We all could use a little extra cash, let’s face it. Times are tough in most of America, with many families being forced to live paycheck to paycheck. If there’s any way for you to take advantage of what you have at your disposal and make a little extra money, you should do it.
That’s why many homeowners are looking into the wide world of Airbnb. It can be helpful to learn how to Airbnb your house if you’re looking for one of the easiest ways to make passive income.
Whether you have a full vacation home you don’t use or just a spare bedroom in your own place, there’s room for you to make some extra dough. Read on and we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about this form of passive income.
What is Airbnb?
If you haven’t been privy to some of the changes in the online world these past few years, you might not be familiar with the new model of home vacation renting.
Airbnb is an online network of homeowners and hosts that give travelers from around the world a place to stay. Those who hope to host travelers in their homes can offer up an extra room, a guest house, an apartment, or an entire property.
There are millions of people who are successfully hosting guests on the platform, with thousands of new homeowners joining the ranks every month. If you take the proper steps, you could be one of these many new hosts, and you can start bringing in potentially thousands of dollars a month.
It all starts with a visit to the official AirBnb website, where you can make an account free of charge. The platform is safe and easy to use. There’s even a calculator feature on the site that can help you estimate how much you can make from your listing based on your location.
Creating Your Home Profile
If you feel good about starting down the road of Airbnb, it’s time to get started making an online profile that travelers can get interested in. First, you’ll want to fill in personal details about yourself.
Giving a little information about yourself can help potential guests feel a bit more comfortable about the idea of staying with you. You don’t have to share any information you don’t want to. The platform will even prompt you with idea on what to include, but you can add anything you’d like to.
Adding a clear photo of your face can also help to guest feel a lot more open to staying at your property. A barren, face-less profile is likely to scare many potential paying customers away.
You’ll need to verify your identity with the Airbnb platform as well before you can post an official listing. You can do this by sharing a scanned copy of your passport with the company, adding your mobile number, and linking your account to an existing social media website.
Once you are verified, you’ll be given full access to the site and you can get started by posting your first listing.
Listing Your Room or Property
Listing a room or home on Airbnb is very easy. The platform is well-designed to walk those new to the process through it an easy manner.
Describing Your Home
When making your listing, it’s important to present your home in the best possible light while remaining honest. It’s absolutely essential to be accurate about your listing. Failing to accurately represent your space online can lead to poor reviews that can sink your listing or get it kicked off the platform altogether.
If there are less-than-stellar details about your home or room, try to be upfront about them. If you are honest about these elements, you might find that people are happy and willing to book regardless. People just don’t like bad surprises.
Find a way to mention less than ideal traits in a positive manner.
Make the rest of your home description enticing and exciting. Portray the home of the vibe (classy? chill? rustic? modern?) and make sure to list all the amenities, from as big as a pool to as simple as a coffee-maker in the kitchen.
Add some high-quality photos to your platform and you should be good to go. You can continue to adjust your home profile over the length of your time on the service.
Common Homeowner Worries
If you’re unsure what to charge for your space, Airbnb can help.
This number is produced via an algorithm that takes into account how many rooms you’re providing, your location, the season, your former bookings, and other similar rentals in the area. At the end of the day, the per-night price is up to you, but relying on Airbnb’s algorithm can give you a good place to start.
You’ll also be able to list which dates you want your property to be available for. Listing a home or room on Airbnb doesn’t mean you have to have the space available for booking all the time. You’ll be able to open a calendar and block out whatever dates you need to.
If you really start to get quite busy with your listing, you could look into vacation rental management to help you with bookings for your property, making your passive income even more passive.
How to Airbnb Your House & Make Fast Money
If you’re looking to increase your yearly income, learning how to Airbnb your house can be a huge help. The above can help walk you through the basics.
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