Need some critical feedback on my listing

[Richard146]

I'm a new host and have not even had my first guest yet.  My first availability dates are Sept. 12 as I am currently completing some renovations on the apartment.  I have had the listing up for a couple of weeks now and am concerned that I havn't had any reservations and only 1 inquiry.  When I check the stats on my site it seems I have only had about 37 people even click on to it in two weeks.  This seems quite low.  I have lowered the price to the recommended amount even though I think it is way too low, so low that I might be concerned by the type of person looking for a place at this low a price.  I have invested a substantial amount of money in setting this place up for AirBnB and am concerned that it is all for naught if it does not work out.  I would love to have persons from the community take a look at my site and let me know anything there that might be turning people off.  One other thing.  I do not have the Instant Booking turned on but when I check my site on another computer or browser it seems I am set up for instant booking.  Thanks again for any feedback and sorry for the lengthly post.  

[Linda108]

Hello @Richard146  Welcome to Air BNB.  Your listing is lovely.  I would urge you to go for the Air BNB professional photography if it is available in your area as clearer pictures would highlight your space even better.  What are the upcoming events in your area that would bring travelers?  Is your area a destination to enjoy the fall colors?  Who would come to your town?  These questions are meant for you to consider how you want to market your place.  Is there a great demand for rooms in your area?  Check out your competition.  Instant Booking can be a good tool, but I wouldn't advise using it until you have more experience.  You need to be able to screen potential guests and get comfortable with that process.  Also, it is very common for new hosts to price low to attract attention and get guests to generate reviews.  I did that last year and it helped.  I have had lovely guests.  Another resource is the Home Sharing Host Club in Indianapolis.  Looks like it is getting started but it would be good to develop a relationship with other hosts in your area.  Good Luck!

[Richard146]

Thanks Linda  I have applied for the professional photography through Airbnb but have not heard back.  I'm currently completing a half bath and a launtdry room and putting in beautiful hardwood flooring in the living room so I would love to have new professional photos after that is completed.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Richard, 

Welcome to Airbnb.  You need to be patient with bookings.  It takes time to get things going and many guests don't book far in advance.  That being said, I have some advice about your listing that may make it more attractive: 

1. You talk about the property as a whole a lot but need to focus on just the space you are making available to Airbnb guests.  For instance, you mention the apartment is on three floors but then say the third floor is off-limits.  It's confusing.  

2. Don't lead off with the property being host to 2 long-term tenants in the description.  Add it in after you described all the best features of the one bedroom apartment you have for rent. Tell me about all the great features of your place - the freshly painted walls, the large kitchen, etc.  Put all of this in the "The Space" section.  Read some other hosts' profiles for examples.  This is the opportunity to "sell" the potential guest on staying with you.   

3. Add House Rules for your temporary guests that will ensure they are not bothering your long-term tenants - quiet hours, no parking in the driveway, etc.  - whatever it is. 

4.  Your interaction with guests section is confusing - you'll be there, you won't be there, you're available, you're not.... It's difficult to know what the situation is going to be and people might not be interested in booking because of it.  Most want to know what to expect.   

5. Little tough love here - the furniture in the house looks like an afterthought.  It looks old and unattractive.  Get someone to come and help you stage it and then get some beautiful professional pictures taken.  Look at the other listings in the blocks surrounding your property that also are asking for $95/night.  Most look bright, cheery and modern.  You are in competition with them. 

6.  In the "Getting Around" section talk about how close you are to the reasons people come to Indianapolis - Pacers games, Colts games, the 500, etc.  Some of the crazy prices of properties near you are because of these EVENTS!  

7. I'm sure you've renovated this "old, Victorian home" so tell the guests how it's been modernized, or lovingly restored, or why it's important to the neighborhood.  

8.  You've listed check out at 12AM midnight - this is probably supposed to be 12pm Noon

9. Finally, I think your price is too high for what you are offering based on the other properties in your area.  You should start in the $75-80 range to be competative at all.  But that's just my opinion.   You can definitely raise it once you've started getting reviewsand definitely during game weekends.  

Good luck to you and come back to tell us if you see any improvement.  Instant book is turned on, so you will get someone soon enough! 

Alice & Jeff 

[Richard146]

Thanks for that input and I will make those changes to the listing.  It seems you found the price to be $95. That is strange because I have it at minium of $35 which seems awfully low to me.  When I first put it up I had it for $95 but changed that very soon after I made the listing.  When I look at the listing on my Iphone it says $95 also.  Something is definitely wrong here.  Hopefully others will take a look and tell me what price they see.  

[Linda108]

To change the base price, that is, the price reflected on your home page, go to Manage Listing; Pricing; scroll to Base Price and change it to what reflects your average price for the time being.  Of course your prices change according to demand, but your base price needs to give the traveler a general sense of what to expect.

[Jas0]

It's a little unclear from the listing description just what the situation is. I get that you have one unit that's leased out long-term. You say that it's one of two apartments in the house, and that you live on the property part-time.

So either there's a third unit in the house that is your space, or there are two units in total and what you're offering on Airbnb is really a bedroom within the part of the house that you live in.

If it's the former, then $37 per night for exclusive use of a two-story apartment with its own kitchen, 1.5 baths and two other rooms in addition to the bedroom seems so low that people may wonder what the catch might be.

If it's the latter, then you've misclassified by listing it as "Entire Home or Apartment" rather than "Private Room." In that case, you should specify that the rest of the unit (including, presumably, the full bath) is shared space.

What I'm guessing is going on is the latter — but, because you live there part-time, guests will have the place to themselves when you're out of town. If that's the case, you could create two separate listings: one for the entire unit as a private space (for which you could charge more) and one for a bedroom in a shared space. Block the dates you'll be out of town in the shared space listing, and block the dates you'll be in town in the private space listing.

One thing that might be putting people off is the cleaning fee, which seems excessive. I looked at more than a half-dozen listings in your neighborhood and just one of them charged a cleaning fee, which was only $10. If your base rate is $37 and you have a one-night minimum, it effectively doubles the daily rate for one-night stays.

The pictures generally look okay, but the spray-foam insulation above one of the double doors isn't good. At the very least, I'd scrape off the excess, touch up the paint and retake the photo.

The listing does show up as Instant Book, and if you really can't change that (by going to your calendar, selecting Booking from the menu on the left and clicking the "No One" radio button under "Who can book instantly") then you need to call Airbnb and have them fix that. If I were one of your long-term tenants, I'd be uncomfortable sharing the property with unvetted short-term guests.

Hope that helps; good luck with your endeavor!

[Ramiro0]

Hey Richard,

It takes time. Especially since you are new to hosting. People are afraid to be the first guest. Without reviews, people don't know what to expect. My first month listing I had one guest for two nights during Spring Break. The next month two more guest for two nights each and the same the next month. And that's because my condo is right on the beach with two pools. I broke even the first year. This year has been non stop rentals. I lowered my price and had very good reviews backing me up. Now, I'm busy cleaning the condo from all the rentals I'm getting. Things to remember: Seasonal, not every season is popular to travel. Some seasons are very slow. Pricing, I charged in the middle and got low traffic less money, I charged lower and got higher traffic and more money. Location, location, location. Where you are can make a difference, especially if there is an attraction near by. Cleanliness, is very important. I spend hours detailing the condo, it is spotless every time a guest shows up. I've seen my competition hire a cleaning service and only spend 15 minutes cleaning. I'm in my condo for hours cleaning. They get bad reviews for a dirty place. I can see why, because the cleaning crew walk in and out in a matter of minutes. Keep it very clean. Be responsive, new guest are nervous and need assurances from you. Respond quickly with information they need and keep them informed. No surprises, guest hate that. Listing, let them know what's around your place, give them a reason to book your place. Take pictures of places they should visit in your town or area.

I hope that helps.

- Ram

[Jas0]

Also, your calendar shows a different daily rate for every day you have available. This suggests that you have Price Tips enabled. If you turn that off and have a set daily rate of $95, that's what will show up on your listing page.

[Ange2]

@Richard0

Looks like a great space.

You can ask friends to write you a reference on Airbnb in lieu of having no reviews at present.

People tend not to read much so less is sometimes more.  I would put that you are a new host at the top of your profile description rather than as last paragraph. And for the same reasons for "The Space: I would describe what is in their space and available for them to use including amenities and creature comforts you offer including  bed size, kitchen and what it includes, bathroom(s) shower, A/C, Wi-fi etc. I would also look at other offerings in your neighborhood and see what they include, how they describe their listing and for price range comparison. No need to sell yourself short.

Good luck!

[Annette33]

Hi Richard!

I especially like and concur with the advice @Jas0 and @Alice&Jeff have given you. Lots of great suggestions in there!

I am also a bit confused about several things , especially if the space is really "entire home/apt" as expressed in your listing, or shared space, as you said somewhere else. i.e. that guests may use the kitchen or that space would be available in the fridge. Lots of potential guests won't bother to carefully read through a lot of info, so maybe to be shorter but very clear is a good idea.

I see that you have different pricing floating around for different dates, probably incorporating the Airbnb suggestions on this: I personally don't like that, as I would feel "cheated" if I rent the space on a  Sat. for $52.00, but the next Wedn. it is $40. Not a dramatic price difference, but still...it reminds me of the hustle some commercial spaces do in high season. Like for our place I use the same pricing consistently, as that is what I as a guest would like. But hey, that is just my personal preference.

photography: you can do it easily yourself, just using a better camera or wide angle.

overall feel for  the place and furniture: I am missing some "warmth" in the rooms, especially the bistro room, it looks rather sparse and uninviting, sorry... Is that bistro your dining room space? Unclear.

In the bedroom, I would like to have another night stand with lamp on the other side: I travel with my husband, we both read before going to sleep, and I imagine lots of other couples feel the same way.

Overall, add some extra touches, it won't cost you much, but it might make the place look more inviting and friendly: put some flowers on the table, a basket with fresh fruit, etc...

Your profile: great introduction to you, I like it! But please, skip the whole last paragraph about being a newbie, soon you won't be! Especially the last sentence about being a little cranky and uneven:  people might  not get your sense of humor in it and see it as something negative. Just toss it 🙂

and now : good luck!