How do Toronto STR exempt properties list on Airbnb without ...
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How do Toronto STR exempt properties list on Airbnb without str registration or license number? In other words, how do I list...
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Hi Sue, and welcome to the Airbnb community and congratulations on achieving your Superhost status in your first 9 months, I hope you can get as much support here as many others have, including myself over the years.
That's a nice listing you have there Sue and, although unfortunately I have not been to St Andrews, I have been to Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney and Charlottetown in your area and I can attest, you host in a lovely part of the world.
You have asked us to critique your listing with ideas to attract more guests which means, we do have to be critical. We (or at least I) am not trying to be derogatory, I am just trying to provide some tips from what I have learned over the years!
A/......What is your market......who is going to book your listing?
As lovely as your area is, guests will come to St Andrews to have a quiet getaway and to take in the peaceful tranquility. So you need to cater for as varied a list of guests as possible.
B/.......How much competition does my listing have?
There are currently 49 Airbnb listings in the St Andrews precinct which accounts for 38% of the available short term rental market in the area, although some listings are duplicated across a couple of booking platforms. So Sue, as St Andrews is a town of, (or in 2021 was), 2050, with such a small population, you have a lot of competition. And you are currently showing up at 36th in an Airbnb area search of St Andrews.
What else is complicating your listing, If I type in St Andrews NB my search gets directed to a number of properties from St Andrews/Antigonish in neighbouring Nova Scotia and I have to physically drag the map to your location on the border with the US in order to see your locale and unfortunately there is nothing you can do about that Sue. That is Airbnb's bad, not yours. A search of New Brunswick should not end up in Nova Scotia but, that is the reality!
So how to get the best out of what you have got!
1/......What is going to attract guests to my property?
You have to give guests a reason to pick your listing over another hosts. Don't be the cheapest in the area, many guests will think it's a dive, if it's cheaper than anything else. But you have to price to as broad a market as possible as per my first point A.
I notice you are charging $238.00 cad per night regardless of how many guests are staying! You charge $238 for one guest, just as you do for 8!
This is severely limiting your appeal. Many of your potential guests will be, couples, or a small family 3-4 and be put off by the high nightly rate. Your competition will start at a base nightly rate for 2 guests and charge an additional amount for each guest after that initial 2.
I understand that your property costs you virtually the same to maintain regardless of how many guests are present. But Sue, you must remember when you are not renting a part of your principal residence, 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing!
2/......Your property while being very neat and in good condition lacks that certain appeal that will grab a potential guest. Your lead photo is the front of a plain house, the balustrade is on the lean......As a potential guest, that lead photo would not grab me!
You would have been much better off to use this as your lead listing photo.
Click on the photo to enlarge the image.......
The interior of your place lacks character and warmth Sue. It looks like motel rooms. Put in a few homely touches, a pot plant, vase of flowers on the dining table, some books, a few kids toys, some brochures of things to do in St Andrews. You do well with your area photos but you need to bring some of that linkage into the house photos, make a guest say...."Now that looks nice, that's where I want to stay"!
3/........How do I improve my search position?
Although support will tell you this is not the case, the algorithm that governs search placement responds to .....activity.
I would suggest, get a bit more activity going on with your listing......add, change a photo or two, get some acquaintances to send an enquiry, it doesn't commit them to anything. Put your price up a dollar or two for a week them move it down again, alter your listing description!
the more activity you can have going on, the higher you will show up in search rankings.
4/......Finally Sue, concentrate on building up a heap of good reviews. At the moment with 10 reviews you have nowhere to hide if you should get that odd prickly guest. Once you have 40-50 good reviews behind you prospective guests will have more confidence to book with you because you have an accepted track record.
Give each guest a little something they were not expecting! I have found the less a guest expects the more they will be delighted with what they get. Ask if they have any special requirements that you can help them out with.....gluten free bread, rice/almond milk for the lactose intolerant. Guests appreciate these little touches.
And remember at all times you are running this business, not Airbnb, it's up to you to insure yourself and protect yourself, because things won't always go just as planned.
Think I need to stop at that point. There is so much more I have learned but like most things in life, hosting is a learning experience and I hope I have given you a couple of ideas here. All the best Sue.
Cheers.........Rob
Hi Sue, and welcome to the Airbnb community and congratulations on achieving your Superhost status in your first 9 months, I hope you can get as much support here as many others have, including myself over the years.
That's a nice listing you have there Sue and, although unfortunately I have not been to St Andrews, I have been to Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney and Charlottetown in your area and I can attest, you host in a lovely part of the world.
You have asked us to critique your listing with ideas to attract more guests which means, we do have to be critical. We (or at least I) am not trying to be derogatory, I am just trying to provide some tips from what I have learned over the years!
A/......What is your market......who is going to book your listing?
As lovely as your area is, guests will come to St Andrews to have a quiet getaway and to take in the peaceful tranquility. So you need to cater for as varied a list of guests as possible.
B/.......How much competition does my listing have?
There are currently 49 Airbnb listings in the St Andrews precinct which accounts for 38% of the available short term rental market in the area, although some listings are duplicated across a couple of booking platforms. So Sue, as St Andrews is a town of, (or in 2021 was), 2050, with such a small population, you have a lot of competition. And you are currently showing up at 36th in an Airbnb area search of St Andrews.
What else is complicating your listing, If I type in St Andrews NB my search gets directed to a number of properties from St Andrews/Antigonish in neighbouring Nova Scotia and I have to physically drag the map to your location on the border with the US in order to see your locale and unfortunately there is nothing you can do about that Sue. That is Airbnb's bad, not yours. A search of New Brunswick should not end up in Nova Scotia but, that is the reality!
So how to get the best out of what you have got!
1/......What is going to attract guests to my property?
You have to give guests a reason to pick your listing over another hosts. Don't be the cheapest in the area, many guests will think it's a dive, if it's cheaper than anything else. But you have to price to as broad a market as possible as per my first point A.
I notice you are charging $238.00 cad per night regardless of how many guests are staying! You charge $238 for one guest, just as you do for 8!
This is severely limiting your appeal. Many of your potential guests will be, couples, or a small family 3-4 and be put off by the high nightly rate. Your competition will start at a base nightly rate for 2 guests and charge an additional amount for each guest after that initial 2.
I understand that your property costs you virtually the same to maintain regardless of how many guests are present. But Sue, you must remember when you are not renting a part of your principal residence, 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing!
2/......Your property while being very neat and in good condition lacks that certain appeal that will grab a potential guest. Your lead photo is the front of a plain house, the balustrade is on the lean......As a potential guest, that lead photo would not grab me!
You would have been much better off to use this as your lead listing photo.
Click on the photo to enlarge the image.......
The interior of your place lacks character and warmth Sue. It looks like motel rooms. Put in a few homely touches, a pot plant, vase of flowers on the dining table, some books, a few kids toys, some brochures of things to do in St Andrews. You do well with your area photos but you need to bring some of that linkage into the house photos, make a guest say...."Now that looks nice, that's where I want to stay"!
3/........How do I improve my search position?
Although support will tell you this is not the case, the algorithm that governs search placement responds to .....activity.
I would suggest, get a bit more activity going on with your listing......add, change a photo or two, get some acquaintances to send an enquiry, it doesn't commit them to anything. Put your price up a dollar or two for a week them move it down again, alter your listing description!
the more activity you can have going on, the higher you will show up in search rankings.
4/......Finally Sue, concentrate on building up a heap of good reviews. At the moment with 10 reviews you have nowhere to hide if you should get that odd prickly guest. Once you have 40-50 good reviews behind you prospective guests will have more confidence to book with you because you have an accepted track record.
Give each guest a little something they were not expecting! I have found the less a guest expects the more they will be delighted with what they get. Ask if they have any special requirements that you can help them out with.....gluten free bread, rice/almond milk for the lactose intolerant. Guests appreciate these little touches.
And remember at all times you are running this business, not Airbnb, it's up to you to insure yourself and protect yourself, because things won't always go just as planned.
Think I need to stop at that point. There is so much more I have learned but like most things in life, hosting is a learning experience and I hope I have given you a couple of ideas here. All the best Sue.
Cheers.........Rob
