PUZZLED by my half pricing and given similar listings

[Paul-and-Sherry0]

1. Thank you all the people in this caring community. I have something quite puzzles me, which is important about running this Airbnb business that I want this community’s help.

   My listing price is about HALF the price as neighbor’s listing, so low that I don’t make more money than renting to long-term rental.

   A little about my listing: 3 bed room entire house in South Philadelphia, I am a Superhost right now.

   So I analyzed my price with a dozens of others in nearby, including 1, 2 bed rooms house, I found my listing price is 25% to 100% lower than average. The nearby listings searched by different criteria that generated from Airbnb search function. I made an Excel spreadsheet for that.

   You may say I am the person who set the price. That’s true. However, Airbnb always gives me suggestion that to increase my chance to book, I should lower my price. Airbnb always sent to me notes that, for example, “5 people recently visited your listing site, but ended up booking with others $15 lower”. But I am already huge lower, and not getting booked as neighbor’s.  Take the closest listing as an example to explain, I am also attaching screen shots with this example.

   This listing is 0.2 miles distance from mine. His is 2 bedroom, no TV, no microwave, no TV; Mine is 3 bedroom, has smart TV and microwave, we both started July 2017. I am also superhost, but he is not. My listing is behind his in search results, most distinguishing is his price is doubled compared with mine and get booked better than mine. It really perplexes me.  I really need somebody help me on this.

   My Similar Listing is a PUZZLE to me too. My listing now goes with studios, before went with luggage, camps, and private rooms. In short, my listing goes with lower pricing listings. I am wondering is that because my price is low, so being grouped with those lower price listings? Will Airbnb group similar listings with how many bedrooms, and in the same neighborhood, and can accommodate how many guests? I would like to have somebody in the community give me a clue.
2. nearest listing as an example
3. My listing
   

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Paul-and-Sherry0 Don’t be so defensive. Allow for the opportunity to improve. The negative cannot be held onto and defended. Your furniture-decor game is ‘weak’.

At the end of the day, ‘nicer’ is better and ‘better’ in the Airbnb business means more bookings. That’s what you want right? 

I see you changed your listing title but NO, that doesn’t work either. 

* 3BD Townhouse-Stadium Close * that’s the winner. 

i also don’t think free street parking is an amenity. 

Try not to be negative and please try not to defend a position that has been brought to your attention. If you would like to see a person’s opinion of your product, you have to be more flowing and receptive to the change. You are the one who came here seeking opinions about your situation. Don’t grasp for phantoms and scape goats. Control your weakness and make it a strength. Please look at my listing and tell me the difference between my 3 bedroom and your 3bedroom listing. 

I’m talking decor vs decor, I’m calling you out. Now understand almost all my furniture is used. 

Pick the BEST listing in your area and copy exactly what they are doing. Open your mind and collect the data, now is not the time to criticize, it’s time to learn. Good Luck!

’You know it’s hard out here for a host’

[Lizzie]

Hello @Paul-and-Sherry0,

Lovely to meet you. Thank you for sharing your concern here and asking for more opinions on this. It looks like you have received some useful information for others here. Lots of good food for thoughts.

I also wanted to share this recent topic on How Search Works which explains a little more about how the search results show. Hopefully you will find it an interesting read, if you haven't read it already. 🙂

Thanks,
Lizzie

[Ana846]

I just have nothing to do this afternoon so I have tryed  to check what you say. 

First thing is that I could not find your listing and you are not providing photos so it is not possible to make an opinion just seeing the price. I could find your neighbor's listing and I found it pretty cheap and not really appealing but I could learn that you are tricking in order to get right.

The first obvious thing is that you are making a book for 1 guest in your house and for 6 in his so...that is not the same. Booking for 1 guest in his house for the same period, give me a price of 329$ which is a little lower than yours because he is not charging cleaning fee. Other thing that I could not see was his "high" ocupancy. I just checked the availability right now and it is almost empty for Dec and Jan. 

Other thing I noticed when I search for "Philadelphia" is the overhelming amount of options a guest has in big cities. It is not easy for a listing to draw attention, as even filtering the search you can get many pages of listings and everyone becomes a drop in the sea. In these cases you have to go further with your pictures and everything else in order to have appeal as the competition is huge and many listing looks gorgeous.

[Paul-and-Sherry0]

You can't find my listing, so another people say My listing is not searchable, I have talked this issue before in this community, it is the First thing I am facing. The other issue, such as pricing is as second. The apprerance is not so important comparing to the first one. I have provided photos, by the way.