Critique my listing please. All comments welcome in Austin Texas

[Joan3887]

I have 2 SuperHosts but we've had a slow start.   I think the pricing is all over the place and inconsistent.  I don't want to miss March bookings.  They say they monitor all the time.  But we lost our first booking for 2 days in March because they hadn't set up the service fee for cleaning prior to my going live.  Airbnb suggests I redo photos.  

Bad communication all around.  Your thoughts?

Thank you!

Listing link : NEW | The Garden House ATX | Walkable East ATX Entire home in Austin, Texas, United States 7 guests3... 

[Content updated by Community Manager]

[Helen3]

Is this your property or the one who is listed as the host @Joan3887 ?

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Joan3887 

I think your photos are great bright, attractive, and they really make the place look comfortable and inviting. Also, some hosts choose not to list a separate cleaning fee and instead build it into their nightly price.

[Jen9899]

Hi! 
I like your photos - think they show your property really well. 
I would allow guests to stay for 2 night at the weekend (Friday-Sunday) rather than 3 nights only, but still charge the same price. This would give guests a bit more flexibility if they want to come just for the weekend. 

I might have missed it - but I always find useful a detailed description of the bedrooms/ especially sleeping arrangements 

lovely place though 😀. Well done 

[Latoya99]

Hi Joan. Nice to meet you. Somehow I was asked to chime in so here we go. 

Are you allowing Airbnb to determine your pricing?

Please clarify the issue with the cleaning fee.

[Latoya99]

I reviewed comparables in the area and set my own price. I stayed out much lower than I wanted (as recommended by my mentor) and now with consistent bookings, and good reviews, I’ve slowly started increasing my pricing. 

I do not add a separate cleaning fee. I include all fees into my rates. 

I see someone shared a concern related to 2-night stays. I think it just depends on your price

point. I pay some to clean and started with lower rates, therefore, 2 night stays were eating up my profit. I changed my minimum to 3-night and I’ve had no problem with consistent booking especially during peak season.

It was very slow for me September thru November and I saw many hosts experiencing the same but hopefully you start feeling the recovery

[Javier2447]

I don't see the problem with the photos. They look fine to me.

About the pricing. When I started hosting, I set my prices a little below the middle point that Airbnb would suggest for every week or so. This worked great in the beginning: Airbnb seems to give new listings a visibility boost at first and I booked four months in advance in my first two months. Of course, this was also because my prices were lower than the market. I wasn't sure what I was doing with the prices, just going along with the price suggestions in an effort to get things started. Savvy guests booked way in advance some key dates at 1/4th of what I could have made, like during the F1 Barcelona Grand Prix (I didn't even know it was happening). Overall, I made good money, but only about 70% of the apartment's potential.

Two months ago I subscribed to Pricelabs and things are looking up. The system sets a price for each day based on a base price that you set and automatically modifies it by local competition prices, demand for that period, holidays and average occupancy of the local competition, among others. By just modifying the base price I can set the whole thing a little higher or lower. I can also choose among the modifiers and tweak them. It's simple to use and only costs $10, first month free, and paying monthly without any commitment. I'm not sponsored by Pricelabs or anything, I'm just telling you that it solved my ignorance on price optimization and missing important demand surges.

Lastly, consider closely what the minimum stay nights that you're willing to put up with is.

[Lloyd151]

@Joan3887 Lovely property with lots of character. The listing overall is very appealing. Good idea having a host with established credibility. Not a heck of a lot to suggest but if I’m gonna be persnickety, here are my thoughts…

Spend some time to add a caption to each pic. Say a lil something about each pic that may not be very obvious to someone just glancing. Some love pics. Some love to read. Others love both. Cover both demographics. 

There’s a pic of a bedroom with what appears to be a window AC and there’s a power cord going down. I’d install cable management for safety (could be a tripping hazard) and a nice clean polished look. 

The word NEW in the title… I’m unsure if it adds value or takes away from the appeal. Is there a valuable feature that can be added instead of the word NEW? Titles play an integral role for some who are very visual and help with grabbing attention.

Again, I love the property. 

Happy hosting!

Lloyd

[Madhurendra0]

In my opinion, experience is one of the most important part and you have to observe it and every guest likes and dislikes and you have to correct at your airbnb each and every time.

[Jeremy-And-Cat0]

Hello Joan.

I think your photos are great, and I love how you decorated. I am not familiar with Austin Texas, but I assume there is always some kind of event going on and things to do.

In Wyoming our events are spread pretty evenly month to month with Rodeo being the biggest event in the summer, and many other Air BnBs in my area charge more for this occasion. Kind of like Sturgis, knowing when to change your price based on demand can be something that takes a year or two. I personally do not change my prices throughout the year, no matter the events, I just keep one base price.

This is good for me in Wyoming but may not be good for you in Texas so just make sure you keep your finger on the demand pulse. All in all I think your listing is wonderful.