{"id":1553,"date":"2016-07-05T18:15:44","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T18:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ssdcmoving.local\/?p=1553"},"modified":"2025-06-24T19:19:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T19:19:53","slug":"how-to-prepare-your-home-for-airbnb-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.selfstorage.com\/blog\/how-to-prepare-your-home-for-airbnb-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to prepare your home for Airbnb"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do house guests joke that your house would make a great vacation resort? Hey, maybe they\u2019re on to something.<\/p>\n

You could list your space on Airbnb<\/a>, where everyday people rent their private homes to travelers. Around 60 million people have booked accommodations using Airbnb since it opened in 2008, and the database currently contains more than two million listings.<\/p>\n

Why shouldn\u2019t your home be one of them? Not only is listing your space on Airbnb a means to extra money, it\u2019s also an impetus for clearing clutter.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne reason for becoming an Airbnb host was to get and keep my home organized,\u201d said Lisa Spector, who rents her 1,600 square foot\u00a0loft\u00a0in Half Moon Bay, CA<\/a>, a coastal town south of San Francisco. Spector\u2019s guests have the place to themselves when she and her dogs travel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a great motivator to get rid of a lot of stuff and make upgrades for my guests that I also get to enjoy,\u201d Spector said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019ve got a bungalow in Buffalo or a loft in L.A., somebody on Airbnb wants to book it. Here\u2019s what you need to do to get started:<\/p>\n

Look up city regulations.<\/strong> New York City requires most paying, non-hotel guests to stay at least 30 days. San Luis Obispo, CA, requires Airbnb hosts to get a business license and pay extra taxes. Consult your city\u2019s website for local laws.<\/p>\n

Sign up.<\/strong> Go to Airbnb\u2019s How to Host<\/a>, where you\u2019ll find tips on pricing, listing amenities and creating a host profile. Listing is free, and Airbnb takes a 3% host service fee for each booking.<\/p>\n

Take good photos.<\/strong> In many cities, Airbnb will even match you with a professional photographer for free.<\/p>\n

Specify length of stay.<\/strong> Lori Malett of Milwaukee listed her entire home after buying a new house last fall. She and her husband planned to sell the first home in the spring so they rented the house only to guests staying a few days. \u201cOne wanted to rent for 18 months. Another wanted to stay this summer, and I knew we were listing in the spring,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Stay safe. <\/strong>Airbnb members can connect their profiles\u00a0to social media pages, contact information, photo IDs and reviews from hosts and guests. Hosts can require guests to complete certain verifications. \u201cI said no to a lot of people who didn\u2019t have a review,\u201d said Malett. \u201cI would always call back and ask them to tell me more about why they are coming to the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s time to get the place organized. Below are several tips for how to make your home rental-ready:<\/p>\n

1. Clear unnecessary stuff.<\/h3>\n

Spector donated clothing, organized kitchen shelves and upgraded sheets and towels.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started with the bathroom and kitchen,\u201d Spector\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

Empty cabinets and the pantry for guests who might bring their own food, said Ellen Delap, a certified professional organizer<\/a>. \u201cFree up counter space as much as possible,\u201d Delap said.<\/p>\n

Remove medications and cosmetics from the bathroom and stow unused kitchen appliances. Provide lots of closet space. Consider a storage locker on the premises for towels, dishware and other guest items.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Specify off-limits items and remove valuables.<\/h3>\n

Spector doesn\u2019t allow guests to play her Steinway grand piano. If a guest can\u2019t resist, that person forfeits the security deposit. For extra security, Airbnb also provides liability coverage up to $1 million for personal injury or property damage.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

3. Add welcoming and inviting touches.<\/h3>\n

\u201cI created this whole coffee\/tea area,\u201d said Spector. \u201cI usually leave treats in the fridge, a bottle of wine and fresh flowers all over the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Store extraneous items.<\/h3>\n

Try using a full-service storage company like New York-based MakeSpace<\/a>, which loads your items and transports to a climate-controlled storage facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou haul nothing and you waste zero days,\u201d said Jose Zuniga, marketing manager at MakeSpace. Need that extra love seat back between bookings? Just tap its photo in MakeSpace\u2019s online catalog of your stuff, and they\u2019ll deliver it.<\/p>\n