Learn about problem-solving hacks for beginner short-term rental hosts and co-hosts from expert Lynn Smith. Discover insights on managing operations, dealing with unique guests, and building a successful hosting business. Explore tips for maintaining healthy boundaries, utilizing technology, and finding clients. Don't miss out on valuable strategies and lessons shared in this episode!

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 just wondering what the consensus seems to be on this topic.(00:01:24) Appropriate Frequency of Communication with STR Guests (00:03:01) Tips for Communicating Your Rental Agreement(00:06:46) Suggested Cadence for Vacation Rental Guest Communications(00:09:35) Benefits to Asking for a Review Upon CheckoutThanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, submit your burning hosting questions at: hostinghotline.com.Resources:• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.comThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:StayFi | Go to www.stayfi.com and enter TFV to get 50% off your first three months.Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!

Today’s expert guests are Bob and Callie Karlen. A husband-and-wife investing team, they currently house hack their primary residence near Minneapolis, own and operate Bigwater Cove – their STR cabin in Northern MN – and are hoping to scale their portfolio in 2024 in the commercial boutique motel space in the near future. Following last week’s informative discussion covering a painful acquisition process that didn’t quite work out, we talk to Bob and Callie about their own emotionally charged short-term rental rollercoaster – only this time, we get a (mostly) happy ending. Off and running with their new Minnesota-based vacation rental cabin, Bob and Callie received the kind of letter that sends shivers up your spine. They were operating without a license. To complicate things further, they learned their address was located in a township, not the city in the sale listing that they’d done deep STR homework on.They didn’t give up. In fact, they teamed up to bring their case to the planning commission and, over months and months, affect positive change in their community. We can’t wait for you to hear this riveting success story, and hope it inspires other hosts to fight for their own right to rent responsibly. (00:01:28) #STRShareSunday: @thewanderstay(00:03:41) Doing Their Homework to Purchase a Vacation Cabin(00:09:45) STR Licensing Issues: A Letter From the Planning Commision(00:17:18) Now What? Amending the Ordinance (00:26:38) Callie’s Vacation Rental PowerPoint Presentation to the Township(00:29:25) The Painstaking Process of Changing STR Legislation (00:43:54) Successfully Lobbying for Your Right to Rent(00:46:45) Update on Required Noise Monitoring Technology (00:48:22) Mindset Tips for Overcoming Restrictive STR LegislationResources:• Website: bigwatercove.com• Airbnb: Bigwater Cove - Lakefront cabin near Brainerd• Instagram: @bigwater_cove• Noise Aware: Indoor and Outdoor Sensors monitor noise levels at your property and will alert you through your Dashboard or Mobile App when the noise levels go over your set thresholds. Use code TFVNA20 for 20% off ($144/year including 1 free indoor sensor) and 20% off any additional indoor or outdoor sensor: noiseaware.com• #STRShareSunday: @thewanderstay• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.comThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!Hostfully | Go to https://www.hostfully.com/tfv and use TFV100 to get $200 off your subscription.Host Checklist | Grab our Airbnb Essentials Checklist and make stocking your Airbnb a breeze – we've got all your hosting needs covered!Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.

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.Holly asks:What systems and processes do you use to train virtual assistants and other staff members? Where do you store them, how do you build them, and on what platforms? We are trying to systemize every single process so that we can control everything we can.(00:01:23) Question About Training STR Systems & Processes (00:02:15) Using Zoom & Loom to Stay Connected to Your Team(00:04:59) Recommend Asana for Training Management (00:09:11) Building Personalized Trained Protocol (00:10:36) Other Enterprise Tools & Suggested Software (00:11:40) Breezeway for Maintenance, Inspections & Cleaning(00:13:28) 3 Hot Tips for Operational Efficiency Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, submit your burning hosting questions at: hostinghotline.com.Resources:• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com• Asana Training: Paul Minors YouTube Channel• Software Tools: Asana, Notion, Trello, Hubspot, Slack, and VoxerThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:StayFi | Go to www.stayfi.com and enter TFV to get 50% off your first three months.Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!

Today’s export guest is Tanya Rooney, a creative real estate seeker, life guide and owner of BAFS Real Estate + Yay You’re Here Properties. We’re thrilled that she’s taken the time to join us today to talk about a very important, and very on-trend, topic in our industry: motels and mid-term rentals.She gives us the low down on a painstaking deal that did NOT go through, sharing important lessons so you can better understand and take action on your own real estate opportunities in the future. We’re talking underwriting, we’re talking numbers, we’re talking inspections – all the juicy behind-the-scenes nuance that you won’t see on TikTok or in YouTube comment sections. Tanya joined our membership years ago and has always been a champion of masterminds, really leveraging the power of networking. She’s a great resource for other hosts and a perfect example of how, even when things don’t go exactly as planned, they can be of benefit to our end goals.(00:01:26) #STRShareSunday: @elylogcabin(00:05:42) BTS of Tanya Rooney’s Short-Term Rental Business(00:12:34) Setting Up an Exciting New Real Estate Deal (00:24:36) Inspecting a Potential Motel Acquisition (00:26:58) Leveraging Her Network to Underwrite the Deal (00:35:29) Interior Design on a New STR Space(00:37:53) When (and How) a Motel Deal Breaks Down(00:44:37) Important Lessons & Tough Takeaways (00:50:28) Making the Magic Happen Through NetworkingResources:• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com• #STRShareSunday: @elylogcabin• Sign up for STRInsights: app.strinsights.com• Instagram: @tanyarooneymn• Get ahold of Tanya: tanyarooney.com• Yay You’re Here Minnesota: yyhmn.com• Read: Hospitable Hosts 3• Mike Hicks: Instagram and TikTokThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Host Checklist | Grab our Airbnb Essentials Checklist and make stocking your Airbnb a breeze – we've got all your hosting needs covered!Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!Hostfully | Go to https://www.hostfully.com/tfv and use TFV100 to get $200 off your subscription.Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.

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.Whitney asks:Can I create a parent-child listing for two homes that are next door to each other? I own one of them and my neighbors own the other. I'm the co-host for their house. I would like to create a parent-child listing to accept large groups that can stay in both homes, but I'm also aware that there may be tax consequences or other complications I may be missing by accepting a booking for both homes at once.I'm wondering if there's a way to create a parent-child listing and accept inquiries – and then when they do visit the page to book both – direct them to each individual listing. Any insight would be really helpful.(00:01:21) Question About Listing Neighboring STR Properties Together(00:03:00) What is a Parent-Child Short-Term Rental Listing?(00:05:38) Pro Tips for Hosting a Unique Parent-Child Vacation Rental(00:08:27) Leverage Data to Make Better STR Decisions Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, submit your burning hosting questions at: hostinghotline.com.Resources:• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com• Hosting Hotline: Listing Your Airbnb As A Parent-Child Setup #232• Parent Child Listings for Airbnb Properties - How To Create• Sign up for Relay • Recommended STR analytics tools: PriceLabs, AirDNA, and KeyDataThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.StayFi | Go to www.stayfi.com and enter TFV to get 50% off your first three months.Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!

Sara Sokol, founder of Dogs Welcome community, shares tips on welcoming dogs in vacation rentals. Topics include defining pet-friendly, managing damage, communication strategies, cleaning tips, and pet fees. Opening listings to pets can boost bookings if done right.

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.Jennifer asks:I run Pepin Forest Treehouse in Wisconsin. How does growth become exponential and how do people tend to do it so quickly? What does that look like with debt-to-income ratios? How are people growing their businesses on such short timelines? What's the secret that I'm missing? (00:01:23) What’s the Secret for Exponential STR Business Growth?(00:02:59) FOMO & Unpacking Social Media Growth Narratives(00:06:08) Unexpected Ways Someone Might Finance Real Estate Deals(00:07:49) Reframing Your Mindset: Total Doors vs. Profit MarginThanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, submit your burning hosting questions at: hostinghotline.com.Resources:Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.comThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Handbook | Get on the waitlist now at thanksforvisiting.com/waitlistHosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.StayFi | Go to www.stayfi.com and enter TFV to get 50% off your first three months.

Today’s expert guest is Tara Zirker. Tara is the owner and founder of Successful Ads Club, a high-touch support training platform where she teaches thousands of business owners how to rapidly scale their small businesses through the power of Facebook and Instagram Ads with tiny budgets (and has received over 1,000 positive student reviews!).She’s worked on ad campaigns with people like Marianne Williamson (New York Times bestselling author), Jordan Lee Dooley (multiple 7-figure lifestyle entrepreneur), and Hilary Rushford (multiple 7-figure style guru), and has spoken at large conferences like Social Media Marketing World & Traffic and Conversions.In this episode, Tara shares how to get started with Facebook ads, even on a tiny budget – you can start with as little as $10 a day! We also discuss the most common mistakes people make, what metrics to watch to ensure you never pay too much for a lead, and how to avoid wasting money on Facebook Ads.(00:01:07) #STRShareSunday: @lil.desert.cabin(00:03:37) How Tara Got Into Digital Advertising(00:08:14) Campaign Budgets : Big & Small(00:11:09) Most Common Mistakes People Make(00:19:21) Audience Retargeting & How To Do It Effectively(00:23:02) What You Need: Platform, Financial & Time Commitments(00:30:03) Tips for Measuring the Efficacy of Your Facebook Ads(00:32:44) Top Tools for Generating Click-Worthy Creative(00:38:09) Frequent Frustrations & Roadblocks to AvoidResources:Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.comSuccessful Ads Club: successfuladsclub.comWebsite: tarazirker.comInstagram: @tarazirkerLinkedin: Tara Zirker#STRShareSunday: @lil.desert.cabinThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hostfully | Go to https://www.hostfully.com/tfv and use TFV100 to get $200 off your subscription.Hosting Handbook | Get on the waitlist now at thanksforvisiting.com/waitlistBreezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.

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.Caitlyn asks:Midterm rentals are a really great option for a lot of us hosts. What do we need to be looking out for when looking for great tenants?(00:01:47) Guests vs. Tenants: 28 Days Later(00:05:13) Building Rental Processes in Zillow(00:07:13) List Your Property as BOTH an STR & Midterm Rental(00:12:39) How Do I Collect Rent from Mid-Term Rental Tenants?(00:16:25) Preview of an Upcoming Episode ThemeThanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, submit your burning hosting questions at: hostinghotline.com.Resources:Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.comHow To Use The BRRRR Method for Short-Term Rental Financing #313Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.Hosting Handbook | Get on the waitlist now at thanksforvisiting.com/waitlistStayFi | Go to www.stayfi.com and enter TFV to get 50% off your first three months.