Hi @Melissa2433!
Welcome! It’s a fun journey to be a host after being a guest for years. I’ve been with Airbnb as a guest since 2011 and became a host in June 2023.
I had an intuitive push to get my listing live NOW (in early June) and I did everything in 2 days to get it live, then had to wait 24 hours while it was live but hidden to finish the manual and the last pieces to the listing.
We had our first booking in 6 hours for 3 weeks out and celebrated when we woke up in the AM to a booking! I made it extra special for that guest but then we had 2 more bookings that same day (one for the first eve it was live) then in 3 weeks we were booked for about 3 months! It was exciting, magical and a roller coaster of a ride.
We have taken suggestions from guests, added a dresser, some shelving, a desk and chair, a kitchen cart, an air filter, and more since then. I’ve perused articles, host boards, and looked at similar listings for ideas and criticisms of guests to be aware of what makes my listing different and how to make it special. If a guest tells me it is a birthday or anniversary, I give them a dessert and a card, a bottle of wine and strawberries and chocolate or something thoughtful. It is fun to be able to delight guests. I love meeting new people and learning things about them or from them.
Good luck with your listing and get ready for some delightful exchanges with guests!