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. Kendra asks: We purchased a property, my husband's pipe dream, in western Wisconsin on the trout streams where he grew up fishing. We launched it on Airbnb and VRBO in March. It's called the Trimbelle Cottage and we've had good success with consistent bookings and buzz in the area since that time. We had someone reach out asking to book it as a mid-term rental from November through March of next year. I believe those would be our s ..read more

Today’s expert guests are Austin and Karlee Phippen, operators of an expanding portfolio of hospitality brands and businesses in scenic Northern New Mexico. Starting in just 2019, they’ve already built an empire in Charma – from boutique hotel rooms, a 16-room motel, a dozen co-hosted properties, and a sprawling ranch wedding venue. With Austin’s background in construction, and Karlee’s formal education and experience in the hospitality industry, magic was bound to be made when these two teamed up. We hear all about how they took on the motel project, detail the fairytale love story behind the ..read more

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. Bri asks: How do I prepare guests for nuisance neighbors? I have a neighbor who lives two houses down and he is senile. He does get really chatty and he has doomsday stories. The other day, my guest engaged in conversation with him, and the story is always the same about wanting to get rid of the drug dealers in the neighborhood, and the prostitution, and all of these sorts of things. It made my guest so uncomfortable that she sent ..read more

Today’s expert guest (and one of our new business partners!) is Mike Navarro of Columbus, Ohio. Mike and his wife Ingrid entered the residential market as first-time homebuyers and have since expanded into multi-family housing, constructing single-family homes ranging from 400 sqft to 4500 sq ft. Their diverse portfolio comprises over 20 units, including single-family homes, multi-units, and condos, with a total real estate holding value of $10 million. We chat with Mike today to lay the groundwork for a series of episodes in which we’ll be detailing our newfound property partnership together ..read more

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. A listener asks: We are about ready to launch our first short-term rental on the beach. I've been vetting cleaning companies and have been a little surprised to learn of common standard practices related to washing (or not) the top layer of bedding. It seems like most cleaners don't wash that regularly, which to be honest, gave me the heebie-jeebies. Is that standard practice in the industry? To me, that needs to be turned over bet ..read more

Today’s expert guest is Wendy Doris. Experienced house flipper, host, co-host, and Hosting Business Mastery Method (HBMM) coach, Wendy loves the details, especially when it comes to the operations of her business. We lean into that expertise in this episode, jumping into the deep end on supplies as they relate to short-term rental listings. Managing more than a dozen properties in the Phoenix area, Wendy set out to reimagine her supply chain operations – where, who, why, when, and how. We won’t spoil her story, but to let you know that she gets very detailed with the specific calculations she ..read more

Today’s expert guest is Justin Ford, an international safety superstar when it comes to short-term rentals. Returning for his record thirteenth appearance on the show, the wisdom just never stops with Justin, as he’s become a close friend of the show – and hopefully, a trusted advisor to all of our listeners. Justin updates us on his latest travels, taking us from a safety survey in a $40k/night Colorado mansion listing to affecting permanent and positive change in Cancun’s STR regulations. We go from the details – touching on carbon monoxide detectors and loose rugs – to looking at safety fro ..read more

Today’s expert guest is Gwynne Beatty, a specialist in property damage claims, water restoration, mold remediation, maximizing your claim, and managing the repair process for residential and commercial properties. She's here to pull back the curtain on the claims process and give you the knowledge and tools you need if (and when) you find yourself with property damage. She’s a public adjuster (don’t worry, we learn all about what that means) and has tons of secrets to share today as she answers critically misunderstood questions like… Should your insurance agent make your claim? What words sho ..read more

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. Francesca asks: I am looking for ways to enhance the guest experience through concierge services. As an example, I saw someone post that they'll put away Instacart groceries for guests before they arrive. I'm looking for unique and creative concierge services to offer guests and differentiate from competitors. If you have any suggestions, that would be awesome. We are in a beach market. (00:01:20) Question About Concierge Services ..read more

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. Sandrine asks: I have a few questions regarding guest communication. How much is too much and how exactly do you handle communicating the rental agreement? Do you send the rental agreement right through the booking platform, like Airbnb, or ask for a personal email? What do you do if they don't respond or sign it by the time that they book? I know each guest is different in how much interaction they want with their hosts, so I'm ju ..read more