Critique my listing - Wrightsville Beach, NC

[Haley170]

Hello ABB community,

We are new hosts in a little beach town/island just outside of Wilmington, NC. I grew up here so I know what to expect, but this little island can get quite pricey and surprisingly enough, it books fast. However, I took over my family's cottage and it's older and not as spacious as a lot of the newer places on the island.

The bathrooms in particular are small. What is a good way to market the house where I can not disappoint renters with this aspect? I feel it is the biggest downfall of the house, but it was built during a time when not all bathrooms were made to be like a spa retreat. Should it be addressed before they come to the house? Is there anything else that you feel should be highlighted more in the listing? Renovations were just done last year. :).

Thanks for any insight!

Haley

[Sarah977]

@Haley170  The bathrooms are fine. You aren't advertising this as a luxury high-end place, so don't worry about it. 

What I would change if I were you, is your 11 person guest count. That is almost 4 people per one small bathroom. You have a dining table for 6 and living room seating for about that many. In other words, your guest count and the space and furnishings do not jive.

Also that bunk bed blocking half the door looks very odd. It's not a good idea to try to cram in too many guests just because you can. I would get rid of that single bed in that room and move the bunk so it's not blocking the door. And just because you have what is meant to be a kid's room doesn't mean you won't get 11 adults booking. there is no way to prevent that if you list for 11.

[Haley170]

Hi @Sarah977 ! Thanks so much for your feedback! I may dial back the guest count to 10, but I didn't think it was imperative that the dining table fit the guest count number when you have an eat-in island/bar to use also in the kitchen (seats 4 comfortably).

The loft downstairs is in front of a door, but it's 1 of 2 doors so there is still an exit. It's a pretty sizable room so they aren't really crammed in there. And I do think about adults sleeping in there, but I would hope that they look at the room configurations to see what is offered before they book. I had this same exact conversation with my husband, and his response was "aren't they supposed to read the listing to see what size beds, etc?" I was coming from your perspective, but he has a point so I'm going to let it ride. We have kids and this particular house is geared more towards families vs an all-adult vacation, even though it technically could be used for that, if people wanted to sleep in those beds. I do see your point though. The room is a bit awkward as it was originally built for different use by my family.

[Sarah977]

@Haley170  "I had this same exact conversation with my husband, and his response was "aren't they supposed to read the listing to see what size beds, etc?" I was coming from your perspective, but he has a point so I'm going to let it ride."

Yes, of course they are supposed to read the listing, but the reality is that a large percentage of guests don't. They just look at the photos and price and quickly skim a few lines of the description. 

[Lorna170 · Accepted solution]

@Haley170   One thing that you may wish to consider is that while your family may have handled the bedroom/bath/tables and chairs configurations well, your guests might not.  

One of my properties was a large 3 bedroom plus 2 sleeping lofts, 2 1/2 bath house that I initially set up for 10 persons with a sofa bed in one loft and a trundle in another.  It very quickly became apparent that more adult groups were booking than families with children, or that multi-families were booking without telling me about the number of children in residence.  The reviews were not great; quite a few complaints about not enough en suite bathrooms and not enough seating for everyone to enjoy a family meal.  This came as a bit of a shock as my large, extended family had enjoyed lengthy vacations in similar conditions (grandma's beach house) without any issues.

If the downstairs "kids" area is truly suitable only for children, drop your count to the number of adults who can sleep comfortably (2 to a bed) in the four bedrooms.  Then, when you get the family group with a teenager and some younger kiddos, everyone will be happy with their space.

I would also recommend that you drop your parking count.  4 spaces is more than enough if you are expecting 4 couples with a few kids.  Also, do your guests really order groceries to be delivered?  Are you getting paid to be the "put away" service?  I do like the way that you have worded your washer/dryer accessibility, encouraged use of the outdoor showers and that you offer a wagon with beach toys!  I may have to come with my grandchildren!

[Tamara682]

I do not see a link to the listing.

[Sarah977]

@Tamara682  You mean to Haley's listing? You can see any host's listing here by clicking on their photo, which takes you to their community profile, then click on See Profile under their photo on that page. You will then see their profile page, where their listings are thumbnailed. Then click on the listing.

[Haley170]

@Tamara682 www.airbnb.com/h/annasbeachhouse

Thanks, @Sarah977 !