RE-listing after major refurishment

[Mark287]

Hello,

We are wanting to list my grandmother's house in Greece. Currently we visit it every year, as do my siblings and cousins, but we want to list it on AirBnb. There are lots of things we would like to do to fix it up but feel we'd like to list it AS IS for now, at a lower price, and then after one or two seasons, use the money to buy new matresses, redo the bathroom etc.

The problem is once we have refurbished, we will not want old comments like "shabby house", "needs lots of work" etc on our listing... so is it acceptable to list it as "Grandmother's House" for one or two seasons, and then to remove that listing once the refurbishments have been done, and relist it as something else, like "Refurbished Grandmother's House"... or something?

Is that allowed? If not, how does one then deal with negative reviews that are based on something that does not exist anymore? 

Thanks,

Mark.

[Victoria567]

Hi @Mark0

Guest reviews will be there for all to see Beforehand and After refurbishment.

Guests WILL comment, trust me! The reviews will stick.....I’d wait, or get that place turned around fully refurbed asap before listing

Otherwise buy yourself a tin helmet, to wear against ALL the brickbats, winging their way towards you.....no matter how cheap your listing!

[Mark287]

Hi Victoria, 

Thanks for the response... I guess what I'd ask then is if it is possible to unlist the unrenovated place once we are working on it, and then relist as a new place...

Would that be possible?

tx

Mark.

[Victoria567]

Hi@Mark

Below is the London Airbnb number just give them a call, Ive always found them very helpful or you could message either @Lizzie  or @Quincy0 on the U.K. hosting thread for an answer to solve your dilemma.

London Number is 020 3318 1111

[Letti0 · Accepted solution]

@Mark287  The reviews stay with a host, not the listing. So all the reviews will still be there on your profile. If you delist the Grandmother's House then put up a new listing Refurbished Grandmother's House the reviews will show a different listing name for the Refurblished Grandmother's House and the old reviews will float to the bottom of your profile over time as you get new reviews. Since it would be a new listing none of the other reviews will show up on it. So I believe this would work out fine for you. 

I would recommend you do as many inexpensive cosmetic changes as possible to Grandmother's House. Clean the place from top to bottom. Maybe repaint if needed. Get rid of Grandma's clutter. Replace the drapes, spreads, sheets and towels if needed, which can be done inexpensively looking for closeouts and clearanced items. A little bit of time and a little bit of money can really make a difference. 

[Mark287]

Thanks for taking the time to help Letti, that was good advice...

[Saied3]

That's not true as far as I have experienced. I have removed and relisted a unit after renovation. All the old reviews and ratings are gone.

[Sarah977]

@Saied3  That's not supposed to happen. Are you saying your past reviews don't even show in your profile? They won't show under the new listing page, but it should say "This host has XX #of reviews for other properties" which guests can click on to see them.

[Sarah977]

@Letti0   I have my doubts as to whether guests necessarily notice the specific listing designation at the bottom of the reviews when a host has more than one listing or relists after renovating. They could easily miss that distinction.

@Mark287  As Letti said, do try to upgrade the important stuff before listing. Just because you list it as a shabby, basic place doesn't mean guests won't review it very poorly or arrive, take a look around, and demand a refund. You mention new mattresses as part of the future upgrade. If the mattresses are old, stained, and/or not that comfortable, you really need to replace them before listing. Good beds are one of the most important thing to focus on. 

I've seen many businesses fail after just 6 months because they figured they'd open, make some money and then upgrade later. A restaurant with cheap uncomfortable chairs, for instance. Or a junky old floor that never looks clean even if it's just been freshly scrubbed.  There's nothing wrong with old, worn and full of character, but uncomfortable, or dirty-looking won't make for a successful enterprise.

[Mark287]

Thanks for the advice Sarah, very kind of you...