Listing Critique

[Aimee236]

Would love your expert opinions on my listing. I purchased this home and it had LOTS of bears - I mean LOTS! I have removed many of them and just kept a few because it is called Bear Haus. It's a beautiful cabin in the North Georgia Mountains. I have gone through and updated all linens, games, books, kitchen stuff, curtains and grill. I'm torn between the opening photo and would love your opinion on that as well.

Lemme know what you think and what I can improve as this is my first short term rental. I'm used to photographing empty houses for long term rentals 😉

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1044869027685178939?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=c522f2e2-a93...

Thank you!

[Guy991]

Hello @Aimee236 ,

What a magnificent property you have, and there is no better cover picture than the one you are already using to showcase what this property is about.

I have three main considerations for you:

1. Interior design: Once you have generated some income, your next renovation should focus on replacing the drop ceiling in the kitchen and bedrooms. Sleeping under fluorescent lights in a space reminiscent of a workplace may not be ideal for some guests. 

2. Pricing strategy: Over time, consider experimenting with different pricing strategies. For instance, why is the price the same for 6 people as it is for 12 people? This limits your property to larger groups when smaller groups of 6 or 8 could still be accommodated.

Additionally, integrating cleaning costs into the nightly fee might be more logical than having a separate cleaning fee equivalent to the price of a night's stay.

3. Another consideration is understanding where your guests are coming from. Are they locals or international travelers? Ideally, your guests will be from diverse backgrounds, and you should be prepared for communication through translators. Keeping English simple and well-articulated is essential, as informal phrases like "Lemme know" may not always translate effectively. 

[Aimee236]

Thank you for your feedback @Guy991 . Yes, I would LOVE to update the flooring and lighting in the basement. It's awful, but I can't afford to do that right now until it generates cash. It is the highest thing on my wishlist.

I think your pricing ideas are great. I will investigate and see how I can work that into my strategy. I would love to add the cleaning fee into the nightly rate. It's a big house, so that cost is high I know. 

I'm not sure where the "lemme know" is written. I tried to be very clear and professional in my listing, so I would like to correct that if you tell me where it is.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Aimee236 I don't agree with @Guy991 's pricing strategy as it means people will always be trying to sneak extra guests in FOC.  I would think about 2 listings one with fewer bedrooms and said rooms locked off to save cleaning and linen washing. 

[Aimee236]

I could do that as the basement can be locked off. Interesting idea. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Aimee236 if you do the two listings idea then ensure the calendars are linked. BUT remember that only a booking will block both calendars. If you block a date on one then the other is still available. This allows you to block the smaller listing in high season so that folks are 'forced' to book the bigger place.

[Aimee236]

I also want to purchase a sectional sofa for the family room upstairs instead of the couch and chair. Anyone have great recommendations for durable furniture purchases?

[Bettye6]

Hi @Aimee236 

You cabin looks amazing and you did an excellent job fixing her up.

I would use the front of the house that you currently have. Perfect!

I would not split the place up into 2 sections. We stayed at a house that had different doors and cabinets locked off and it sure didn't feel inviting to us at all.

Definitely look at you market and adjust your fees accordingly. I use Smart Pricing plus a few discounts and thus far it has been a winner for me though still continue to do local market research as well. You just started. Give it a year and see how it goes. I have learned so much in a year with pricing in my saturated area.

A lot of hosts are dropping there cleaning fees (I don't have any) and the response has been tremendous as guests state in writing as to one of the main reason they picked my place. 

I hope it goes well, and I feel it will.

The best advice is read, read and read. Between this community, plus several on FB/Instagram and even Goggling there is a wealth if information out there as well. 

The best of luck!

Bettye6

[Kia272]

@Aimee236 What a great property! I do like @Mike-And-Jane0 's suggestion of making two listings, and being able to rent to smaller groups. It may actually get you more reservations, because the size and pricing might put off a family of 5 or 6. 

You could figure out a way to either close off the entire basement, or just the bedrooms down there, but actually 5-6 people shouldn't need a second kitchen. I think you should consider the idea and how it might benefit you. It would definitely lower your cleaning costs for the smaller listing. 

IF you had a group of 14, how could they all eat together? I'm aware that you have several different dining areas, but not anywhere that 14 can sit and eat together. Same with your living room. How could you seat 14? 

Other things: I think you need to provide more than 1 toilet paper roll for each bathroom for each stay. You say you'll provide 1 starter roll per bathroom. Generally, I think you should supply for the entire stay of up to a week. For longer stays, the guests should purchase supplies. Just be clear in your listing info how much you will supply, and when you expect guests to take on purchasing their own supplies. 

I'd also remove the part about helping people celebrate an occasion. The size of your property is going to encourage large groups, and large groups and celebrations = parties. You don't want parties in your lovely property. It doesn't mean that you can't do something special for guests celebrating something special, but you may want to include that info in your booking/welcome message, rather than publicly in your listing. I know they're just words, but you don't want to have anything in your listing info that might encourage a party. 

I also think you have too many photos. You may want to pare them down a bit. 

Other than that, you've done a great job!! I wish you luck in your hosting adventure. 

[Rose422]

@Aimee236 

I love your listing, it's a beautiful space. I remember when I just started hosting, I wanted to concentrate on quality rather than quantity. I wanted to learn and grow. Because your listing is so new, I would recommend reducing the occupancy. You could limit it to just 5-6 guests to start with. I see your first guests were 6 parents and 6 kids, that makes the total guests 18. It seems to me that you may feel burnt out very quickly this way. My recommendation is to host slowly and steadily and always ask guests how you could improve the hosting experience for future guests (private feedback). 

I host in a small space, it's a vintage boat, but I started with only 1-2 guests and now I host groups of 4-5 and all guests have provided valuable private feedback as I asked for it, just the way you are asking the question here. 

Rose. 

Graceland Fort Lauderdale. 

[Muslim4]

@Aimee236 Such a fascinating house! I enjoyed the photos. I wouldn't say there are too many bears there, I noticed only 3 or 4. Since it is called 'Bear House', better to keep some of them, I agree with you. I would advertise it as it is: 'The Bear House' right as the listing page title. The name would be more memorable.