Okay I am lucky I figured this out early. If no bookings for a week, I go in and change the prices. Depending on where they are (high or low) I move them down or up. Not a lot, just a few dollars % wise. If I move them up then next time I move them down. Bookings within days. Think it was someone on this site who suggested it. Must recalibrate the listing order.
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There are many of us who believe that if we tinker with the listing (prices, pictures, calendar, description, anything) it helps in search rank. Airbnb claims it doesn’t and so it’s just our collective confirmation bias at work. But the hypothesis is that if a listing is sitting dormant the host doesn’t care. If changes are being made then that shows an active, caring host. Airbnb rewards active hosts.
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What was odd is that I am listed no 1 in my city(all the time I dont know why). And I had almost 800 views in a month yet no bookings. I did everything right, price etc.So I “toyed” with the cover photo and changed the cover shoot every 24 hrs. And it worked! I got a booking right away. I think maybe sept is off to a slow start cause Ive checked my competitions calendar and most seem slow. I also noticed hosts that were here 4 years ago have just dropped out.Maybe the bookings were slow and they could make more money renting it out or month🤷🏻♀️
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It seems like people are waiting longer to book. Now there are so many more Airbnbs so guests don’t have to book in advance. As I’ve posted elsewhere I get about 40% same day bookings. I’m amazed at how many people are doing things like moving (so this must not be a spur of the moment trip, right?) and they are booking day of or day before. Right now my calendar is almost completely open. I have 2 bookings after tonight. By the end of Sept I will have booked 80+% of my available days.
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yes ,just had another request:wants the best offer I can give him for next day booking,bargain hunters out there.Im sure he sent out 50 requests to get the cheapest rate.
Unfortunately for last minute people here, they never get my best rate. That’s for people who book further out. As the days fill up I raise prices or block days completely to take a break. I try to take a day off every 7-10 days
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“Oh so sorry you waited until the last minute. For the best rates in the future, be sure to book at least a month in advance.”
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My son just went back to college, driving from Houston to Indiana. He wasn’t sure what day he would leave (waiting on something to show up in Houston), and wasn’t sure how far he’d drive before he got tired. He knew for months the approximate travel time, but didn’t want to commit to the exact day and location in order to book a place overnight. Sounds like lots of your guests are like him.
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I think so. Or road trippers who want to go where the wind takes them. And none of them ask for discounts.
What school is your son going to if I may ask?
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Great idea! I would rather have time off.
I dont know what to think honestly. I rented my airbnb out to a long term guest for 9 months, never took listing down just blocked my calendar and I still stayed at no 1 or no 2 in my city despite not doing anything and blocking my entire calendar🤷🏻♀️
It doesn’t make sense based on my experience but that’s great for you. As we say here, every host and listing is different so we can share experiences and opinions but that doesn’t mean that it will apply in every situation.
He’s a junior at Purdue.
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Actually I’m also renting out to traveling nurses…my guest yesterday broke my microwave, toaster, paper towel her left everything rearranged and it was a mess. I’m done trying to put so much into my places and people just dont care about damages…lol…and good luck with damages and getting the deposit you ask for! I’ll miss this, I love doing it but yes…people expect way to much, dont appreciate nor take care of the items and extras provided… sad times …I never thought bnb would stop standing behind their hosts…
Sue
I was always told traveling nurses make the best tenants🤭
I have friends in Bloomington including one who teaches at IU. It would have been one of those small world stories if he had known her.
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