For many real estate investors, investing in vacation homes is the best money-making opportunity. So, the question is “How can you make more money with vacation house rentals?”
In this article, we are going to talk about Airbnb as a form of short-term rentals. Moreover, you’re going to learn exactly how to make money in real estate with this particular rental strategy. One thing we can promise: Investing in vacation home rentals won’t be the same after you finish reading this post. So, let’s dig into it!
Related: Airbnb Income From an Entire Property vs. a Single Room
Tip #1: Perform an Annual Checkup!
Even humans need regular checkups to make sure they are healthy. This also applies to an Airbnb investment property as well. Start by using the Airbnb calculator to perform an investment property analysis. This analysis is important for both before buying an investment property and after. You perform it before the purchase to make sure it has the potential and after to make sure its performance is where you want it to be.
Related: The Airbnb Profitability Calculator: The Best Friend of the Short-Term Rentals Investor
For this, you want to calculate the Airbnb rental income. Is it increasing or decreasing? To calculate it, you want to figure out the gross income and deduct all the property expenses. If you are left with a positive figure, then you are actually making money in real estate. If not, then you want to look at what is causing the negative cash flow.
Also, check if the cash flow is increasing or not. If it’s been stable for a very long time, then you might want to up your game to actually make more money. In fact, that is what we are going to talk about next, so let’s move on!
Tip# 2: Marketing Vacation House Rentals
We all know how important marketing is in the real estate investing business. But, if we are talking about vacation house rentals, then you’ve got to pay special attention to this. As a landlord on Airbnb, you’ve got to be smart with your marketing.
Did you know that Airbnb has had over 200 million bookings since it was founded in 2008?! If your Airbnb investment property is not performing well, then obviously you didn’t know. Otherwise, you’d be swimming in a pool of cash by now!
Related: Real Estate Marketing Strategies: How to Market Your Rental Property
But, what makes landlords get rich with an Airbnb investment property? It is, in fact, the presentation. Here is what we mean:
Photography
People are visual and you’ve got to use that to your advantage. When listing your vacation house rentals on Airbnb, make sure you include photos. Why? Because all Airbnb guests want to see where they’re staying. But, what makes your properties more special than others?
It’s the professional photography. If you are not an expert on taking good photos, then invest a few dollars in a professional photographer. It seems like you’re going to pay some money for that, but hey, people are going to see what they don’t see in other Airbnb properties. This also means that they’re going to turn to you and not to other properties on the website.
Description
After you have included some professional photos, it’s time to write a few words about your property. So, think about the special features of your vacation house rentals and their location. What makes them so unique? Why would people want to stay at your properties and not other people’s properties?
If you read our blogs on boosting your Airbnb income, you’ll notice that we keep talking about writing a description that focuses on experience rather than facts. In other words, Airbnb guests want to know what’s there to experience and see. Mention the view, the market, any famous festivals, activities, etc.
We are pretty sure there is at least one thing that would make a guest go “I want to stay here!” So, bottom line, get creative with your words.
Availability Calendar
The booking calendar is your best friend when it comes to making more money with vacation house rentals. In short, it allows guests to view when your property is booked and when it’s available. Therefore, you want to make sure it is always up-to-date. At least you’ll be able to keep track of the Airbnb occupancy rate for your property.
Tip #3: Airbnb Property Management
If there is one thing you want to focus on, it is managing your vacation house rentals. Maintenance, repairs, welcoming Airbnb guests, collecting the rent as well as keeping track of performance are all included. It might sound like too much, but it is the price for making more money in real estate.
However, if you are not good at that, it is OK. You can always hire super hosts on Airbnb to manage your property. Super hosts are hosts on Airbnb with the least vacancy rates and the best Airbnb reviews. This means that you could rely on them to help you out and make sure your property is generating income.
One thing to keep in mind though, the Airbnb property management fees. You, of course, pay them some money in exchange for their services. But, at the end of the day, it is worth every penny you spend.
Now, there is another part you want to take care of as well; responding to inquiries. Sure enough, Airbnb guests are going to have questions to ask you as a landlord. So, for the best representation of your vacation house rentals, you want to be as fast in responding as possible.
If you can’t do that yourself, make sure someone is helping you with that. Your end goal is to always turn a question into a stay at your Airbnb investment property.
Tip #4: Mashvisor for the Best Vacation House Rentals Experience!
When confused, Mashvisor is the place to get all the answers! Investing in vacation house rentals is always easier with us. We take care of real estate investors all the way from education to guides on making money in real estate.
Not only that but also you can use our heatmap to find the best Airbnb investment properties around the US. So, why don’t you take the first step towards your financial independence by signing up? Then you can go straight to surfing our website for the best investment opportunities in the market!