Will pop on and have a look. Looks pretty good haha.
Cabinhost - Thank you for telling us about Houfy. I set it up 1.5 weeks ago and just got my first direct booking. I tied my Houfy website to my Google Listing. Feels great to have another option for bookings. Truly appreciate you sharing the information. Cheers!
Congrats! I just started “following” you on Houfy. Feel free to follow me back.
For anyone who has a wordpress website, but no booking engine - I just embedded Houfy’s quote tool, and the seasonal rate tool on mine a few minutes ago. I’ve gone all this time without a booking engine because I’m just not that tech savvy and always got frustrated.
Well…I called Bluehost today and they said my site would back up to the last time it was backed up - in case I screwed something up. So, I know a few of you in this thread are probably laughing cuz you’re tech savvy and it’s really easy…and you all have already done it…lol. I finally did it, even though it took quite a while. And tomorrow I need to spend time figuring out how to get them side by side, and also I am going to embed my “rentaldirectcalendar” again. I removed it just to test. So I will be adding some verbiage, etc.
Anyway, when someone clicks on the quote tool, and clicks to book - It will take them to your Houfy listing, on the Houfy site to finish the process.
@EVedder and @LCL or anyone- any ideas of how to get them side by side? This is what mine looks like right now: https://lakelurelogcabinrental.com/calendar-reservation/
https://lakelurelogcabinrental.com/check-availability/
For anyone interested in the tools, here they are, along with some examples of some wordpress sites where the quote tool looks a lot better:
I just made our Houfy site.
I am a software engineer and I do web apps and phone apps for a living. I am not offering my services to you, in any way, just advice. First of all I toyed myself with the idea of writing a web app for my listings. I can do that, it’s a no brainer (for me). I know how to do it to be found on google in searches and stuff like that.
For you, as a non professional, you would have to buy ads, to pay google for it. Of course you can build a website yourself. There are many places where you can drag and drop stuff on a page and chose a template and such and be done in 1 hr, but what good is it?
Then - at least for me there’s this other question: how am I going to collect the money? I am not a business. I don’t want to create a business because this would change the way I pay taxes and complicate my life. Right now airbnb gives me a 1099 form and I pay taxes as a regular landlord. If I become a business I would have to pay taxes quarterly, I would have to process credit cards and I would have to deal with a lot of unpleasant stuff by myself. I am a single woman. What do I do if I have a nasty guest? I had one who broke into my room one night. I called Airbnb. If I were by myself I’d sleep with a knife under the pillow. How would I handle reviews if someone say, finds me on Google and books me? How would I know who he is? That they are good people? What if they do damage? AT least ABB offers some kind of compensation. It is getting too stressful for me to be by myself in this case, therefore I decided against it. Unless I can come up with a some ideas.
Actually Houfy charges 30$/month, so 360$/year. I am reluctant in paying that after I paid 500$ for VRBO.
I did not see the above requests for Houfy payment (?)
I liked you Kelly!
I don’t have FB presence, not sure if this is futile, but if you search Chatsworth CA houfy, Tiny Tiki Trailer Zone comes right up
One thing that is undeniable is the reach of the Airbnb brand. My copy of the Airbnb magazine arrived today. It’s slick, it’s seductive, it’s good ad copy. Airbnb has become the ubiquitous brand name for home stays. People say “I’m trying to decide between a hotel and an Airbnb.” And sure it’s a shell game but when I look at my year end statement and see I made $10,000 and only paid $300 in Airbnb fees that’s a good value for money.
@adrienne12 - this is incorrect. Houfy is currently 100% free and will be for a long time moving forward.
Did you use the import tool to set up your listing?
Beautiful place and area @Gypsy. I am following you now on Houfy. Click on your profile, and you will see friends, followers, and those you are following. When you follow people you can read their stories in your Houfy newsfeed. I just posted this one 27 minutes ago:
All of my followers can read it in their newsfeed. My guests who are following me, can also read it. Any Houfy members, including guests can comment on my stories, give tips to other travelers, etc. And guests can even write their own stories/guides.
There is no fee on Houfy. @adrienne12 must be referring to OwnerRez or something else that charges $30 a month?? Anyway, go ahead and complete your listing, update rates, sync calendars, etc. Join the Say Yes to Houfy group - it is a “working group” where all of us are testing and helping to develop the site. Get your payments setup. Currently Stripe and Square are offered.
This was posted yesterday by Thijs (owner of Houfy) - he explains this is not just a listing site, but it will show you some insight into how Houfy will work as “market-network” and not just a marketplace. Real estate sales with zero commission, long term rentals, and other things are also coming down the road. So def. not just a vacation rental listing site…that is only one aspect - and first and foremost it’s a site to share information.
Keep scrolling all the way to the bottom…cuz I thought I was finished reading it, and there was more: