airbnb a try! Thank you for sharing and good idea changing carpet for hardwood flooring!

  • Professional · Charleston, SC · Member since 2015 · 1 post · 0 votes
    9y

    @Mihir Bhimaraju I've been wanting to start Airbnb-ing my home, but would love any input about how you handle your taxes with this. I want to have all of that sorted and understand it before I get going. Thank you for the post! 

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    @Vanesa Gonzalez you're in a prime location to do Airbnb. You'll be surprised at how quickly you accumulate cash and re-invest it. Good luck and keep me posted on how it goes!

    @Megan Swanson I'll be glad to share my experience. It's not professional advice and I'd recommend your CPA to look into your financial situation. But feel free to PM me. I'd say the tax benefits are plenty and aren't difficult, so you should take a stab at hosting! 

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    @Carlos Guerrero I just got done listening to that podcast. That's pretty much my thought process! I thought I'd give it a try on my primary residence first, a couple of years ago, before I go out buying other places. Thank you for the recommendation!

  • Investor · Buda, TX · Member since 2016 · 137 posts · 55 votes
    9y

    @Mihir Bhimaraju

    My wife and I do the same thing with our house that is just outside of Austin and close to wedding venues, the river and so forth.  It has worked great and gives us a reason to take more weekend trips! 

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y
    Eric Barnett that's awesome! Have you leveraged the income to purchase more units? What's your story?
  • Rental Property Investor · NJ/PA · Member since 2016 · 555 posts · 149 votes
    9y

    1. what tax benefits?  do you pay hotel tax?

    2. MANY cities in US ban airbnb

  • Investor · Buda, TX · Member since 2016 · 137 posts · 55 votes
    9y

    Just really became interested in real estate early last year and moved out of my primary and turned it into a rental in Oct 16' and since have acquired a new primary that will soon be a rental, fourplex and currently closing on a small home in Blanco, TX near downtown and the river that we are considering turning into an airbnb place.  

    The extra income from AirBnB that we've made so far has been used for adding beds to the home so we can accommodate more people and making a couple improvements to that home.  We have only been doing it a few months but it's been doing great.  We were hesitant to let people come in but then again we use this site everywhere we travel and enjoy the experiences much more than say a Hampton Inn or some other random hotel.

  • Investor · Buda, TX · Member since 2016 · 137 posts · 55 votes
    9y

    Link regarding taxes_1099 from airbnb.  Most People won't have to worry about it.

    https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Community-Help/Does-Airbnb-send-the-IRS-any-info-when-less-then-20-000-is/td-p/27939

  • Investor · Taylorsville, GA · Member since 2014 · 352 posts · 540 votes
    9y

    Great info and awesome story!  I'm considering Airbnb'ing our latest rental rehab in Kennesaw, GA as an experiment.  Have you run in to any zoning/ordinance issues?  And any safety concerns?  

  • Real Estate Agent · Littleton, CO · Member since 2016 · 41 posts · 9 votes
    9y

    Mihir, thank you for sharing we are just looking into it here in Littleton, CO

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 232 posts · 133 votes
    9y

    @Julie Kern we've had to fight a court case to keep running Airbnb. Indy was planning to close on airbnb rentals thanks to a strong hotel lobby. There were instances of certain towns/school districts banning airbnb listings for some really silly reasons. Either way, I would recommend checking with the local county office if there are any bans imposed for your neighborhood. If you're planning to try it out, you'll have an upfront cost to furnish the place, but if it doesn't workout for whatever reason, you can turn it into a long term- furnished rental as an exit strategy. I'd be cautious and research extensively before buying someplace exclusively for airbnb.

    There's always an element of safety concern. Since I do it on my primary residence, my presence in the house sometimes helps. I can react quicker if something were to happen. But it can also be argues otherwise, more danger if you're present etc.  There are a few Airbnb property management firms that take care of managing the listings. You could look into that as well.

  • Tivoli, NY · Member since 2017 · 3 posts · 0 votes
    9y

    Mihir, I appreciate you sharing this story as I am currently considering doing this with my home.  I have been apprehensive about doing this since it is my primary residence for many obvious reasons...I'm sure you went through the same conflict/struggle.  Have you offered your home as an"entire home" or only as a "room", or both?  What precautions/safety measures have taken (put your personal stuff in a locked closet, etc.)?

    Best,

    Jason  

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.