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We are purchasing a house that is currently on AirBnB. It has been a great rental for the current owners and everything has been going smoothly except one thing that has me stumped.
They have satellite internet, which is currently the only option, but there will be a fiber cable system installed in a few months in the neighborhood. When I call to set up service, all satellite companies want a two year contract. I would like to hold off on satellite until the fiber comes thru and I think that would be better for guests in the long run. But what to do now, until it gets there?
Any brainstorm ideas on what to offer so I donāt get grilled over hot coals for no internet? Not sure if internet is super important, but Iām assuming so since my 11 year old assures me it is a āmustā
Internet is now considered to be a basic free inclusion. If you donāt have it then I think you will have a lack of bookings. Otherwise you would need to seek it as a get away from it all type listing.
I was given a weekend away at a place with truly awful internet, the crap internet really turned me off the whole experience and for what it is worth the resort felt like they didnāt want to spend on ANY upgrades. My business is on my phone and I need good access!
Check if you can pay a higher rate for a few months. Usually they lock you in for a year or 2 with a promotion. Ask what rate it would be just month-to-month.
I agree, unfortunately. Iām hoping there is an option to get thru until the fiber comes thru. Offering Redbox cards, etc ā¦ I donāt want to have to lock into a contract for lesser service if I do not have to. Thx!
I absolutely get that Funny part is that by holding out for a better service, I might be seen as not wanting to do anything and that is definitely not my intention. The current service is 10GB for a month, which is pretty cruddy but all that is there. Fiber would be awesome for people if I canāt get this to work. Thx!
Iād go with the satellite. The next few months could mean anything. We are still waiting for the cell phone tower that was supposed to go in āwithin the next few months.ā That was a couple years ago.
Your son is right, just get the one available now. A bird in the handā¦
I look after an apartment for a neighbour and when he first listed, the apartment had no internet which we noted prominently in the listing. When someone enquired, weād reiterate the lack of internet. I could compare the booking rate to our own rental (which is directly above so comparable in just about every way) and we had so many more bookings. Admittedly, we are also superhosts and have loads of reviews but I do feel that our neighbourās lack of internet was a problem for most potential guests.
So I canāt say with authority that his lack of internet was the only reason he didnāt get bookings but I suspect that it was a huge factor.
@LCL - something that is important to consider is that when you first list with Airbnb you get the ānew host boostā. (THis is assuming that youāre not taking over the account of the former owners). This boost should be totally exploited to make sure that you get great reviews and so therefore, personally I would not list a property until it had a good internet connection.
Yup. See my previous comment. You would want to warn about some latency, but it is a viable option. And satellite internet isnāt much to get excited about anyhow.
That is what I am looking into just now. But Iām not familiar with it. Have you tried it? It looks like it might be my solution thru Verizon, if it works.
I have used it. In fact, For years I used it when on the road, and as my backup at home. Traveled throughout Spain and Turkey using their versions and had no complaints at all. In fact, it was much faster than the internet at the hotels and homes that we stayed in.
Jackie, thank you! You mentioned taking over the current owners accountā¦ Is that possible? We are starting from scratch and they are closing their account at closing in 10 days. Is that not the right way to be doing this? Thanks again, I appreciate it!
As far as I know (Iāve never done it) it would be possible for the existing owners to have you added to their account as a co-host. Then, after a while, they can be deleted. But, as I said, Iāve never done it - just heard about it - but if they have hundreds of five star reviews for the property, itās well worth thinking about.
On the other hand, you might want a fresh start with your own individual hosting style.
The new host boost can get you a lot of bookings to begin with.So Iād advise you to only list when you are good and ready. I donāt think that a gradual, learn-as-you-go approach works. It also means that you could get bookings for months in advance so please donāt price your accommodation too cheaply.
Funny part is that by holding out for a better service, I might be seen as not wanting to do anything and that is definitely not my intention. The current service is 10GB for a month, which is pretty cruddy but all that is there. Fiber would be awesome for people if I canāt get this to work. Thx!
