How To Airbnb In Los Angeles
As more people adopt online shopping as their preferred method of buying goods, creating your own shop via Amazon or eBay is becoming the norm. A growing number of individuals do the same thing by opening an account with Airbnb and offering up their house or apartment they are currently living in as a place for guests to stay for a night or few nights.
Most people who use Airbnb advertise their homes through pictures and descriptions that appeal to potential guests. However, there’s more you can do to maximize the profitability of your airbnb business investment!
In this article we will go over some ways to improve your Airbnb listing and increase bookings. We will also talk about some strategies for getting more referrals from other users to ensure you have a steady stream of new clients.
Improve your Airbnb listing - tips here
Introduce yourself clearly and honestly
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's important to introduce yourself clearly and honestly. Your profile picture, headline, and summary all contribute to shaping how people perceive your host status and self-value.
Your first impression really does matter so take your time to choose ones that describe who you are as a person and what value you bring to others. Make sure your profile isn’t full of fake flattery either; most of these things can be found easily online.
Cleanliness is a very important factor when deciding if someone should visit your home while traveling.
Registration with the IRS
Before you start hosting, you will need to do something called business registration. This is requiring you to register as an LLC or a Partnership with your state’s department of revenue.
Business owners often use this entity type for renting out their homes, but it can be used for anything! For example, if you are running a bed and breakfast, then you would register under the name “Bed & Breakfast Inc”.
This way, when people make bookings they know that they are going into a company owned building rather than someone owner’s house, and there are ways to track all income and expenses.
There are some fees involved in registering so make sure to look up how much it costs before doing so. Luckily, it is done through most states’ departments of revenue which have free services.
Obtain insurance
Before you list your house or apartment as an accommodation, you will need to make sure that your renters’ liability policy covers everything!
You can usually get this coverage through your homeowner’s insurance company, but it is very important to check both personal and property coverages.
The personal coverage typically includes medical payments and legal expenses, whereas the property coverage includes making repairs if something gets damaged during a stay (this normally covers up to $1 million per occurrence).
Many people do not have these types of policies because they think they are already covered by their main policy. But just like with regular homeowners’ insurance, additional policies may offer more robust coverage than what is included in the initial plan.
Create your profile
Creating your Airbnb profile is an important first step that should be done very carefully! When you are ready, you will have the opportunity to include some basic information such as your full name, email address, and phone number. You can also add links to social media profiles and proof of identity (like a driver’s license or passport).
It is extremely helpful to create your account using Google so you can access all of your company documents and accounts via their website. This way, anyone who searches for you online will be able to see your current status, what companies you work for, and more!
After creating your account, you will be asked to choose your location. Pick a place close by to where you want to stay so that it takes less than 30 minutes to get there. Make sure to indicate which neighborhoods you are looking into staying in, and give a brief description about the area. For example, if you decide to stay downtown, make mention of the best things to do around there!
You may be asked to upload pictures and videos of yourself. Try taking several nice photos and edit them before uploading. People reviewing your listing will feel confident in you as a host!
Make sure to check out our article on how to review guests properly to ensure your safety here.
Choose your location
Now that you have determined you are comfortable with using the internet as a way to make money, it is time to determine if this is for you. If not, then don’t do it!
Thinking about listing your house or apartment? Think again!
There are many ways to earn extra income by renting out your space or offering your services as a professional traveler.
From sharing your home to share a bed with other travelers, to being a part-time tour guide, the opportunities are endless!
And since most people these days have at least one smartphone, creating a travel booking app can be an easy way to start earning some additional revenue.
We will talk more about those later! For now though, choose your city, state, and area wisely before getting started.
Why? Because just like working from home, staying somewhere while traveling is expensive! Add to that having enough supplies to feel relaxed and enjoy your trip has its costs as well.
Conduct a site inspection
Now that you have found your potential home, or are at least looking for one, it is time to do some research! Before agreeing to pay money to stay in someone’s house, make sure everything looks okay and if there are any warning signs, put off your booking until they are resolved.
Make sure the address is legitimate and does not look like a hotel with an extra apartment attached. Check online reviews to see what kind of experiences people had while staying there, as well as posting pictures to determine whether the place seems authentic.
There should be clear photos showing the interior of the space, along with a direct line to the owner/manager. Make sure to check the area out during daytime and night hours to see how busy the surrounding areas are. Does it seem safe? Are there easy routes to get around town? Is there enough parking?
These are all very important questions to ask before making a payment.
Get your license
Before you start looking into how to do it, you first need to make sure that you have all of your licenses for short term rental transactions!
As mentioned before, being licensed is one of the most important things to consider when renting out your property via Airbnb.
You should definitely be familiar with what kind of licensing is needed if you decide to let people stay at your house or apartment as an Airbnb host, but that’s not the only type of license you can have. In fact, some cities don’t require hosts to be licensed at all!
In this article we will talk about which types of licenses you must have in Los Angeles, why they are necessary, and where to find them.
Design your guest room
When you are listing your house or apartment, make sure to include pictures of your bedroom space. You do not need much beyond a bed, pillows, and some basic furniture, but making it look like a place people would want to stay for night or even just one night is important!
If possible, try to have natural light as well as windows that will let the surrounding area be seen. A nice-looking bathroom also makes this more inviting.
You do not necessarily have to keep the rooms classic white, black, and shades of those colors, but if there are no other options then these are fine!
Avoid big wall decorations and instead use curtains or art to liven up the space.
Personalize your guest experience
Letting people feel welcome is one of the biggest ways to boost engagement at this level. Your guests will keep coming back if they enjoy their stay, and you will get more repeat business.
As an owner/host, there’s no need to be overly formal with your guests.
However, it is important to set some ground rules and expectations. For example, make sure that all bathrooms are clean before you invite someone into yours, tell potential meeting spots ahead of time so people don’t find surprise parties, and ensure that everything in your house is kid-friendly (or not!).
These things take away from the intimate feeling that most people value when staying somewhere else.