Thank you Airhosts Forum!

Hello, I’m Wendy. I joined the forum in July 2017 while deciding if Airbnb should be the platform to eventually advertise the 3-bedroom, ranch house my husband and I were renovating. I read postings every day for several months to learn as much as I could. I kept a notebook and recorded anything I wanted to remember. This forum is such a wealth of information. Because there are differing opinions on many subjects, I still had lots to think about before making decisions about what to do.

We are both in our 60’s and retired from 9 to 5 employment. For 26 years we have been managing our own long-term rentals. We have been down-sizing and currently own four. We are caregivers for my parents and aunt. Our goal was to generate more income with our vacation rental than we would if it was rented long-term.

It has been a year since our Airbnb listing went live. We exceeded our goal and I credit this forum for our success! Thanks to everyone, especially @KenH for his straightforward advice.

Initially we were concerned about how we would respond to inquiries in a timely manner. We have no cell phone reception where we live and are not constantly sitting at our computer. We decided to use instant book and after reading about smartbnb on the forum, I subscribed after my free trial ended. Pierre and his team were always very helpful whenever I had a question.

As Airbnb hosts, we had fun, got exercise doing our own turn-overs, were forced to take a break from our caregiving duties, and provided a home base for guests visiting the Finger Lakes region of New York.

After providing 37 stays between April and November, totaling 98 nights and involving 169 guests I feel confident that I too, will now be able to share what I have learned this past year. I look forward to being a contributing forum member.

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Welcome to the forum!! I learn every day from the people on this forum and hope I’ve helped a few along the way too.

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Welcome @wwirth!

It’s lovely to meet you and learn about you and your husband - and your hosting style.

I’m in my 60s too and getting rentals ready for guests is far better exercise than going to the gym. I’m looking forward to chatting with you more :slight_smile:

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Welcome @wwirth Wendy, and thanks for your kind words. I’ll be 71 this year, and turning our place around does keep me limber… well, that, T’ai-chi and yoga :wink:

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Thanks for the welcome. I feel like I learn something from the forum every day, too!

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No gym membership necessary!:grinning:

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For us it is aqua aerobics and bone builders - an evidence-based exercise program developed by Tufts University.

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A tip of the hat to the hosts that recommended Oxyclean. On the ridiculously expensive wall hanging I managed to put 3 coffee stains on. I am indebted to the forum!

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All of my house keepers have lost significant amounts of weight ( 5 kg +) and stopped going to the gym. They should be paying me!

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I agree. I consistently learn new things that are happening and better ways of doing things.

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I am so appreciative of all my new friends and mentors here. Our launching has been very smooth because of you all. Welcome wwirth! Post your listing link so we can see<><>

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Thank you @gypsy for your welcome message! Here is the link to our listing-https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/22981632

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You have done a lovely job on your place, well done. Your photos number 1 and 2 are pretty much identical except number one is very yellow. I don’t believe you need both of them, I much prefer number 2. Filters are great to remove yellowing etc and give them more of a professional look. I am a great believer that every picture must tell a story and there shouldn’t be multiple photos of the same thing. Less is more and all that, there is already so much clutter in our lives. 45 photos is a lot, I have 15 -20 of the home first then about 5 to 6 of things to do in the area.

Good points @Poppy! I have read other places that “the more the better”. I will consider reducing the number; your clutter comment is valid. I will also investigate editing with filters. Thanks for your comments.

Thanks for not taking offence, I was a bit worried you might! I use Airbnb a lot as a guest and there are so many places to chose from that the more concise and attractive you can make your place to attract the right kind of guest the better. It also comes across as looking more professional. With our photos three of us get together and study each photo until we come to a consensus which are the right ones to use. Like a meeting in an advertising company.

I quickly flicked through your photos (as guests will do) and without spending some time trying to work out the layout I really couldn’t get a clear picture of the home. I did wonder why there were two identical photos of the table (one with the games on it and one without)? The games were shown in another picture so that should be enough of the games. If you get my drift.

Cheers, not trying to be bitchy!

No offence. Constructive criticism is always welcome:grinning:

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Hi Wendy (wwirth), loved your write up. You researched for months on Aibnb and hosting for a succesful
one year in NY. I have just started hosting on Airbnb after researching on Airbnb for hundreds of hours
and staying myself with other hosts over the last 2-3 years. Best of luck, JAY from Coachela Valley, CA

Thank you @jaysingh777! I believe that all the time spent before jumping in to host was well worth the effort. There were so many mistakes we could have made if I didn’t read about the experiences of others and then consider the advice they offered afterwards. Then of course there were the differing opinions of other forum members that really got me to think about how I would choose to deal with a similar situation.

Good luck to you in your new endeavor!

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Hey @Wendy great first post. Welcome!