Three day minimum?

i have a rumba too. it’s great! i don’t use it in the main house since i have 3 big dogs and the little guy can’t do the job on that much dog hair. i turn him loose in the bedroom when i turn it and he does a great job!

I can’t tell if you are trying to be a smart a** or what.

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people really iron sheets?! Geez! could this possibly be a perfectionism problem?

I think it’s more related to the expectations people get when using airbnb. The first time, they’ll be fine with what they get but once they see some hosts put in the extra effort they start demanding it. I don’t think first-time airbnb users compare it to a hotel, but those that have 20+ stays will start expecting a certain level that gets higher with every stay.

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If that’s the case, I’ll stick with first timers!

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What did I say to even make you think that?

Oh no, that could very well be valid but I run everything through my CPA so he will let me know for sure.I will let you know what he says,I still havent done my 2014 taxes yet.

Just remember, deducting for depreciation can bite you later. I learned this the hard way after selling a house I’d used as a rental and claimed depreciation. I don’t remember the whole story now, but when calculating proceeds from sale the depreciation gets added back, and I had to pay a chunk of income tax.

and don’t forget the occupancy tax.

I was thinking about this a lot while cleaning yesterday. I don’t clean like Diamond does and began to feel bad about it. But My rates are very low, that’s my specialty. Therefore my bedding is old and it shows. My furnishings are scraps I could throw together and not pretty. But the room is nice and bright and I provide a great breakfast and one of the best you’ll find anywhere in the world. So far my guests love what they get for the price. But at that price I can’t afford to buy nice things to improve the furnishings.

So some of us have school desks for side-tables with Ikea lamps nabbed from our kids rooms, some of us iron the pillow cases, and some of us have views of a Pacific Sunset. Isn’t that what makes the airbnb community so fun? We just all have to be careful to be who WE are and work with what we have, and not spend our money or time beyond what makes sense for us and out situation.

Sorry I babbled a bit but this thread made me think and tempted me to find fault with what I offer as a working mom with 3 very active kids. I love meeting the guests and making them feel at home and comfortable. I just have to do it on a budget scale for now.

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If you have a rental you HAVE TO TAKE DEPRECIATION, ITS NOT A CHOICE. And when you sell you have to add it back in;I have rentals and if I sold I would have to pay $150,000 in capital gains; so I just dont sell OR I do another 1031 exchange.You just cant move into a rental that was involved in an exchange;if you do it negates the exchange and all taxes are due. I need to find out what portion of the property I would depreciate with airbnb since its a suite on the main residence, but detached.It doesnt take a lot to make a place look great: Tj Max, Ross etc is where I buy quilts and sheets.I used some pieces from my house, bought a few on Craigslist etc…its about an uncluttered clean look,not overly decorated but a few nice pieces to enhance the space. My goal was to provide a room that looks like a nice hotel suite with inexpensive touches like orchids and flowers. I grow a lot of my own boquets, Dont skimp on a mattress; thats going to be noticed.I bought a mattress direct from Tuft n Needles,it was only 500 because they cut out the middleman. Everyone tells me how well they sleep on the mattress.

dcmooney, I agree with you. One thing that has struck me while perusing these forums is how different an experience this is depending on what kind of listing you are offering. So when reading advice on these forums, I try to remember that many hosts on here are offering something drastically different from what I offer and that’s okay. If your guests are happy and you’re happy, what’s the problem?

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Finally I added a $40 cleaning fee to try to cut down on my two days days but people are still booking two days with the $40 cleaning fee., which is OK I managed to cut the time from four hours to two hours on cleaning the room I just stay very focused don’t take phone calls and don’t make such elaborate flower arrangements. First time I cleaned the room it took me six hours then it went down to four hours now I’ve got it down to about two hours but I don’t think I can get it any lower than that., and at least now I feel compensated with the $40 cleaning fee. I only Iron pillowcases not the sheets now.

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Yes…!! Well said! Some of us iron sheets and have granite counters and some of us have older furniture and high quality snorkeling equipment so guests can enjoy premier snorkeling at a secluded beach in south Kona (in my subdivision). We shouldn’t compare ourselves to each other, but use the forum to share ideas!

You will feel better with a cleaning fee… And actually that is low. Cleaners charge $25 per hour… My place takes four hours to clean properly.

Sorry I wondered about the birdseed, sounded like you were being sarcastic, but maybe your CPA will let you deduct! :slight_smile:

Those birds r real hogs n cool weather they r going thru 3 lbs f seed! Now I only fill it once n the morning n if it runs out they have to wait till the morning!

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Honestly i stopped filling my feeder. I was going broke buying bird food, plus there were lots of bird fights! :smile:

i was inspired to upgrade my bedding due to several hosts on this thread. i bought lily white 800 count egyptian cotton sheets. they’re GLORIOUS! still not gonna iron them though, lol! i did find that if i put them in the dryer on the hottest setting for half an hour then right on the bed, it knocks out the wrinkles.

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BBM, Somehow the mental image of you ironing sheets like Martha Stewart just makes me giggle. :slight_smile:

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I confess - I started to iron my pillow cases after reading this thread. They do look so much nicer. My place is budget, though. I put flannel sheets on the bed in part because the room is chilly (in the basement) and also because they are all I had on hand. The flannel really does wrinkle. They look much nicer ironed. What else do ya’ll do? I used to cut flowers but just started forgetting. I do turn on the bed-side lamps and turn the beds down, so when they walk in it looks cozy and inviting.

If I stay in the biz I will upgrade my bedding and buy end tables (losing the old school desks that are doing the job now). I’m just not sure I’ll be busy in the fall to make the investment worth it. So far I’ve been booked and have had happy clients. No one has complained that the comforter was purchased in 1986…

Would love to hear, though, any other little touches to make a plain room look inviting.

I sure as hell don’t. Then again, all my listings are under $100 and anyone with eyes would see that from my photos. I mention in my profile that they are clean but not ironed so may appear wrinkled. If that sort of thing would freak out a guest, they are not the right guests here for me anyway.

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Me either. What the hell do my guests expect for $79 a night (low season), $99 high season. Damned lucky to get sheets at all!

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Ok. I am very curious about your place. Where are you located and how much are you charging for what sounds like a gem. I am new to this too and find the stress eases as multiple people like the place.
. I gave up ironing sheets 29 years ago but now iron the 300 count pillowcases although they dont really need it. Personally, I dont like the feel of super high thread count, so I don’t provide it. Honestly, my breid experience…7 bookings…
Would leave to suggest that people don’t care about that. Substitute a bottle of wine and a sixpack of beer and decent coffee and folkes are happy.

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