Please critique my listing - Mableton, GA -Got inquiries 1st couple of months, now ZERO for weeks. Please help!

[Jennifer-Ife0]

Please critique my listings or offer advice. Here are some listing pics:

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I've been hosting for 3 months. I rent out rooms in my private home and communicate clearly that I live there. I have 3 rooms and made a listing for each one.

One room has been rented for months through Furnished Finder.

Another has gotten two 5 star reviews on ABNB.

But the only inquiry I received over the past month is some weirdo asking me to write his life story. I don't know what's going on with the AirBNB algorithm. Please take a look at my listing and let me know if you see a problem? Or offer ideas? I need help!

airbnb.com/h/bed155

airbnb.com/h/ksbed2

airbnb.com/h/bed355

Thanks in advance!!

[Shelley159]

Hi @Jennifer-Ife0 

I searched Mableton for 2 and for 4 guests - I don't see your listings on the first 5 pages.

I don't know your market and the relative location of the listings in Mableton, but to me it looks like the price you're charging may be more in line with "entire home" listings that rank highly.

You should look around the area a bit in guest view and identify some listings like yours that rank well - see how much they charge for December dates. Lowering the price usually increases the ranking, but you need to check what would be reasonable. Hope it helps!

[Jennifer-Ife0]

Hi @Shelley159 

Thanks for the feedback! Very interesting!

I searched Mableton, GA and the one room with 2 reviews was first listing/first page. Maybe because I viewed it before? Searched for 12 pages and couldn't find the other two listings!

Also if I search the same room for 2 guests it still comes up first, but at the per person price. I've listed the room at $45/night which is in line with comps. 

Is charging per person the potential issue? I would think this would be the norm as it would be 2 people using utilities etc. Also I don't charge a cleaning fee.

Should I consolidate the other two listings into the one with 2 reviews (the others have 0)? I have seen listings like this, but don't know how to do it.

Thanks again for this insight, so eye opening!

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[Shelley159]

My pleasure @Jennifer-Ife0 

Yes if you search your own listing it tends to rank near the top (which is useful if you quickly want to check something in guest view). However, if you want to investigate how other people find you in searches, you have to use secret mode on a browser where you're not logged in.

The algorithm looks at the total price per night for the criteria when it decides which listings it likes. So a cleaning fee is averaged out over the number of nights requested in the search, and per-person charges are calculated for the number of guests entered.

For you to see how your (total) rates compare to others, it's best to search in secret mode with flexible dates and the maximum number of guests for that particular listing.

[Jennifer-Ife0]

Oh, wow, @Shelley159, this is really good to know. I was a little suspicious when I saw that first on first placement, lol, so thanks for validating that. I will definitely use incognito mode to view the lay of the land.

FYI, I reached out to the tech team to find out why the listings were so hard to find (if there were any issues outside of my control). I'm hoping to get an answer as I continue to refine my listings. Thanks again and happy holidays!

[Emilie]

Hi @Jennifer-Ife0, 

3 months under your belt already, time flies doesn't it! 

In addition to Shelley's suggestions, I wanted to tag in a few of our other experienced hosts in case they have more feedback to share with you:  @Peter4379 @Maria22471 @Kate2192 @Kenchy0 @Jason2680 @Joey28 @Thomas3789 - what do you think?

Thanks everyone for your help. 🙂

Emilie

[Jennifer-Ife0]

Thank you, @Emilie!

[Jason2680]

My lakehouse is a different animal but if I were in your shoes I’d take the same approach I took when getting started. Study your competiors’ listings as if you’re taking a test tomorrow. Know what they offer their guests, know how they communicate that in their listings, check their calendar for occupancy (to find out if they’re really a competitor or a non-performer), look at ALL their photos, and learn their pricing strategies. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Do what the best of them are doing and communicate it well in your listing. 

Good luck. It can be a rewarding experience. Learn from mistakes and keep a positive attitude about it. 

[Emilie]

Thanks @Jason2680 for the lovely advice and encouragements! I'l tag in @Jennifer-Ife0 here to make sure she's made aware of your message. 😊

[Jennifer-Ife0]

Thanks @Jason2680. I appreciate the common sense steps and positive words!

[Roger1055]

Nice house, but I'd really stage and get a professional photographer. The pictures don't do your space justice. The kitchen drawer is messy!!!! organize the cleaning products in the laundry room. All these details matter.

[Jennifer-Ife0]

Thanks for this feedback @Roger1055 ! I had a professional take pics of the rooms as I was getting the house ready. The bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, laundry room and exteriors are all pro.

The kitchen drawer and close up appliance pics were follow ups I took on my phone to "fill in the gaps." I also took the living room pics with my phone. I'll definitely remove the disorganized pics.

[Sylvia946]

Hello, congratulations for receiving 5 stars, that is an achievement on its own.  

I agree with Shelly, search what others in your area are charging and be under their price.  

Respond promptly to all inquiries, trust your gut on people.

Most of all what is your intention for the Airbnb?   Tell people in your description why  you started and opened your home to others!

Think of the little things you do, or could do!  

I leave treats in the room, they have a fridge, TV, Free Wifi, books, coffee

Fresh air dried linens, smoke free home

Trust that all will be well............. people can feel your energy in your words

Hope this helps

[Jennifer-Ife0]

@Sylvia946., I love that you put these sweet details in your description to make it unique. Thanks for the ideas and positive encouragement!

[Veronica1510]

@Jennifer-Ife0 I see that you have a 7-night minimum stay and that you prefer 30 days.  My business is MUCH different, being on a river and close to state parks, but the longer stays seem to be harder to get these days with the economy and folks only really traveling for long periods of time for work.  Even at that, it can be only 3-5 days.  It looks to me like you are looking for a "renter", not necessarily a guest.  You should try opening one of the rooms up for a shorter minimum stay (weekend) and see what happens.  Although, you may not want the hassle of short stays long term, it would be a way to get reviews under your belt.  Just a thought!

Good Luck!

Veronica

Concan Texas