How and Why I Became An Airbnb Host

I think I started out in a unique way.  House Flipping. You might recognize this house we renovated 4 years ago.  Well, things don't always go as planned, and when it took longer than anticipated to get it sale ready, the market had slowed when cold weather arrived.  This is where we went a new direction.

The decision was made to pull it off the market and wait for a better price in the spring, but we would be sitting on a lot of operating costs in doing that.  Our answer was to give Airbnb hosting a try! Our son had hosted in his NYC apartment for years, and we had always used Airbnb when traveling, so perhaps this would cover our costs until spring?

And the rest is history!  From the beginning I knew I had found the job that was going to bring me joy!  Financial freedom and creative freedom, all while making people feel pampered and happy to be there.

We started searching for the perfect house to be our full time airbnb before we even got the flip house relisted!  We found it in a 100 year old home full of unique and romantic features.  Some updating of the kitchen, fresh painted walls and landscaping and she was ready.  Before I knew it the house was booked for everything from photo shoots to visiting families.  We even had an episode of a discovery show filmed here.

At the end of my first full year of hosting I was on the hunt for a second location.  I knew this was the business I wanted to grow with.  And just before Jan. 2020 we closed on the little lake bungalow.  We dug in first thing and spent the winter doing updates and filling it up with furniture and decor..... and then Covid happened.

Bookings were cancelling faster than I could contact guests, and I didn't even have the new house live on Airbnb yet.  We made the tough decision to sell the larger property to protect ourselves should things get worse, and this house was 3000 and a lot to manage.  I trusted that things would eventually turn around....

..... and they did! Another year has passed and here we are back to house hunting!  Airbnb became the safer way to travel or work remotely. The bookings took off and and the little lake bungalow has never slowed down. 

I can't wait to be able to expand!  Hosting is something I think I will do into our retirement years and such a wonderful way to meet amazing guests and hosts alike.

 
Have you ever thought about hosting guests?  It can be simply an extra room in your own home or a separate property, but either way it can be so rewarding both financially and personally!  It's easy to learn more and get your questions answered by heading here to airbnb.