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Hello,
I used to post here from the guest perspective with a very similar username. I can’t remember the password and the system won’t send me a new one. ANYWAY,
I’m in the process of creating a listing for our home. It will be an entire house listing. We are targeting mainly people who are visiting the local university for reunions, graduation, interviews, parents’ weekend and so on.
I’m trying to find a balance of underselling the place without making it sound like a sh*thole.
How does this sound? (This is not the main description, but the additional info section.)
“The house, built in the 1940’s, is our personal residence, where we have lived with our children for the past decade. It is not an investment property that is solely used for rentals. As such, it may lack the polish and “bling” of a hotel. You might see some scuffs, scratches and other wear and tear. That said, we take pride in deep cleaning the entire house before each guest. We have plenty of towels as well as good quality % cotton bed linens. Our personal items and knickknacks will be stored away, so there will be plenty of closet and drawer space for guests”
Ours was built in the 50’s and we say that the building is “vintage mid-century modern, and we’ve enjoyed decorating the interior to reflect that style”. I don’t think you need to emphasize the negative that much. I would cut it down to something like this.
The house, built in the 1940’s, is our personal residence, where we have lived with our children for the past decade. We take pride in deep cleaning the entire house before each guest. We have plenty of towels as well as good quality % cotton bed linens. There is plenty of closet and drawer space for guests”
Ours is MCM too - 1949 - and I love it. We sometimes get guests who are architects or artists because of it. So having an ‘older’ home can be a huge advantage.
The reason I feel like I have to undersell is the local competition. There are several nearby Airbnbs that the owners don’t live in. They look much more sleek than my place, because they were recently remodeled and decorated especially to be vacation rentals, not family homes.
Though, I guess that the photos will convey this. Maybe I have answered my own question?
Could I put a less wordy version of my paragraph in the rules that guests must acknowledge?
I’m just trying to preempt critical reviews and deter overly picky guests.
I put mine in ‘Other things to note’ and in the opening paragrah. Something like
'Inner city living isn’t for everyone.
Like many areas under going regeneration, XXX can be a bit scruffy around the edges. We love our friendly, multicultural community, great public transport links, fantastic shops, cafes and restaurants with food from around the world, vibrant music scene and lovely open spaces.
'We give you fair warning, so if this isn’t for you, please don’t book, then mark us down on location.
“This modest 1940’s house is our family home. As such, it may lack the polish of a hotel. You might see some normal wear and tear. That said, we take pride in deep cleaning the entire place before each guest. We have plenty of nice towels as well as quality 100% cotton bed linens. Personal items are stored away, leaving adequate closet and drawer space for guests.”
@GardenGnome That’s much better, although I don’t like the word adequate. I had a boss that whenever I asked him how he was doing or how his day was he answered “adequate”. Maybe a pet peeve but I’d change the adequate to plenty of as you said in the first stab at writing it.
I’d get rid of that last sentence. (Maybe the last two.) Use your photos to demonstrate the quality of furnishings, and the space available to your guests for their belongings.
