The dream of passive income can look anything but passive once you start breaking down all the little details involved. An index fund may kick back money for almost no time, but rental properties are different. There’s listing the property, managing each reservation, being available for those late night phone calls, and making sure the house is cleaned and maintained month after month after month. This doesn’t even account for pricing research, managing reviews, paying taxes, or getting the right property to begin with! With Airbnb, you’re in the hospitality industry. And some owners who manage their own vacation rentals work 40 or more hours a week just keeping things rolling.
Airbnb is also ridiculously competitive, with rental numbers skyrocketing in Avon from 498 in Q2 of 2016 to 1,422 now. Everyone is getting savvier about running their properties and it can be tricky to keep up. At Away Agents, we manage properties for a percentage fee, meaning we want you to succeed as much as you do. Here’s what we do.
Property research: not every property is created equal. First, some aren’t even legal to rent on Airbnb—Avon has a zone overlay district and specific PUD areas where it’s allowed, and others where it isn’t. Assuming you have that part down, it’s a function of amenities, location, and price. We do a comprehensive report advising you on the properties that will be most profitable while still meeting any personal vacation needs you have.
Room setup: There are three rules to setting up a property. Everything should be easy to clean, not easy to break, and popular with guests! We can help you with this to make your place attractive.
Security: Cameras and smart locks are the name of the game. Our company founder is a noted cybersecurity expert, so we’re aware of the latest advances in security and will keep your property and guests safe.
Create processes: Property management is all about the processes. You’ll need an inquiry response process, a pricing process, a booking process, a cleaning process, a maintenance process, a tax form process…fortunately we do it all.
Photo + video: To get premium rates, you’ll need high quality, wide angle photographs that are well lit and show off your space to its best advantage. You’ll also need well-written and breezy copy, and sometimes video. Marketing is our forte and we’re here for it.
Multi-platform Marketing: Airbnb is great. HomeAway is great. VRBO? We love it. Wherever your property best fits, we’ll get it set up so you can maximize bookings. And while the rival sites don’t go out of their way to play well together, we use the multiplatform tool Guesty so you’ll never have a double booking.
Everything else: You may be thinking “is there anything these guys CAN’T do?”
There’s only one way to find out. Email scott@awayagents.comto set up an appointment with your most challenging questions.