Did you start hosting to earn extra money?

[Liv]

Hey everyone,

There are several reasons why people decide to give hosting a go. It could be due to a desire to get to know guests from around the world, a goal of working in hospitality or, for many, a way of making extra money. 💵👌

Whether it’s saving for retirement or securing an income that will help you pursue other passions, I’m curious to learn more about your reasons for becoming a Host.

Did you start hosting to make extra money? If so, what has that additional income helped you achieve? 🌈✨

Thanks,

Liv

[Yuan100]

@Liv  great question!

I started it out because I have a spare bedroom when I moved into my own home. I am used to having housemates prior to that. So I thought why not list it on Airbnb, its nice to have someone else in the house as well. 

And slowly that extra income funded my travel trips and then my perspective about life just changed. I saved up instead of spending it. I left my full-time job and went to study nails. The steady income from Airbnb my room helps to fund my daily expenses since I no longer have a full-time job. 

I find myself asking other Airbnb hosts why they started hosting when I stay at one. It's nice to hear that Airbnb helps many people in different ways other than $

[Patricia2156]

Nice discussion! My case is more like @Katja202 my place was an office that I started book and use to work, but finally, now I'm working from the dinner table and don't having between bookings anymore!

[Hello6]

🙂 Always had a dream to escape to a warm slice of paradise and try and stay.  Airbnb has made it so simple to find guests and help to pay the bills, improve our home daily, and to afford to live in the warm slice of paradise that is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.  Some days I am jealous of how easy it is for travelers and our guests to find a nice and especially affordable place to stay.   Compared to even just 10 years ago when I last took another spin around the world it is amazing how simple it is to stay somewhere - even during a pandemic.  Gone are the Lonely Planet's and having to trust some person on a train, bus or airline platform to show you the "nice" place they have around the corner, to try an exchange money (and store it / hide it / budget it), pay etc etc.  Sure that style of travel had its moments but the best moments were always the people you met - especially the locals and local expats - who could show you around and make great suggestions.  We always preferred Bnbs or hostals for the chance to meet other people and now we love hosting and meeting travellers from around the world and hearing their stories in our home / hostel.  It is such a great lifestyle.  The question was if we started hosting for the money the answer is no.  We started hosting to experience travel while staying home and to help live a nice life in this small slice of paradise.  The extra money is a nice help to make and improve our home to be the best and affordable place to stay we would have liked when we traveled.  The majority of guests we have hosted have been amazing and we really enjoy the new stories and of course when guests return again.  Thanks Airbnb and our guests too 🙂 . 

[John5097]

@Liv 

Funny I was just thinking about this. Originally I was trying to find an extra way to earn income that would allow me to live somewhere else part time. As it turned out the entire process got me unstuck. Its a public listing so a host can use that to help network, as hundreds of guest staying at your listing can't be wrong. The guest have been very positive influence and have love the place and the city. I'd like to do it another 5 years but there are a lot of factors involved. As mentioned guest have been great, very positive, but if that changes then there would be no point in hosting. 

[Laura2592]

@Liv not exactly "making money." More supporting my hobby of collecting houses. 

We fell in love with our schoolhouse and I had to have it. I figured it would be a place that others might want to check out, so we gave hosting a go. It does help offset the cost of owning. We don't really "make money" officially (and honestly being super profitable won't help our taxes...) but we do have a free or almost free house. One day we will likely use it as a home base in addition to other properties we visit seasonally.  

I think a lot of hosts believe they will "make money" even a lot of money. Its possible, but its harder than you think!

[Ted307]

@LivWe have been guests on AirBnB for years. When we found this place for sale, it had been listed for over a year. The big reason was the poor condition of the "Bunkhouse" that is now an AirBnB listing. There were some doubts, as in, "if this would be such a good place for an AirBnB, why is it still for sale??"

We did spend a lot and a year of our lives getting it in condition to be a place to host guests. So far after one year we have not yet broken even on the cost of the re-hab, but in another year it will have paid for itself. But, fixing it up has already improved the equity we have in our home since it is no longer a "fixer-upper", but an income-producing property. I agree with @Robin4 , we are too old to be employable, but this keeps my husband busy fixing it up and improving our place. That is where the money goes!

Chris

[Uwe25]

@Liv 

I am a communicative person and like to help, so I became a host to be able to offer young people affordable accommodation. The whole thing has evolved over the years and helped me earn a passive income. I grew with the experience and with the income I was able to modernise and expand, i.e. post a larger offer on airbnb. Broader guest profile. There were also negative experiences and losses, wrong customer reviews, helpless airbnb employees or those who did not even listen to the host, but immediately did everything right for the guest. The pandemic has changed many things, but not the will to always make a room or an entire flat available for guests, so that they can have a home away from home and perhaps new friends.

[Jeff2694]

I began hosting because, at my time, it was the only option to make some cash. I was jobless, and I couldn't find anything in a while, but I needed money. Now, it's like my full-time job.

Hosting for that extra cash has definitely been a game-changer for me. It's not just about the money—it's about the freedom it provides. Whether it's covering bills, treating myself to a weekend getaway, or even investing in my hobbies, that additional income has opened up so many possibilities. Plus, meeting new people from all walks of life has been an unexpected bonus! And hey, if you're still looking for more ways to boost your income, I've heard you can earn money playing games at https://wealthofgeeks.com/apps-that-pay-you-to-play-games/, and it can be a fun and easy side hustle. I think it's worth checking out.

[Debra300]

@Liv,

We didn't plan to make a living from hosting, and started hosting as a means for our guesthouse to help pay for itself, but it doesn't generate enough revenue to cover all of its operational expenses.  We ended up spending the majority of our time on the island running the guesthouse, so we decided to rent our primary house when we aren't there, and that's what pays for our privilege of hosting.  

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Liv , Melodie and I bought "This old house" (giant 200 year old run down House) about 20 years ago before Airbnb even existed with a long term "Innkeeper retirement Plan". -Build a business that would take care of us into retirement so we can stay in the place we love and call home even if we become unable to climb the stairs to the second floor to our host Bedroom suite. 

Every renovation took us closer to a great host suite and our first STR (and my quickly approaching retirement).  By the time I had the house and first Apartment (3BR Spacious Suite) ready to rent 7 years ago, we really didn't have any good idea how to market the space except clunky local paper channels that wouldn't provide a reliable income.  A highly experienced Airbnb Host I worked with on my real job convinced me to try Airbnb and 600+Superhost worthy reviews plus 2 additional suites later (Super Sized Glamper and ADA Access Studio apartment),  There will come a point when we will occupy the entire downstairs and our host bedroom suite upstairs can either become our new 3rd suite or possibly a caretaker / co-host residence. 

We now have that business "Bearpath Lodging" with our own built in elder care space/ solution.  I doubt we could have afforded to do it without Airbnb.