Urban Neighborhood

[Janell166]

I have a beautiful historic home. It is located in a VERY urban area. The neighborhood can be very peaceful and quiet most days, but come to life on a few. How can this be acknowledged and informed so that my guest know what expect?

[Lorna170]

@Janell166   Put it in your description.  Is it an active neighborhood with lots of walkers, street parties, kids running, biking and playing?  Are you far enough off the street not to hear traffic, or are there cars day and night?  Friendly but nosy neighbors?  You can use your sentence "The neighborhood can be very peaceful and quiet most days, but come to life with bustling activity on a few occasions."  

You need more pictures and a lot more information in order to attract the right guests.  How many actual beds are there, what sizes and in what rooms?  Nothing pictured.  What is the kitchen like?  How many seats are at the dining table?  What are your specific house rules? Yes, you are new, but you should have those things on the website before you go live.  Best wishes!

[Ted307 · Accepted solution]

@Janell166 

What a great place! I agree with @Lorna170  -- Your place deserves more photos! I see only one bed pictured. Sadly, guests are not always reading, so show your bedrooms with the beds. Stage it pretty, like your nice desk photos. I see 2 desks but only one bed. I know I said guests don't read, but put captions on your photos, "View from the home office" maybe. I hear the new AI loves views!

You have an empty room?

Also, your check in time is 9 am - 12. You will want to fix those times for check in & out.

The info about possible noise can go in the "Health & Safety" disclaimer like you have it, but add it in the description like you have said here, too. Close to the UAB sounds to me like your area is popular with college students? With all those beds - 6- you will have to watch out for your place hosting those weekend noise events. When starting out, you might want less people staying. 12 people / $200 per night is only $16.00 each per night. Might not be the guests you want for that nice place!

Our place is old and in an historic area, we needed a new drain installed the old bathtub drained so slow. Lucky for us, it was possible. Too many guests really put a load on old plumbing. Even only accepting 3 max, our shower drain gets slow after a long weekend. With only one bathroom, your place sounds pretty original. You will want to post some photos of the bathroom, and make sure that guests understand how it is situated.

You are ready to get some more great photos! Good luck with your place.

Chris

[Anonymous]

@Janell166 I also live in an inner-city urban district. I emphasize central in the listing title, describe the location (accurately) as lively and diverse, and under the "about the location" category I go into more detail to convey the flavor of the neighborhood and the array of shops, restaurants, bars, and galleries in walking distance. But I also describe the character of the street life as "unpolished and full of surprises," because it's not a posh area and it can get rough and rowdy sometimes.

I don't recommend describing the area as "quiet and peaceful," even though it usually is, because you can't deliver peace and quiet 24/7 to guests who are looking for that. But you might want to set "quiet hours" in your House Rules, and prohibit unregistered guests, to emphasize that the partying has to be done outside of the house.

@Ted307  is right, your listing text and photos are woefully incomplete for a 3-bedroom house. You need to show and describe all the rooms and features that are available to guests before you start taking bookings. As a new host, you're a prime target for scammers who use those missing details as a pretext for a free stay; it's crucial that you have an airtight listing that leaves nothing to the imagination.

[Janell166]

Thank you guys! Thats absolutely amazing advice!!! Right in line as to what I  was thinking. Yes my listing is very under whelming. The property is being tightened up on the weekends and will have a final polish by the end of the month. That’s why I blockout the dates. I appreciate the great advice!!!!  Very very helpful