Critique my listing - Tamara, Fort Worth TX, US

[Tamara630]

https://www.airbnb.com/h/abcspace

thanks! I’m just trying to increase bookings at the highest rate. Will add photos of my patio and backyard today. Any other tips are greatly appreciated 

[Tamara630]

This is very helpful! I didn’t think about that

[Colleen253]

@Tamara630 The upside of one night stays (as a newbie)  is they help you build your reviews quickly, so they're somewhat worth it in the beginning. What you can do is change your settings for any single nights that pop up in your calendar.

[Brian2036]

@Tamara630 @Anonymous @Colleen253 

Same comments here.

You need more and brighter pictures.

It looks like a nice house and I think the price is too low. For that price people may assume that it’s a wreck, which it will be if you allow parties.

 I would think that in that area you should be able to charge twice that amount for two people with an additional per person charge for more.

 You really don’t want to appeal to people who say, “Hmmm…if we get ten of our drunk friends together we can rent this place for $7.00 each!  Let’s do it!” 

And then it will cost you $500 to clean up.

[Tamara630]

Certainly puts things into perspective!! Thanks a bunch

[Tamara630]

Is it common to charge for additional people beyond 2? Even if the home comfortably sleeps 6? 

[Mark116]

@Tamara630   Some hosts do and some don't.  We've done it both ways, when we have no extra fee we almost always get the max number, when we had an extra fee after 2, we had a lot fewer 4 person stays.  We went back to no extra guest fee and just raised our price a bit due to the pandemic affecting travel so much.  So, for you, you could add an extra guest fee for a 5th and 6th person.  I also think that $79 seems really low, you should check other Airbnbs in your area and see what similar listings in your area are charging.

[Mark116]

@Tamara630  I see you allow both pets and smoking, that is going to be a lot of extra wear and tear on the house, and you will probably lose some potential guests who don't want a smoking place.  That said, allowing pets and smoking you should absolutely raise the price!  

[Brian2036]

@Tamara630 

We strongly prefer couples looking for a very private retreat, so we charge $20 per person for more than two guests. We might raise this later. Our base price is also low at the moment but we will be raising it.

It’s the old story about supply and demand. It takes some tweaking to find the ideal balance.

We do not accept children under 12 because of safety issues, and anyone 12 or older pays the adult price.

At the moment we are still finding things done by children who were here six months ago. Apparently they were allowed to run wild while the adults were entertaining themselves and they had a lot of fun throwing cheese puffs at each other for hours.

We are still finding them in nooks and crannies, light fixtures, furniture, etc. The mice appreciate it no doubt but I don’t.

 I can see how your place would be attractive to football fans who will typically pay anything, so don’t be shy about taking their money and charging an up-front cleaning fee. You could make that partially refundable which would encourage them to clean up their pizza boxes and beer cans.

We charge a premium price for weekends and give a discount for longer stays.

Regarding smoking, we say “SMOKING OUTSIDE ONLY!” Of course people smoke inside anyway, but at least they try to conceal the evidence.

If you decide to allow smoking you should probably say “cigarettes only.” I can imagine the stench that would be created by a bunch of cigar-smoking guys there for a football weekend. Nasty.

On a very personal note, you are an extremely attractive woman and you may have to deal with guests who think you are included in the rental price. It might be a good idea to use a picture of a couple instead of just yourself.

Your note about “quiet residential neighborhood with Neighborhood Watch” is excellent. That should be a polite hint that if they get crazy and annoy the neighbors someone will call the police.

We wish you the best of luck and a profitable venture.

[Tamara630]

Great feedback!! Thanks 

[Colleen28]

Please clarify are you handicapped accessible? Wouldn’t advertise unless your bathrooms are handicapped accessible.