Rates and occupancy estimates

[Benny5]

Hi I have a friend that I am saying should try air bnb but is very unsure about the rates they could charge and how many nights they could book in a month.
What is the best way to get an idea of these numbers ?

[Karen-Elizabeth0]

I like to price rooms according to my own time availability. In other words, in the summers when I have more free time to play with Airbnb prices and more time to wash sheets towels & pillows clean & fresh for each new guest, I can accept bookings of up to 8 people in separate reservations. As per the law of supply & demand, I can lower my prices tremendously at those special times. Thus I end up with about the same income and also the greater number of experiences with a wide variety of Airbnb guests. I also like to view the suggested prices that Airbnb would set for my rooms to get an idea of their true market value.

[Donna15]

@Benny5, before I joined AirBnB and published my listing, I made a point of taking time to check out a number of listings in my region.

The findings helped me determine a fair and reasonable price, and gave me a sense of what sort of occupancy rate might be possible.

Reviews of the listings were also extremely useful in terms of what guests appreciated. 

There are a number of factors to take into account, but perhaps your friend could begin by going to Google and checking out listings in her/his area. 

[Helen3]

Do some research on BnB and in your city.

Find what others are charging for similar properties.

Remember you will have peaks and troughs in demand.

Look at how occupied comparable airbnb's have been in the last year.

Ask your local tourism body - they can give you visitor demographics and occupancy (might charge for this market research)

[John6085]

How can you look how occupied “like” AirBNB’s have been in a particular area?

[Donna15]

@Benny5, before I joined AirBnB and published my listing, I took some time to check out many of the listings in my area. 

I was able to determine what constitutes a reasonable fee (along with cleaning costs and a Security Deposit), and to see approximately how often hosts in my vicinity were being booked. The various reviews were also full of valuable information.

There are other factors, of course, but perhaps your friend could start by going to Google and calling up AirBnB listings in her/his area. Plenty of ideas will emerge.