Thanks For Visiting

Latest Episodes:

262. Hosting Hotline: Listing A Charming (But Noisy!) Unit for Families Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.

Today’s question:

I’m going to start listing my house’s mother-in-law suite on Airbnb. But, it’s a daylight basement, in an old house with quirks (and charm), and frequent noise from kids and pets. What is the best way to list this and disclose the negatives while highlighting the positives?

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMA

Resources:

• Noise Machine

• Thanks for Visiting Storefront

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

261. Navigating the Challenges of Letting Your Team Members Go Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

Letting go of team members is never easy, no matter how long you've been with them. It's always hard. In this episode, we're going to unpack a situation that we had recently when we had to part ways with some of our team members. We want to share as much as we can here on the podcast how you can prevent ending the partnership in the first place, and be proactive in training and communicating with your vendors. We share what we learned, what we did right, and what we didn't do well.

We know you all care deeply about your properties, guests and teams, and as humans, parting ways with essential members of the team can be stressful, challenging and mentally tough. We know this is an uncomfortable, unfortunate inevitability of running a business, so we’re here to support you through it. Remember that ending a chapter can be scary and hard, but it’s okay, natural and, in many cases, ultimately for the best.

Resources:

• #STRShareSunday: @hillsidehouse_shenandoah

• Hillside House: hillsidehouseshenandoah.com

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.

Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!

Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.

260. Hosting Hotline: There is Suspicious Activity at my Neighbor’s House. What Can I Do? Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.

Kim asks:

What should I do if the neighbor of my short-term rental property is a drug dealer? I’ve already involved the local police and they’re monitoring the situation, but I’m concerned about how this will affect my reviews and the overall safety of my guests and property. I’d appreciate any advice!

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMA

Resources:

• #STRShareSunday: @queenstreetretreat

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

259. Stay Cool this Summer: 7 Tips for Preparing Your Property for The Season Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

Summer is around the corner, and it’s about to be a super busy season for not only your personal life, but for your rental business. Today, we're going over the Top 7 things you should think about to prepare for the busy season and things you could do this weekend to get your short-term rental ready for summer. Trust us, a little preparation will go a long way to having a stress-free, safe and fun summer.

In this episode we talk about how to activate your outdoor space including safety checks and freshening it up. We recommend getting current, seasonal images of your property and strategically highlighting your listing and location with summer in mind. We also share safety check reminders and ideas that will keep everyone comfortable and protected this season. And don’t forget to take time for yourself!

Resources:

#STRShareSunday: @waddingtonflats
Waddington Flats Listing: waddingtonflats.com
Breezeway Summer Checklist: breezeway.io/blog/5-summer-safety-tips-for-your-vacation-rental

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.

Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!

258. Hosting Hotline: How Have You Had To Pivot In Your Airbnb Business? May 30, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.

Latisha asks:

My husband and I have a short term rental in Louisiana. We have had to pivot from a day-to-day rental into a 30-day rental due to the regulations in the county and city. What other ways in this process have you had to pivot and can you give some examples?

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah & Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMA

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

257. Unveiling the Secrets of HGTV with Sarah Karakaian May 25, 2023

Show notes

Calling all HGTV lovers! If you’re obsessed with HGTV competition shows, or are hoping to be cast on one yourself, you’re going to love this episode. We’re switching things up as Annette interviews Sarah on what it was like to compete on HGTV’s show Beach Flip in 2015 and shed some light on what the process was like. We talk about why Sarah and her husband Nick wanted to be on the show and the application and auditioning process.

We get into all the juicy behind the scenes details, like what the contract boundaries were, what to do with your job when you do a reality tv show, a few anecdotes from filming, their relationship with the other contestants, and if it was really real.

As a former professional auditioner from her Broadway days, Sarah shares her tips for getting on this type of show and strategies that worked well and not so well: everything from being in front of the camera, to skillsets she wish she had before going on the show, to Sarah’s ugly crying Twitter hashtag, and the biggest mistakes she made. We hope you enjoy getting a peek behind the HGTV curtain!

Resources:

HGTV Beach Flip: hgtv.com/shows/beach-flip
Instagram: @thanksforvisiting_
#STRShareSunday: @perchtreehouse
TR Share Airbnb listing: airbnb.com

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.

Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.

256. Hosting Hotline: Mastering Dynamic Pricing and Modified Bookings May 23, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.

Today’s question:

We often have guests who will edit their booking to add an extra night, but because of dynamic pricing, Airbnb displays the added night at a different rate than their original booking (usually higher). How do you deal with this and keep guests happy?

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah & Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMA

Resources:

Wheelhouse: Get 50% off your first two months: https://usewheelhouse.com
Pricelabs: https://pricelabs.co

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

255. The Real Estate Robinsons: Forging A Partnership In Business & In Life May 18, 2023

Show notes

Tony & Sara Robinson are a husband and wife duo turned business partners and have built a presence on social media as STR experts. They went from climbing the corporate ladder to now managing a multi-million dollar STR portfolio in a span of two years.

Tony J. Robinson is a Real Estate Investor, the co-host of The Real Estate Robinsons YouTube channel, and the co-host of the Bigger Pockets Real Estate Rookie Show. Tony has experience in long-distance real estate investing, the BRRRR strategy, real estate partnerships, and short term rentals. Tony has defied all odds as a young black male who became a father at 16, quickly scaled the corporate ladder at companies like Tesla, and has now become a full time real estate investor growing his portfolio to 30 short term rentals in the last 2 years.

Sara Robinson is a Real Estate Investor and she and her husband, Tony J Robinson, co-host “The Real Estate Robinsons” YouTube channel where they share the behind the scenes work of their short term rental & flipping business. She was initially disinterested in being a part of her husband's real estate journey, but got fully on-board when he decided to focus on STRs. Sara knew her natural people skills mixed with her experience in customer service and desire to design spaces were perfect qualities to help grow their STR portfolio TOGETHER as a team!

Resources:

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.

Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.

254. Hosting Hotline: How Should I Price my Parent-Child Listing? May 16, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.

Angela asks:

How should I price parent-child listings? I have three specific questions: 1. Do I price the parent listing at the same price as the two child listings combined, or should I increase the price of the parent listings since it sleeps more? 2. Should I overprice the two child listings further out to encourage people to book the parent listings first? 3. Is there ever a good reason to do mostly flat pricing versus dynamic pricing?

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah & Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMA

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Resources:

#STRShareSunday: @lazy_pines_nm
Wheelhouse: 50% off the first two months
PriceLabs: 30-day free trial

Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.

Mentioned in this episode:

Make More Money This Year | Join our LIVE Workshop!

253. 7 Essential Apps For Your Airbnb May 11, 2023

Show notes

Today, we are going to share with you our top seven favorite apps that we use in our own hosting business. We’ll cover why we love this technology and how we’ve leveraged it for our own properties. And, each app is linked below with a special offer just for our TFV listeners.

NoiseAware:

The Indoor and Outdoor Sensors monitor noise levels at your property and will alert you through your Dashboard or Mobile App when the noise levels go over your set thresholds. Use code TFVNA20 for 20% off ($144/year including 1 free indoor sensor) and 20% off any additional indoor or outdoor sensors.

Wheelhouse:

Wheelhouse helps you manage your short-term rentals as professionally and efficiently as major hotels—from understanding performance to better nightly pricing. Use code TFV for 50% off your first two months.

Breezeway:

Breezeway's property care and operations platform helps coordinate, communicate, and verify detailed work, and deliver the best service experience to clients. Automate your operations and deliver an amazing rental experience. TFV listeners get free implementation!

Stayfi:

Brand WiFi, collect guest data, and increase direct bookings – all while providing a better WiFi experience for vacation rental guests. Create your own branded WiFi splash page that every guest uses to log into your rental’s WiFi. Use code THANKS for 50% your first 3 months of service.

Hostfully:

Hostfully's Property Management Platform helps you run and scale your business. Includes pipeline management, upselling tools, owner reporting, centralized calendar and platform for widespread channel distribution. Hostfully's digital and offline guidebooks up-level your professionalism and save you time. Provide travelers with property information and local recommendations, with a custom welcome message feature your unique brand. Use coupon code TFV100 to get $100 off your property management subscription!

Superhog:

Their Intelligent Guest Screening technology allows you to screen your guests pre-booking, helping prevent criminal activity, chargebacks, party bookings and unauthorised commercial activity at your properties. They also provide a simplified deposit solution and damage waiver, and financial protection against guest damage.

Resources: