The host-specfic articles are here:
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Lol thats me! Well not exactly but it feels like it. I just blocked off the weekend AGAIN (weekdays already blocked) because I am building the guest house and have open trenches on the property and do not want anyone falling in one. I am a host who really does not care if I am booked or not I would rather charge more and be booked less, with the amount of money I am sinking into my place the rents are just a drop in the bucket anyways. But I do consider the whole picture, investment etc. Operating at a loss is actually good for my tax situation! All that being said I do hope to get the calendar opened up once the guest house is finished.
RR
It was a good article. Well written and bang on that a lot of hosts arenāt business people. Itās not easy for a lot of people to spot. It doesnāt appear like advertising to some and even then, some donāt realize that depth of bs in any advertising. You could even logically deduce that when your price goes down, airās profit margin does tooā¦ sort of like when your real estate agent sells your house. They will try to get top dollar for you so that their commission is higher right? 
ā¦ Not.
Greater awareness would help people make more informed decisions. But not all. Quite a few people trust big brother and donāt want the hassle or bad feeling that goes along operating in a world where they canāt.
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My neighbor has joined the race to the bottomāIām starting to think she is brilliant.
Background: SE-USA coastal condo. Season June-Sept. Hurricane Florence. Area flooding damaging homes & blocking roads. My neighborhood on high-ground so no flooding damage, minor wind damage. Rarely have bookings in November & December.
My neighborās pricing for November & December = $50/night, 3 night min. for a 2 BR 2BA condo, view of intracoastal waterway. All weekends in October, November & December are booked. She getting $600-$750 a month which is enough to cover the HOA fees & utilities ($500) and have a little extra.
What do I have? 1-booking in October. Nothing in December.
Iām thinking about joining the low rate club for December.
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How do you know this isnāt a case of booked sooner but not more?
I could see people waiting a bit longer to see how the clean up goes. Then they make relatively last minute bookings but have to pay more. You end up with your weekends booked too but at twice the rate. Remember @LCL had a cancellation and a last minute booking and the folks were thrilled to be able to find something? Iām just throwing food for thought, my market is very different from yours.
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I think you are spot on with your assessment for Oct & Nov. Iām not going to change my pricing. I love that time of year at the beach. If I donāt have rentals, I will enjoy the unit.
For the past 3 years I had no rentals in December. The off-season rental market is saturated with empty units which may push me into the race to the lowest rate.
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Thanks @KKC! I think someone mentioned in my case that ABB might have pushed us higher because of the circumstances? Iām not sure what happened there bc it was our first time that happened. Its strange, because both our ABB listing and our FB page had lots of traffic that day but I marketed the daylights out of it! But, hey, it sure worked out. Thank goodness!
My take is that the constant stream of half baked āmarket dataā (my favorite: āafter you have had 52 views you normally get bookedā) is an attempt to look like theyāre engaged with you and helping with your business model. To set them apart from, say, VRBO or other platforms. Like those ridiculous 3 favorite things boxed text that now appear on the top of your listing (āthe last 5 guests loved the lockbox!ā) the idea is that they get you, as a host, & theyāre matching your unique property with a tailored engagement on your potential. I ignore it. Iām running at 80% even with a 3 night minimum & more than that would be beyond what we can handle. Only you know your market and can calibrate whatās the best level of booking, IMO.
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Yes in this city, if I set my prices at the Air recommendations I wouldnāt be turning lookers into bookers, Iād more likely be turning hookers into bookers 
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I found out how low I would goā¦ update on above posting. Record flooding has left many people homeless. Waters to rise 2 more feet by Wednesday & homes in areas that didnāt flood with Floyd (2000-cat 5 until shortly before landfall) & Hugo (cat 4 hit devastated Charleston in early 90ās) have flooded.
Both condos now rented in October to two families. 1st family: Flooded out, evacuated by boat by National Guard, basically have a backpack of clothes & personal belongings & 2nd family sold their home & building new one. They were already staying in my condo until their home was finished (anticipated 10/5) but the roads flooded so no construction on their partially completed home can occur for a long time. Think it survived but not sure. Unknown how their belongings in storage fared.
For both, Iām renting them for just enough to pay the billsāits a win win; helps me pay bills & they are dry & safe.
I am so very fortunateā¦I am giving thanks.
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That is very kind of you. Sometimes itās not about the money.
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Completely agree. I would do the same. Forget the money, these people must feel completely devastated and need help. Thatās great that you are doing that.
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