In this guide, you will find all the necessary information to become an Airbnb host. All of us never think to use the most out of everything.
Smart people find ways to make useless things to make money. You can be a smart person and use this Airbnb opportunity to make some extra income.
Are you living in an apartment with an extra room, where you dump your stuff?
Yes?
You got a new way to make money with that.
Firstly, you can make money by selling the unused stuff in the room on Amazon trade-in, eBay, OLX, etc…
Then you can use that small room to make you some nice passive income that you have never thought of.
People who travel are comfortable just taking a couch in an apartment.
Even if you have a small space in your living room, you can use that to list on Airbnb.
Nothing is small, everything has a value.
In case you have no idea about AirBNB, do not worry, I have got you covered. This is a complete step by step guide to know everything about hosting on Airbnb.
OK
First, let’s look at Airbnb.
So what is Airbnb?
Airbnb is a company founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan.
All of the big companies were started with a story. And there is an interesting story behind Airbnb as well.
One day, Biran and Joe were looking for some budget accommodation but unfortunately, they couldn’t find one.
So they purchased an air mattress and they used it for their bread and breakfast. This soon led to a small business when the 3rd co-founder Nathan joined.
It was called Airbedandbreakfast.com
This revolutionary concept helped many tourists find affordable accommodation while traveling the world. And soon it became a billion-dollar company with millions of customers.
Basic Stuff!
Here are a few things that you need to take care of before doing anything.
- Go and purchase the mandatory amenities like mattress, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, blankets, etc..
- If possible, clean the room once or hire someone to do that.
The idea here is to make sure the room looks beautiful and welcoming.
Because based on your service, your customers will give feedback and sometimes refer to their friends and family.
And that is very, very important.
Once everything is done, you are all set to become an Airbnb host.
Follow the below steps to start hosting on Airbnb.
- Go to their website, airbnb.com
- Click “Host a home”, or you can use this link.
- Signup up their application form, which is free.
- Now choose when you want to host, your price and requirements.
- Click submit.
There you go!
Your home is live on AirBNB and customers can reach out to you for enquirers.
Though all these steps may seem simple, you need to spend some time in understanding the platform and your target customers.
Because, if you are planning to take this as a full-time job, you need to treat it as such.
If you are doing it on the side, then it is okay just to make sure the necessary things are taken care of.
Here is some useful info to make this a full-time job.
Source: STR University
Understand your target customer
This is one of the crucial factors because every location attracts customers of different age groups with different intentions to visit.
If you are living in a place that attracts a lot of youths, who want to party and have fun, then you need to decorate your home accordingly.
In case you find a lot of people coming there for trekking and adventure, then you will have to decorate the home in that fashion.
For family and kids, a completely different look. Because people have different expectations and your goal should be to fulfill those expectations.
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Quality of photos
You have done your target research, purchased all the nice stuff for you home and you are super happy.
Still, we are not done yet!
Yep, the photos – you got it.
If you do not market it well, then everything will become a complete waste of time.
But this part is straightforward.
Here are the things that you need to follow while uploading photos of your home in Airbnb.
Take realistic photos:
Do not use filters in your photos to enhance the look.
Of course, it helps in getting customers, but when they come to the home, they will be disappointed.
“What they saw on the site is different from what they get.”
It is better if you can exceed their expectation but never project something different from reality.
You do not need any fancy camera to take photographs.
All you need is your smartphone and some good sunlight inside the room.
Take some pictures with a neat and tidy room and post it on Airbnb.
Sounds simple right?
Actually, it is simple. You just need to do it.
That’s all. Now let’s look at some technical stuff!
Optimizing your listing
This is also an essential factor when it comes to getting more eyeballs to your listing.
So what is optimizing your listing?
Here you are basically making sure that your target audience gets to see your home on the Airbnb website.
Using the right keywords and description in your listing will improve your rankings in the search result, and your list will get more exposure.
Let me tell you how easily you can do this,
Simply look at your competitors and see who is doing really good.
Look at their title, description, etc… See what keywords and sentences they are using and model your listing similar to that.
This is more than enough, and now you are among the very few who have a good listing on Airbnb.
Because most people are not aware of this information.
Adhere To The Policy
When there is high competition, there is an excellent opportunity to make money.
Airbnb is not very easy at the same time, not hard to make money.
When you are starting out, plan on acquiring good and quality reviews.
Because this will put you on their top partner’s list, and you will get organic promotions on the website.
Follow all their policy and guidelines and do not try to manipulate the system.
So in the beginning, I would recommend you stick to the short term listing until you get some quality reviews.
Once you have good reviews, you can list your place for a reasonable amount of time.
Pricing
Do not price it very low because you will end up making less profit and not very high because you will lose your customers.
Find the sweet spot.
How?
Again follow the same strategy, look at your customer and see how much are they charging per day.
Now see if you can price it a little low then your competitors and offer something extra, like a free WiFi or campfire, etc…
This will give an edge over your competitors.
Partner with a friend
It is easy to get this done quicker if you have someone to support you.
All the big companies are not built by one person, there is always an involvement of another person.
So it is a good idea to partner with someone who can take care of one part of the business.
Let’s say your friend takes care of optimizing the list and competitive research on Airbnb.
Then you can take care of the home and the hospitality management part.
See how simple and easy it is.
And yes, we have come to the end of the guide!
Conclusion
All the information you read will definitely help you to become a successful Airbnb host.
All the best!
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