- 50% the money
- 25% for a perfect excuse not to have constant ‘friends’ coming to visit, who are by far more work than paying guests.
- 25% I get to enjoy it myself
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Def. I call it my wee sideline business…
I do it to fund a lot of travel and i also use a lot airbnb for stays…
However I have to admit sometimes I do love to go to a ‘normal’ hotel were there is no pressure of reviews. Not that, I’m a bad guest, I’m perfect…Lol
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Well, I first started ABB for the only goal of THE MONEY lol.
I was able to, in my first summer, pay for a new tub/shower unit to be professionally installed.
Then I kept going with it.
I still give 30% of my ABB earnings to nieces who are in college to help offset their expenses.
Next year, all my ABB earnings will go towards 14 new windows.
However, along the way, I’ve come to enjoy hosting, meeting new people, even the ones I don’t particularly like, but especially the ones I DO like 
I live a rather sheltered life, so meeting those from other parts of the country and the world is all kinds of awesome.
I had thought about using my ABB income to subsidize my retirement in a few years–when I say retire, I mean retire from my current job only because it allows me to keep my health insurance at the cost I pay at time I retire, I will still have to work full time, just can’t physically take the demands of my current job.
But the risks of continuing with ABB I think are going to be too stressful to me as I do constantly worry about someone breaking an arm or getting a TBI or something!
So for now, my plan is use ABB for one more year to get those new windows… If I can somehow turn this into something that allows me to have funds to provide adequate insurance (I doubt it though as I did not get a conventional mortgage, it is underwritten by FHA), I would consider using ABB to help me with my costs of living when I retire.
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With all the moaning we can all do, I think we can all agree the money is a top priority lol
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Don’t hate me peeps but honestly, this is why I’ve been doing this STR for 6+ yrs:
60% – something to do which is mentally and creatively stimulating.
30% – satisfaction of creating an environment and rental experience which travelers often report have given them special and lasting memories of their vacations.
20% – income which proves that I turned this investment into a money-maker and also provides a means of employment for a single mother who does the housecleaning.
(0% is attributed to human interaction because as an off-prop. host, there is none…and I may not have made it through the first year if there was. (ha!)
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With your good sense of humor Sandy, any combination would have worked in your case.
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Oh yes! So done with being a free hotel for friends, friends of friends and kids of friends!
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I never knew I had so many ‘cousins’. 
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Before I started Airbnb I had a friend from Australia living in the room for 8 months for free. He did pay to decorate some of the house and bought random things I needed. But it works out no where near as much as what ABB would of made. Even at lodger prices it doesn’t come close. Last time I am ever doing that. You get ripped of being too nice.
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How do you get invited to the bad guest lounge? Would appreciate heads up regarding those!
Langcoeur, since we have so many members now, pm me with your listing so I can make sure you are a host and I will add you!
You can imagine being in Hawaii how many want to come and stay. I tell them if it’s summer that is impossible because my kids are here. Any other time of year you can stay in the apartment only if there are no bookings. Otherwise you can stay upstairs with me. Usually that discourages them quite a bit. No more blocking off the calendar for family and friends!
We were in San Diego county near the ocean with an ocean view and we nicknamed ourselves the hotel California! Now that we are in NYC we are keeping a low profile! No more hotel California! And they want sightseeing trips in NYC!
I send the listing to you. I think it was successful. Operative word ‘think’.
Am so borrowing that one.
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MAy be she had Asperger syndrom. Lots of people were never diagnosed but lots of people have it
People dont get the simple fact that nothing in this life is really for free. There should be always some kind of payment. EVen between parents and children. There is so much you can do for free, but if its becomes an expense for you or a long term commitment, you need to be somehow reimbursed unless you paying back to someone who saved your life.
I am managing my daughter’s house, and i built it from ruins, It took good 2 months of my life when i had no life.
I dealt with a bunch of workers who i had to only use my basic Spanish with, and who did not really wanted to work and had no work ethics. It was a lot of stress, and i hardly slept. And i was paid for my work. Now, i also make very nice comission, though she is my child. I depend on these money, and i cant just do all this work for nothing.
The same with family and friends staying for free. They know you need these money, and basically they are asking you to save their money but to deprive yourself of income
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This is sooooo true… And it is now my bottom line. Same with friends who wanted me to manage their vacation rental. I did it originally when they bought the house for pennies to try and save them money, meanwhile they were renting it for $275 per night and I didn’t even make that in a month overseeing the place. Finally they found other “friends” to do it and let me go, now those friends quit and they want me back. I said no possible way. They don’t live here and think it’s hardly any work when I know it is. Why should I work for nothing, deprive myself of other ways to make income so that they can save paying a real property manager, which is what they need. Never again. I am less stressed and feel better now.
I have a friend who lives in NY, the same story: she asks me all the time to take care of little things and even when I asked her to pay me very small commission she said she almost never asks me. I recorded next month how many times I went to her house, it was 7 times. Yes it was for small thing: lost key, no internet, show how laundry works, lost key again, cable guy came. It all took less than half an hour each time but multiply by 7, plus my gas and I am not getting paid even a penny. She rents it for 250$ s day.
Then she started asking my husband to see what’s leaking or other small issues.
Last week I had a serious conversation with her and said that I feel like she is taking advantage of us. Yes she is a very good friend but it does not mean I have to work for her for free. She makes money on this property and she is using my help regularly.
Well she was not very happy.
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Example: I have a professional cleaning company, they get paid only when a guest leaves. I have a handyman, around $25/hr when I call him. I have a property/guest manager, inspects weekly and takes the first call if there is a problem, solves minor issues on his own, $25 per week plus $10 per week if I have a group in the house.
I like these people but I don’t expect them to work for free.
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