To be effective in Airbnb today is much more difficult than it was in 2019, 2020, and even 2021. And for good reason, it's a great way to build wealth AND make cash at the same time. Many people like that concept.
I am one of those people!
As some of the newer Airbnb hosts start to slow down in a post-pandemic, more competitive world, a lot are leaving Airbnb entirely.
In the conversations I'm having, I get the sense they were here for a quick buck and didn't want to put in the work it takes to be successful. At the end of the day this is a business like any other, and there is hard work involved.
Their leaving is great for us. We'll say goodbye and then purchase their properties at a discount.
For those of us that are still powering through and loving the process, I've got some good news for you.
Right now. there are still places that you can build a brand new house with an acre of land for less than $350,000 and then make $179,000+/yr on it.
It sounds crazy, I know. I'm currently writing this and simultaneously scratching the bug bites I got while walking the lot of my next unique build that I intend to do exactly this. It's not as hard as you might think. If you learn a few new skills, you'll have a lens that 99% of hosts don't have today.
What's the secret to all of this? Uniqueness.
A unique rental grabs attention. It stops the scroll of someone rolling through properties on the Airbnb app, posts on Instagram, or anywhere else they might bump into an image of a unique property.
It's the digital equivalent of seeing a waterfall in a crowded city. It doesn't make sense, it looks odd, the psychological reaction is to "look back at it" and let your brain process what's going on.
That's the entire goal! Stop them in their tracks and make them double take.
People are drawn to something different, something memorable. And when your rental is unique, eyeballs from all around the globe will click in to learn more about your listing.
But it's not just about getting noticed. It's about turning that attention into revenue.
When you create a truly unique experience you have a whole new market of people that see your rental. On Airbnb, VRBO, and most other OTAs, guests have to have a reason to come to your area before they see you. Then they begin searching for a place to stay. Even in the biggest metro areas in the world, that's still a very limited market.
That's not how it works when you're unique.
If you have a scroll-stopping rental you can show it to media consumers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram and 100x the size of your market overnight.
They're not booking a place to stay while they're in town for an event, or on vacation, or whatever other reasons there are to travel. Now they're buying an adventure, a memory, the entire experience.
Even better is that you'll have 100x the audience, and can be a lot more choosy with your pricing. You only need 365 nights booked to maximize your occupancy. ADRs that are $600, $700, or even over $1,000 are common with the most unique rentals in the United States. AND THEY'RE BOOKED OUT FOR TWO YEARS AT A TIME.
Now, you might be thinking, “Unique means expensive.”
Wrong. Uniqueness doesn’t have to break the bank. It’s about creativity, not cost. Don't get me wrong, you can spend millions on being unique if you want to, but it's not required.
A simple porch swing & hot tub put together in a way that draws attention might be a great starting place for your existing property. Some of the most impactful changes I've seen were less than $30 to buy & implement.
