That takes some courage and determination. I wish you the best in finding your next home.
Hi everyone, I am sorry that Lynn is giving up. Yes Airbnb puts pressure on to lower rates. The only person that benefits is Airbnb. Cathedral City, Ca just allowed us to reopen.
I decided not to follow the everyone else. I raised my rates and guess what I have bookings for the next five weeks. Making more money than before.
There are customers out there that if your price is too low they will not book because they think there is something wrong with your listing. So raise the rates, less bookings more money!
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Hey, Iām not giving up. My STR doesnāt lend itself to LTR and I made my bread and butter with 1-3 night stays. Due to COVID I have to leave my place empty for a couple of days between each booking and that my cleaning takes twice as long and that in my area the prices have dropped and there are no takers it became obvious that it would be difficult to continue with this type of renting. My high season is May - October and instead of getting booking this summer Iām having my guests cancel. In my low season I can make the same money as a LTR.
Hey Lynn,
Thank you for sharing your experience, I hope that something positive will come from your experience. Steve Jobs said his most creative time was after he was fired from Apple and founded Pixar! I feel you I am in the same boat and after hosting since 2011 many great guests and helping support my 3 young children and teaching I but most likely will be closing the doors soon. You are not giving up. You are moving forward. I get it. Financially it doesnāt make sense. I tried but have the same experience with new rules & less booking & cleaning. Thanks for the cartoon. It made me chuckle 
May I get your permission to post it? I would love for more people to have the see it.
Thanks for the support. In regards to the cartoon, thanks for asking to use. Selling the reprint usage rights is one of the ways I receive revenue to support my family but what I can offer you is a link to our cartoon syndicateās post where they have options for sharing :https://www.gocomics.com/offthemark/2020/01/14
If. you want to purchase the usage rights, you can visit this link:
https://www.offthemark.com/cartoon/technology-computers/internet/2020-01-14
Great idea! There are many folks like me who host remotely and need an experienced co-host/host.
I did the same thing. My costs went up. Cleaning supplies, bleach, disinfectents, I now laundry everything, even curtains between guests. It takes 4-5 days prep time between guests. Day one I spray disinfectents and start laundry, check hot tub. I shut off the ac to let house heat to kill any covid. It is 95 plus here now so with all curtains down, blinds open, it cooks inside after 25 hours.
Day two, I use uva lamps to kill anything not yet dead and do laundry. I clean on days 3-4. It is a large place so I do upstairs one day, downstairs another day. It has been difficult to get reliable help, so it is me only again. My housekeeper found another job when my town shut everything down for 3 months.
Day 5, I do yard work. I have many ask for low ball rates, even less than 1/2! I refuse those. I am not interested in sponsoring someone elseās vacation. I actually raised my rates and I am full. I am getting return guests which helps.
I was thinking about moving on too a few weeks ago, but now I am getting renters that stay 1-2 weeks. I have 1/2 the guests and have doubled my income. I am pleasantly surprised. I have a 1/2 acre lot. I live in small cottage at the back of the lot. There is a privacy fence between me and guests. I have separate parking, entrance way, etc.
I am glad to hear someone agree with me that with increased laundry and cleaning costs, rates should go up, not down.
My STR is a suite located on the entire 2nd floor of my house. Common entrance but separate doors to the unit. There is a little bit of risk of droplets when I leave my space so I have to wear a mask. My STR doesnāt have a full kitchen (kitchenette but no skink) so I provide disposable dishwater. I tried renting for 2 weeks but got no nibbles except during the high of the pandemic in Massachusetts with essential workers. My space was great for people sightseeing in Boston or using it as a starting point for a New England Trip or an early or late flight. So no matter how I tried to make it work, I just couldnāt . I realize that in 2 years I might be back in business but I donāt want to exhaust my savings.
I hear you and feel similarly. Iām blocking off for the summer because we have some repairs to do in the house. My daughter-in-law is pregnant and I want to be super cautious. AirBnB has totally disappointed me by not coming through with the teeny bit of money they owe me, never mind ignoring me in terms of subsidy. I guess Iām too small potatoes for them! But I may pick up in the Fall when we have finished out work. In the meantime, good luck to you Lynn and thank you for sharing your thoughts.