First time listing, constructive inputs appreciated.

[Brian3337]

Well, I think I clicked the Post at the top instead of the bottom so I lost everything, so let's try this again... 🙂    My wife Dawn and I own 30 acres a few miles north of Lake Lure (north of Rumbling Bald) and we finally built our house and moved here in January.   This is our first time listing so we'd appreciate any constructive  inputs on wording in our listing or content, etc.    We're not competing with the typical lake house or those with hot tubs, etc. We're focused on those looking for panoramic mountain views,   exploring trails and year-round streams on our property,  mountain biking / hiking and Bufallo Creek Park 1/2 mile away and leaf peeping.  We have an extended leaf peeping season because of all of the white / red oaks and they turn color about one month after the rest of the trees and the oaks often don't drop their leafs until Nov / Dec / Jan, usually when there are stronger winds.  

Veteran-owned and family-operated.  I'm semi-retired now and will be managing the listing and cleaning the house and property / trails.   We will have some cleaners for backup purposes when we have other plans.  

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1216793461871557325?adults=6&search_mode=regular_search&check_in=2024-0...

[Andrea6232]

Ciao @Brian3337 ,

congratulations on the beautiful house! Just a little suggestion: add your photo to your account, this way whoever books is more reassured 😉

Andrea

https://airbnb.com/h/la-casa-sul-canale-con-piscina-jacuzzi-in-giardino

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Brian3337 I agree with @Andrea6232 - You do need to have a picture of you or you and Dawn to give people confidence in who they are dealing with.

NOW for my feedback:

The listing needs a lot of detail work. For instance when viewed as a guest it specifically says there is no drier and yet there is a picture of one (unless you have two washing machines which seems unlikely). Next example it specifically says the house has no heating which is very unlikely to be correct!

You also have only 21 amenities which I don't believe. Once you have published the listing a whole host of extra amenities can be ticked so you just need to trawl through them all.

Finally have you looked at your competition to set your prices? I would target about 5-10% cheaper than them until you have a good set of reviews. Don't forget to adjust for Airbnb's commission when setting a competitive price.

And my final final point: I see the place sleeps 8 and yet the dining table only sits 6 and there are only 3 bedrooms in the pictures (I think). Its never a good idea to cram people in and certainly you need to price for 6 and the extra 2 are a bonus unless there is a proper sleeping place for them.

[Brian3337]

Thanks.  I'm not sure where it states there isn't a dryer, will look.    The AirBnB app needs a lot of work, for example, I'm finding additional options on the mobile app than with the regular web page.   For example, on the mobile app there was a question if we have an iron or not but it wasn't on the web page when I created the listing.    I wasn't happy with their web page for listing creation at all; I had to open a support case for not being able to scroll between pictures as well as not being able to upload pictures at times.   AirBnB support was responsive but not very helpful.   Turns out some of my pics are from Apple phones (HEIC format) and AirBnB won't upload those and doesn't tell you.  If you have even one of those types of pictures, it doesn't upload any of them and doesn't give you a warning, just states none selected.  Very frustrating.  I figured it out on my own eventually and converted them all to .jpg format.  

Our pricing is done via a pricing app that is integrated and based on our area and it's already set 20% lower for the first three bookings.  And, if necessary, we'd rather have a few less bookings that are a bit higher priced to kind of weed out people looking for a cheap place to party.  

Regarding the number of people it sleeps, I've read to list the max.  We discussed listing it at 6-8 to be clearer; however, I don't see an option for that so we went with the max.   Concerning dining room seating, it also states there are three high-top chairs at the kitchen counters and there's a picture of them as well.  We also have available folding chairs in a closet.    It would be nice if AirBnB had an option to provide a range of sleep totals, such as 6-8..  

Thanks again, appreciate the inputs.  We certainly have more work to do.  🙂 

[Helen3]

I . I Certainly wouldn't try and cram in 8 guests. People want to sit together to eat not have three in one area and five seated elsewhere . @Brian3337 

2 I wouldn't  list at 20% below market rate look at what your competitors are charging for similar properties .

3. don't forget to add your profile photo I wouldn't book with a new host with no photo 

4 you don't have a clear description of your accommodation ie number of bedrooms/no of bathrooms etc

[Brian3337]

So I just logged in again and "surprise!".    The "Amenities" in the left column is now listed, it was not there yesterday after publishing our listing.  My wife and I both went through it yesterday, it was NOT there.     I'm not very impressed with AirBnB thus far, they should make all settings in one general area, perhaps with tabs, and make them available right away.    Why the heck wouldn't they guide you through all of the amenities when creating the listing or even within 24 hours after publishing it?   

[Brian3337]

I found another surprise.  AirBnB previously  reduced the title down to 32 characters when creating a listing, apparently it used to be longer, something I had seen on a video.   However, when going back through my listing after publishing it, you can edit your title and it allows more characters.    So that gave me the ability to add "(6-8)" in the title.   🙂   

[Guy991]

Hello @Brian3337 ,

After reading the strict policies, noting the number of sensors and cameras, and considering that the house is brand new, I’d like to offer one constructive idea—this is not about before the first guest arrives, but rather after the first guest leaves.

I want to prepare you mentally for the fact that when a guest stays in your shiny, brand-new house, there will inevitably be some wear and tear from usage. Luggage may leave small stains on the walls or floors, the kitchen countertop may get a few marks, a wine glass might break here and there, etc. I hope you’re ready for this, because otherwise, you may end up disappointed and, worse, feel compelled to file claims with Airbnb for reimbursement, which could detract from your enjoyment of hosting.

One more note to consider: Given the remote location of your property, a 12:00 PM checkout time might be more appropriate.

[Brian3337]

yeah, we're prepared for wear and tear.   I do almost all repairs myself so not a big deal, including drywall work.     Regarding checkout,  it's listed in there somewhere that as long as we don't have a check-in / check-out the same day (due to turnaround time with cleaning) that early / late checkout is a possibility.  We set our calendar settings to have a day around each rental so we can ensure it's fully cleaned and more time if someone doesn't show up to clean, etc.