Have you ever fallen in love with an Airbnb home?

[Laura2592]

We recently had a guest offer to buy our place! They asked us about it, and left a note in the guestbook saying to contact them. Our cottage is not for sale, but what a great compliment.  I suppose if they showed up with a suitcase full of cash I might think about it 🙂

We stayed at a REMARKABLE old Victorian once in New Orleans that I was completely smitten with. Had I money at the time, I would have made that host a similar offer. I am a bit of an architecture nerd and love unique properties, which is one of the great things about Airbnb-- I get to snoop!

Have you ever fallen in love with an Airbnb that you stayed at to the point that you would seriously consider buying it? What made your heart flutter?

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  I've not yet stayed as a guest, so this isn't exactly on topic, but I had what I considered a great compliment- a guest who had been basically nomadic for several years told me that staying at my place (where she mentioned so many details she was impressed with) made her want to settle down and have her own home. 

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977 what a lovely compliment! 

I enjoy being a guest as much or more than being a host (and was a guest first) because it's always fun to see how some hosts really make their places personal and cozy. Sounds like you did a great job.

[Stephanie]

Hi @Laura2592 

I mean, I for one would love to move in a permanently live in a hobbit hole but alas, too much of a commute for work. Otherwise, I'd have snapped it up!

Great topic, looking forward to hearing what others have as their top stay!

Thanks

[Lizzie]

Great topic @Laura2592 and yeah, I agree it is a lovely compliment! 

Hmmm....my favourite Airbnb...this is tricky! 

I once stayed in a treehouse and I definitely fell in love with the view, it was amazing to wake up and see the weather change outside from the comfort of the bed. It also had electricity and actually wifi (not that you needed it), so potentially I could live there for ever, if only there was a kitchen... 🙂

I stayed in a great cottage in Cornwall, UK and it had underfloor heating, it was like a hug for your feet and it was so cozy–that was hard to leave!

Do you have a certain style of architecture you love? 

[Laura2592]

@Lizzie my problem is that I love too many types of houses. I would collect houses and have unique ones all over the world, were money no object. 

My first love was Victorians, because I had a dollhouse in the Victorian Folk style with some gothic details. So anything that reminds me of that is automatically swoon-worthy. But I am also fascinated by some of the stone houses in Ireland, the UK and France that we have run across or stayed in. Our honeymoon in Ireland and Scotland inspired the purchase of our Airbnb cottage which is a native stone schoolhouse conversion from 1850. I also love Georgian symmetry, Beaux Arts swirls and mashups and neoclassical calm. Even Brutalist urban architecture in Eastern Europe can be strangely appealing at times. I pretty much like it all. 

[Tom929]

Another good question would be has anyone ever fallen in love with an Airbnb host? 

[Laura2592]

Only my husband, who is my co-host. But in fairness, that happened before we were hosts 🙂

[Sean433]

As a guest, i recently stayed at a cottage in Orillia, Canada. Built in 1870 newly renovated with beautiful deck and hot tub, curbless showers recently renovated. Perfect layout because each bedroom had their own private entrance into the deck with hot tub.

I was considering asking the host if she would sell to host it myself but I am already stretched out as it is.  She was a great host even though she was new to it. Probably under priced it. I was going to offer her some advice about pricing but did not want to offend so I just left and gave her an awesome review. The type I would love to receive as a host myself.

[Laura2592]

@Sean433 we are underpriced as our listing has not even been up a year and we are not in a tourist area. I think we underestimated the level of interest! Sometimes you don't want to scare people off because getting established is most important. But we are slowly course correcting now that we have some good reviews.

[Paul154]

Having been burned in the financial crisis of 2008, I have no desire to buy real estate again.

However, I do dream of returning to so many of the delightful airbnb's I have stayed at.

They all made in feel special.

From the 7th floor patio'd apartment overlooking modern Shanghai, to the taseteful artisic old house in New Orleans Lower 9th ward, I am amazed at all the great places I get to stay in.

So many are much better than my own home. I feel honored I get to stay in these places. 

[Paul41]

When I was a child I always loved an old historic square in my city. As an adult I saw a house up for sale on the square I fell in love with it  but  the only way I could afford it was to put it on Airbnb for part of the year. So sort of the wrong way round I fell in love with the house and turned it into an Airbnb 

https://abnb.me/fCeobeqf7Z

[Laura2592]

@Paul41, I am DYING over the bathroom. The tub! The Tile!

We did the same thing with our cottage. We had two places already-- one as a landlord and one we live in. We didn't need more. But when I saw our place for sale I knew I had to have it. I couldn't bear the thought of not being able to use it myself, such as when you have a long term tenant, so we tried short term with Airbnb. So far, so good!

[Ann72]

@Laura2592  Great topic, and I love your place, as well as @Paul41's!  I'm an architecture geek as well and although I was born in New York and live here, I walk around looking up like a tourist.  🙂  I haven't fallen in love with any Airbnbs but I have fallen in love with hosting and am considering another property.  The thing is, after living in an 1888 Romanesque Revival brownstone for 20 years, with its many charms and many insurmountable problems, I swore I would never live in an old house again.  But there's a 1901 Maine summer house for sale...hmmmm...

[Susan151]

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@Ann72 wrote:

@Laura2592  But there's a 1901 Maine summer house for sale...hmmmm...

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Oh, you do have the bug! There is no turning back once you own something built in 1901. [My house is dated 1903.]