All Forum Posts by: Evan R.

@Beth

Airbnb lets you set a cancellation policy that refunds 50% of the payment, if canceled within four weeks of checkin. You can see the list of airbnb ancellation policies here: https://www.airbnb.com/home/cancellation_policies#super-strict

@Carlos Flores Websites like Airbnb and VRBO handle deposit though the site. Looking at the Trip Advisor site, operators can collect a deposit though Trip Adviser. 

Going off site is a common way to get scammed, but not always. 

So I took closer look at the KC market on airbnb, and it doesn't look too bad for vacation rentals. The average vacancy rate in Kansas city is about 38%, and the average price per night is $126. @Brandon Laughridge, your right on the money with price, and the forecasted vacancy rate is more optimistic that your estimate. If the numbers work for you, then it sounds like a good idea. 

What a wonderful idea! 

Here in the SF Bay Area, we have something a little bit like that, cohousing. It's where a group of people, usually close friends, buy a cluster of properties, and share common facilities. 

Hey @Brad Starling, looking at the Valley of the Sun on airbnb, I've found that there are 697 listings, about 300 are in the East Valley. The average listing goes for $253 a night, and the vacancy rate is 58%, which is less than 62% for the rest of the Phoenix area. 

The vacancy rate is a little high because it's still summer, and the snow birds haven't returned. 

Do you have a particular area are you thinking of buying? If you need helping determining what type of property preforms best as a Vacation Rental, ask!

Looking on airbnb, people really want to stay in places with 5 bedrooms.

The average vacancy rate for Kissimmee is 69%, and the average price per night is $146. This vacancy rate takes into account what is booked on a Monday night. If I checked again on Thursday, or Friday, the vacancy rate would be lower.  

If you look at the table, five bedroom listings in Kissimmee command a 30% premium over four bedrooms, and there are less competition among 5 bedrooms.   

Hopefully, the table makes it though, and you can see the breakdown for airbnb in Kissimmee.

? Bedrooms ? Average of Vacancy Rate ? Average of Price ? Listings count ?

? Average  ? 69% ? $146.88 ? 840 ?

? 0 bedrooms ? 74% ? $110.00 ? 11 ?

? 1 bedrooms ? 74% ? $95.76 ? 41 ?

? 2 bedrooms ? 69% ? $110.75 ? 80 ?

? 3 bedrooms ? 70% ? $116.10 ? 300 ?

? 4 bedrooms ? 67% ? $147.35 ? 233 ?

? 5 bedrooms ? 63% ? $209.66 ? 86 ?

? 6 bedrooms ? 67% ? $249.16 ? 56 ?

? 7 bedrooms ? 78% ? $238.73 ? 26 ?

? 8 bedrooms ? 73% ? $289.57 ? 7 ?

The quake woke me up, but my partner slept though it. 

During the quake, my partner, who is a geologist, mumbled from her sleep, "There is an earthquake.... It's a 4.0..... very spooky". 

Open Oakland published a map of soft story buildings in Oakland. 

Jawbone(a sleep/activity tracker) published a blog post correlating distance from epicenter, and % of people who woke up. 

My laundromat has a deal with a near by chiropractic clinic regarding the clinics sheets, and the laundromat's wash and fold service. Most airbnb hosts have multiple sets of sheets for faster turndown between guests.

Hey Gregory,

Welcome to Bigger Pockets.

Your idea is a very interesting arbitrage opportunity. Because you've already paid for your points, and your guest leaves their CC on file, and Marriott is not assuming too much risk. The only risk your assuming is being able to find a tenant.

I've met one person, at a meetup, who's done this with some successes. He owns Christmas weekend for a timeshare in Cabo San Lucas. He uses a local property management company to screen tenants, and he's been booked solid for the last couple of years.

By using a PM, he gets around of the reputation problem of listing a timeshare on Airbnb/VRBO. 

One issue of filling your timeshare with the sharing economy is reputation. On websites like airbnb and VRBO, hosts build a good reputation though the reviews of past guests. If you are only hosting for one week a year, it becomes hard to build a reputation. 

A handful of operators on airbnb are doing listing their timeshares already. There about 20 people renting timeshares in Cabo San Lucus. Here is the text for one of the listings. 

Redweek has a forum where people discuss arbitraging timeshares like this. 

In reading IRS Publication 527, chapter 5, Personal Use of Dwelling Unit (Including Vacation Home) and Topic 415, Renting Residential and Vacation Property, the IRS places no limits on the number of maintenance days you can have for a vacation rental. 

For determining how many days will be lost to maintenance, you can reach out to other vacation rental operators on airbnb, vrbo, and flipkey for their thoughts on scheduling off days.