All Forum Posts by: Sarah Kensinger

100 percent! Too bad other hosts don't consider the new expectations we're receiving not only from guests but also OTA sites.

We just made a claim through Aircover last week from a guest that bleed all over sheets. The sheet set was a $90.00 purchase made exactly 8 weeks before the guest ruined it. Airbnb claimed within 8 weeks the worth dropped to $29.00! Absolutely stupid to say the least! We also use Rental Guardian and add the charge to each booking so essentially the guest is paying for their own damage insurance. We've never had any issues whenever we submitted a claim, and they would take care of the type of situation you're dealing with. 

So many answers that you're probably more confused than not. Boil it down to one thing...what are your goals for the property? Where do you want to be numbers wise, and how do you want the property to look one year from now. Once you have those answers and find out how Airbnb would penalize canceled bookings...that alone is huge deciding factor for some old/new STR homeowners....you can move forward with the best answers that would help you meet your 12-month goals!

We have a property just north of yours and to be honest I would not be leaving a ton of supplies out for the type of guest avatar that comes through. The only exception is dishwasher pods, we leave the entire tub out. But most stays in that market are 7-10 days, so leave enough out for that and then if the guest runs out, they will need to supply their own supplies. If a guest pitches enough of a fit about running out, you can Instacart supplies within a couple hours.

This would make a great co-hosting opportunity without worrying about making enough to cover rent. But either option may work, just make sure the numbers work before committed to anything.

Reach out to @Carson McGee. He knows Hawaii very well and could help you out!

From my understanding you would have to sell the property as a business...a resort style destination with a number of amenities and places to stay. Speaking to a commercial realtor in the hospitality space would help you figure out the best way to market and sell a property like this. But a heads up...the best financing on these types of properties is seller/owner financing. If you're not open to that, I would hold on to the place long-term or sell the property at land value not including the yurts, hot tubs, etc.

Creative financing is one of the best options in this current market and interest rates. Otherwise, it's very difficult to find a property that is cash flowing well. But if you can lock in another property at a low interest rate, that changes everything.

Since everyone already purchases the streaming services at a year subscription, just provide a smart tv with logins to all the popular streaming services.

I would think twice before using a Speed Queen dryer! While I love the brand and have personally used them for the past 7.5 years, the dryer takes FOREVER when doing loads of bedding or towels. But I have heard good things on Maytag's commercial line. I get the frustrations of laundry and especially losing expensive luxury linens that gain 5-star reviews and very happy guests. Watching my linens get swapped out for cheaper quality would be rather upsetting to me and I would keep all laundry at the property. So, if you could get another dryer, maybe even two, and place them in a garage or closet I would work out how to do that asap!