Thanks everyone. yes, KKC There is a concern about the immediate costs of refurbishing all the bedrooms, although we really do have beautiful photos of rest of house,with land & a professionally designed garden,including a top of range partially enclosed hot tub. I am a bit of a perfectionist & want to offer my guests the best I can offer,this includes refurbished bedrooms & as mentioned 2 out of 6 are ready to photograph. As this is all so new it’s a confidence issue too. The bedrooms are all ok but the thought of forking out the money to refurbish them before knowing if we are going to get bookings is quite scary,mainly due to the nature of the higher end properties which accommodate 12 + & not knowing how popular this is. This is another reason we felt we should wait to see what happens regarding spring activity then it would be easy to add the new beds, linen etc in the safe knowledge we were up & running. A floor plan is a good idea. I think I’ll ask prospective guests to call me & I would be perfectly honest with them & say the rest of the bedroom photos will be added when our first bookings commence. If the caller asks if they can book for end March / April,as advertised,the answer would be yes,even if it was our 2 day minimum reservation. The decorating would be finished by then & the furnishings etc added before first arrivals.
You may have done this but take a look at the similar size properties in your area. Look at their calendars (unavailable days may be blocked or booked you can’t tell which is which) and see if they appear to be booked well or have some bookings for your coming high season. How many reviews and when were they? If you see a property on Airbnb with quite a few reviews (say 4 from October) that’s a good sign. New hosts get a boost in the search rank so when you go “live” you may get quite a few bookings right away. So understand this so you don’t get too excited right off and over estimate your earning.
Thanks again KKC. There is another similar property with similar amenities a few miles from us & they seem to be doing well. They are known as super hosts ( think that’s what it’s called ) & to be fair we are probably going to be seen as competition. We are looking at their prices & they are more or less the same as our expectations. I’d like to find out if we should fluctuate prices depending on season etc . We were thinking of offering a flat rate throughout the year with an increase during a popular summer festival near us which lasts 6 weeks. Again I’m not sure if that would put people off but I know all the hotels do this during the duration.
No, not at all. Make sure you are priced accordingly for that festival period as soon as you go live. But also be sure you are ready to prevent big groups of partiers. Do install cameras on the outside of the property to monitor it.
SH is a designation awarded by Airbnb when certain metrics they set have been met. It’s my opinion that it’s a good thing to attain. Other’s here say don’t worry about it. You can’t get it until you’ve hosted for at least a quarter. Here are the requirements.
This is so helpful.
Would it be ok to have a camera installed above the 3 entrance doors & for the privacy of guests mention those are the only cameras on the premises & they are placed there to make sure there are no unauthorised visitors.
Lara, just be sure to remember that you get the new host boost. This can get you bookings for at least six months or even a year in advance. (So be sure to have all your pricing in place as soon as you’re live).
I’ve heard of hosts who think ‘I’ll list the place and then tweak it as I earn money’ or for whatever reason but this is wasting the new host boost.
As soon as you’re live you want the place to be in the best possible condition to make the most of the boost.
Yes, a magic wand would be brilliant but it’s honestly worth the time and trouble. 
Yes and it’s required by Airbnb that you disclose them. They are an absolute necessity as far as I’m concerned. They can tell you when guests are checked in and out and when they are present and if they bring or entertain unauthorized visitors. Even people who live on site and check in guests personally swear by them. Guests who are up to no good swear at them. 
Thanks Jaquo & Kkc
I’m sure guests don’t like cameras but where safety etc is concerned I’m sure they just accept them. Looking forward to getting started, just want to do my best. I’m taking your comments onboard & great to have the support as a newbie 
Yes, and you need to disclose them in your listing, and your house rules should state that any attempt to disable or block them will result in immediate cancellation with no refund. And yes, yo do need House Rules beyond the default ones. Do a search on the forum and you will find many examples of rules. You need to put your pricing & amenities in place on the listing as well as the house rules BEFORE you go live. Once somebody books, that’s what applies to that booking, even if you change the rules after.