Co- hosting Multiple listings

Hi-

I’m new to this forum, however I’ve been co- hosting for 4 years now. Sorry in advanced if this looks like a novel - ugh!!

I’d like some feed back regarding how many listings is too much for 1 person?

I realize there r a great many factors, however I’d like to know what some of you think about this.

I currently co-host 3 places, which are all busy & booked months in advance-

Mind you, all hosts live in other cities & I basically set up everything for them to begin an Airbnb, which I’ve done 2 from scratch & the other was already established-

I think I’m rare in that, (maybe not) I help hosts set up their profile, make sure all amenities are in order go through the house & if they don’t have I shop for it & they reimburse me- I do a great many little things & what ever is needed to get them started.

I even do gardening if needed etc. hang curtains, u name it, I do it, if I can- I really enjoy doing this work & look at it as a collaborative business- I love my hosts & they r super fair & good people- This sort of work is a way to promote my community & have my own business at the same time-

I do the cleaning ( which I’m paid the entire cleaning fee) & take a percentage if the bookings-

So far, my hosts have come to me from word of mouth, which I really appreciate & am proud of-

I just helped in making 1 of my hosts a Super host, which is a gratifying thing-

I’m very good at what I do, I’m fastidious & organized, which is perfect for this work-

All this said, I don’t want to burn out & thought I would see what others think(?) I’d like to hire someone at some point, however I don’t think I’m there yet-

Any feedback would be appreciated :slight_smile:

I’m a co-host . My advice is hire a cleaner. And if a garden needs doing hire a gardener. Focus on your co-hosting role and you will find it easier to manage @KVL

That’s what I’m doing-

Yeah I mean, I’d look at the labour intensive tasks and let them be your first priority in off-loading.

That’ll mean you’ll be able to handle more capacity.

As to what’s considered too much, it’s difficult to say.

It depends on how many bookings your properties receive and their average length of stay.

For example, if each property has 3 turnovers per week (as you get lots of 1-2 night bookings)… would be different in getting 1x 5-7 night booking.

:slight_smile:

I host two, plus co-host for a neighbour for about nine months of the year. (I run the listing too - I’m pretty sure that the property owner has never even been to the Airbnb website.)

I’ve been doing this for many years and have no burnout as yet - and I can’t see burnout on the horizon.

I’m not ready to employ anyone yet either. The only time I have was for a few months when I was in a coma (so had no choice!) + recovery time, but the work wasn’t at all up to standard.

I do all the cleaning and laundry and sometimes reading here, it seems that the hosts who employ people have much more trouble than those who simply do everything themselves.

I’m not young (ha!) but I’ll keep doing the cleaning and laundry for as long as I can as it’s a great workout and a lot cheaper than going to the gym. :muscle:

Like you, we’re fully booked year-round and usually have plenty of bookings a year in advance.

So, my feedback would be to keep going and remember that burnout isn’t an inevitable thing. See your hosting life as a lovely job that as a bonus, keeps you fit, your mind active and lets you meet people from all over the world.

It sounds like you’re doing a great job so keep doing it and enjoying it!

:slight_smile:

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Jackie you are so right ! I could be working so hard for a company, that doesn’t appreciate me & not get nearly as much gratification as I do with this gig. I do know this for sure. This is one of the reasons I love doing this.

I love what I do & I take pride in it. I know it’s difficult for people to find good/reliable people to work for them, I just think that 3 or maybe 4 places would be enough for me.

Right now I have 3 & it’s a full time job. All of my hosts handle the initial bookings & I do all the replies/reviews/ratings & of course I’m the frontline when guests are here.

My hosts tend to stay in their space when they come back to the area , a few times a year.

We do a min. of 2 nights/house & an average is 5-6 bookings a month- It’s steady-

Thanks for your response.

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@KVL You sound like a great co-host. I looked after 2 small places, in addition to my own, which were owned by friends of mine- they weren’t short term rentals, there were long term tenants. At first I was fine with it, but the places needed more work than I really wanted to do, and at one point there was a renter in one who was hard to deal with, so it became stressful. The place that I had to drive to got sold, so I was quite happy to have that off my plate. The other is right next door, and has a great renter who takes care of lots of things himself, so it’s no hassle.

I think you’ll know when you are getting burnt out. As you say you love what you are doing, and it’s a full time job, just don’t take on any more places. Sure, you could hire a gardener and a cleaner, but personally, I love gardening, and it was my favorite part of my management jobs. If you can find a great, thorough cleaner, that’s something to consider, but I can also understand knowing for yourself that it has been well-cleaned because you have done it yourself. Cleaning isn’t my favorite task, and I have a gal who comes once every 2 weeks for 4 hours to clean my house, but I always do my Airbnb room and bathroom myself, because I clean every square inch, and she often misses stuff.

Muddy-

Yeah, thx for ur input- I too love gardening & putting a place together- that’s my forte, I just don’t want to deal w/ the hassle of hiring anyone who won’t do as good of a job as I know-

I think most hosts, like yourself, know this-

I don’t think I should take on any more at this point- :slight_smile:

Thanks to u all for input-