Learn the best Airbnb hosting tips and tricks from our very special guest and Expert HostEvan Kimbrell.
How Evan Got Started with Airbnb Hosting
When Evan first moved to San Francisco a few year back, he wasa self-employed web developerwithunpredictable income stream that gave him some great months and some not so great months. And with sky high rents, he needed a more reliable second source of income to help cover living expenses, even though he choose the less popular neighborhoods to live in.
He asked his friends for ideas and some suggested he check out whether hosting on Airbnb could help.
Would it really help him make a dent into his $3000/month rent he wondered?
He looked at what a dumpymotel right next to his apartment was charging for one night–$275/night! The nearby hotels? $400+/night.
Wow, he was certain his place could do better than a dumpy motel!
So the idea of renting it out his rental10 nights at month for $300/night could essentially cover his whole rent payment.
Diving In
Evan then quickly listed his apartment and began studying all of the other listings in his area–looking at their descriptions, photos, amenities, reviews etc… to see what he could learn.
In his first month, as a complete newbie to Airbnb hosting, Evan was able to make $1000.
But he noticed there was a huge disparity between successful and not so successful hosts.
As he continued to learn and tweak his methodologies, Evan was able to “crack the code” and achieve tremendous success hosting on Airbnb.
The Results
In only 2.5 short years, Evan has now:
- Hosted over 300 guests
- Launched 5 Airbnb units
- Wentfrom $200/night to now average $450/night (sometimes achieving $600/night!)
- Having the #1 listing for SF for units that accommodate 3+ guests
- Getting any new listing to the top of search within 2-3 months.
Evan’s Five Super Tips for Starting Out
Get Your Booking to Inquiry Ratio as HIGH as Possible
How good is your listing at turning inquiries into bookings? The higher the ratio of your bookings to inquiries, the higher your listing will rank on Airbnb search.
Airbnb wants to make money so they’ll naturally highlight thelistings that are MOST likely to turn a search into bookings.
If you don’t get this right, you won’t be listed high in search and you won’t make as much money for your unit.
Get Your Response Time as LOW as Possible
Just starting out, you have no social proof with no reviews so it will take time to get your from page 8 of search onto page 1.
You can’t force the reviews right away, but what you can control right away is how much time it takes your to respond to a guest inquiry.
Respond to ALL inquiries and as quickly as possible. Keeping it to within an hour is NOT enough. You need to respond within 1-2 minutes or you’re missing out on potential bookings.
Get Great Photos
Potential guests look at photos first, so if your photos don’t put your listing in the best light possible, you’re not going to get the most out of your listing.
Airbnb won’t send out a photographer to just any new listing–they will wait until a listing and a host has some traction.
So what should you do in that mean time? Find out from Evan how to get great photos on the cheap.
Augment Your Amenities
Look at what amenities are a must have for your listing in your area. An extra airbed? Dedicated parking? Gym access?
Parking is often essentialfor guests, especially if your listing is in a busy urban area that always has parking issues. Could you a local garage and purchase a dedicated spot?
Make Your Pricing Simple
When you’re just starting out, don’t look to maximize your earnings. You need to get bookings and reviews first.
There are many ways to get this right but one way is to look at what other hotels and other Airbnb units in your area with similar amenities are charging and charge lower. It becomes a no brainer for your first guests. Make it easy to get bookings.
Watch Our Chat With Evan to Learn Detailed Examples to Actually Do Those Five Things Right
Already a Host? Watch the video to learn:
- Learn how to properly utilize virtual assistants to free up your time
- How to make guidebooks and video tours to boost your listings rankings and conversions
- How to create a lasting positive impression on your guests using cheap but memorable gifts
- How to properly set up check in and check out times
- How do keep your unit secure
- Why and how you can get extra insurance coverage
- Should you use automated locks
- How to become a “hero” to your guests
- How to handle negative reviews
And much much more. It’s a long video but it’ll be well worth your time.
Already listed but not achieving the results you wanted? Or you’re looking into adding more units and want to know how best to manage multiple units on your own or build a system to go on auto pilot?
Get detailed uncommon tips you can use right awayfrom Evan’s popular course with over 3400 students and learn how he’s helped other hosts achieve higher earnings with less time and effort.
You can learn more about the Airbnb Hosting Course here.
