Setting Up New Home

Sarah3453
Level 1
Petersburg, VA

Setting Up New Home

Hi, I am a newbie here.  Going to list a new singlewide here shortly and have a few questions.  Should I get wifi put in right away or is it something I can wait to do?  Most major cell carriers can get service there.  Should tv be in bedroom or living room? I am going old fashion and providing DVD player with some dvds for now.  Also I don't have 2 of the bedrooms furnished yet.  Is that weird to have it listed with only master bedroom being furnished?  Thank you!  

2 Replies 2

@Sarah3453   Welcome! I see you have some experience with home-sharing as a guest, so you have some perspective on what features guests might expect.  But looking at things from the hosting angle,  the first few reviews and ratings your listing receives are absolutely crucial to your success on the platform. That's why I recommend waiting to launch your listing when it is 100% ready to meet guests' expectations.

 

Firstly, guests overwhelmingly value a good WiFi connection over TV - now, more than ever. A big chunk of Covid-era travelers are people who work remotely and depend on it. And most of those who like to look at a screen for their entertainment would rather stream their choice of content on their own devices than be limited to the old DVDs of someone who might not share their taste.  If you want to go truly "old-fashioned" here, I think you'll need to look further back in time than the 1990s. There's definitely a niche for "unplugged" listings, like rustic cabins or vintage Airstreams. But mainstream clientele are more accustomed to WiFi than they even realize, and tend to feel disoriented when it's not there.

 

If you do choose to install a TV, the living room would be the better place for it.

 

Having two completely unfurnished rooms in the home would definitely feel weird - guests would get the strong vibe that the place isn't ready for primetime. But you don't necessarily have to outfit both rooms as bedrooms. For example, a small family traveling with a remote worker would appreciate having a detached office space with a laptop-friendly desk; if it fits, a pullout sofa-bed would allow such a room to suit either purpose. And many hosts use an extra room to convert one of their passions into a unique selling point such as a recreation room with exciting family entertainment options, an in-home fitness studio, or an indoor garden. I wouldn't invest a lot of money in this, but if you have an old foosball table in the garage or you got an unwanted Peloton for Christmas, there are options. 

 

If you prefer to host only singles and couples for now and save up for bedroom furnishings, just lock those rooms off and say they're "personal storage."

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Sarah3453   You really need wifi unless your listing is a super remote 'getaway from it all' place, especially for US guests.  As far as where to put the TV, again, it somewhat depends on what kind of guests you'd be getting and why they come to your area.  We prefer guests, well, when we had them, LOL, who are here to sight-see and will be out of the unit most of the time, for this reason we don't have a TV in the bedroom because it encourages hanging out.  If it is a question of either/or I would definitely go for the livingroom.  Yes, it would be weird to rent a place that is not fully furnished, you might get around that by locking the doors of the unfurnished rooms so guests would not have access and put the guest limit at 2 or 3 people until the bedrooms are furnished.