Build one big or two small apartments?

Hello

I am new here, also will be new to the Airbnb experience as a host. I have been using it a lot as a guest.

I am in the process of renovating a place where I can build two smaller apartments of 40 square meters both, or build one large of 80.
I was wondering what path is better. There seems to be pros and cons on both sides.

What is your experience, and/or recommendations?

Thank you

It will depend on your location. For instance, our location is a major honeymoon destination. So two individual places would be better for us.

Research your area. What listings get the most reviews? (You can’t actually tell bookings from the calendar - all you will see is that it is available or not available.)

Good luck!

No-one can advise you based on the information you have provided. You need to do your market research to see which would have the highest demand for STRs based on your location and target market.

Also depends on the layout you can create e.a.

  • Would the 40 m2 apartments have one bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room?
  • Would the 80m2 apartment have 3 bedrooms and a sofa bed in the living room? How many bathrooms can you create in such a layout?
  • Would it be possible to create two apartments with a connecting door?
  • Etc. …
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I have searched through the listings, and it seems there are a lot of small apartments. Out of all it seems there are around 1/3 big apartments. My place is in city center, 5 minutes walk from the main square.

40m2 apartment would have one room and a sofa in the living room as you said, and big one 3 rooms and sofa in the living, and would have two bathrooms. I also think it is a possibility to do a connecting door with two small apartments, and have thought about it.

Now i dont know which route to take.

Either do we.

It’s not just about what is on Airbnb. You need to do your market research - have you bought data from Airdna. Have you spoke to local estate agents? Have you spoken to your local tourism association about visitor data?

Presuming of course you have checked to see what regs govern STRs in your area.

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cram 'em in!
Floor to ceiling!

That seems most logical. It would give you more flexibility. You could rent 2 small or one large depending on the guest’s needs.

I always like a flexible setup because it’s…uuuhhh… FLEXIBLE :blush:. As far as AirBnB goes, I don’t see how you could lose with 2 small apartments with connecting doors. Maybe you could even put in a double (acoustics) double (=wider) connecting door, so when the doors are open it looks like one big apartment. Hire a good architect to see what is possible.
This is my ‘gut’ feeling (what’s in a name). The better way to probably go about it, is to do a full market research as @Helsi suggests.

Also take into account that not everything is AirBnB. Lots of stuff can go wrong with AirBnB, so also have a look at what kind of apartment will be worth more once you have to /want to get out of AirBnB. One of the reasons we bought the apartment we bought, is that it allows for several exit strategies out of AirBnB. Thereby offsetting the risk of the rather large investment.

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Thank you for your inputs, they are helpful. 2 small apartments would also be good for students as my city is full of universities, and they are close by, if airbnb goes south as you say

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