How To Turn Your Home Into An Airbnb For A Cool Side Gig

Airbnb property rentals and experiences have become increasingly popular over recent years, and being your own boss as an Airbnb host can be an exciting, creative way to earn a lucrative income. As a host, you can provide a unique experience, class, or vacation accommodation. There are extraordinary experiences offered, such as horse whispering with an equine therapist in Barcelona, Spain and a cool hipster bike tour in Tokyo, Japan. There are also extraordinary Airbnb rentals all over the world that are cozy and unique homes away from home for vacationers and business travelers alike — with so many great perks. 

A host can rent out an entire house, room, apartment, or quaint cottage on the property that's suitable for any size family and any occasion. Many people prefer to rent an Airbnb property rather than stay at a hotel, so the rentals practically book themselves. In fact, you can find more than 63,500,000 helpful reviews on Airbnb's website that were given an average of 4.8 out of a 5-star rating on the Airbnb site by guests.

The beauty of being an Airbnb host is that the sky is the limit as far as what you can offer in your own vacation rental. You may decide to create an eco-friendly environment or perhaps display trendy mid-modern century decor. Or maybe you'd like your rental to be zen-inspired with a yoga area and butterfly garden. It's always a great idea to offer unique features that stand out from your local competition.

To get an approximate idea as to the amount of income you can expect to earn from being an Airbnb host, you can view comparable listings in your area of the country on the Airbnb website. Airbnb also has a Smart Pricing tool that will assist you in coming up with a fair rental rate. The estimated rental price is determined by various factors, including your rental space, where it's located, the time of year you're renting, the demand in your city/town, and anything special that's taking place in your area (such as a music or beer festival, holiday event, car show, etc.), according to Airbnb. You can also get a rough estimate by checking out a recent average price per night for your town or a nearby one (not including any expenses, taxes, and fees) for a comparable size space within the past year. To figure out what you'd make per year, you'd multiply that estimated amount by the number of nights you plan to host per month.

There are many factors involved that can impact your income potential. Each month can fluctuate based on variables such as the rental season, how popular your rental is and the ratings you receive, how many bookings are actual check-ins and not canceled, local attractions that may be open certain times of the year, and expenses you may have in any particular month.

Becoming an Airbnb host is easy and so much fun. In fact, just about anyone can host, and it doesn't cost anything to sign up and get started. Whether you decide to host a unique event like pasta making, tarot card reading, or wine tasting, or you'd like to host a stay at a room in your home, host an overnight excursion in a glamping treehouse, or rent out your entire house, hosting is an utterly genius way to earn a great income.

To start the process, you'll need to create an account and provide information on Airbnb's website. You'll be asked to provide the property address you want to list. You'll list the type of place you are offering, such as a house, apartment, boutique hotel, villa, etc., and what kind of space your guests will have access to — a private room or the entire house. There will also be specifics to enter, including how many guests can be accommodated and how many beds and baths there are. You will be asked to note any special amenities — for example, a patio, hot tub, fire pit, or anything extraordinary that potential guests will want to know about.

There are also lots of decisions you'll need to think about, such as: Are pets allowed? Are children allowed? Is it a smoke-free property? If you're hosting an event, what's the event date and timeframe? Will materials be provided?

One of the many wonderful perks about being an Airbnb host is that you are your own boss. You and only you are in charge of making the rules when it comes to planning an experience. When it comes to hosting your own property on Airbnb, you can decide everything, including the pricing, discounts, rental availability dates (including any dates you'd like to block off of the calendar as not available), any minimum nights you'd like to establish for popular seasons, promotions you'd like to run to drum up business during slower seasons, and even how far in advance your guests can book their reservations. As noted on the Airbnb website, you can establish any specific rules you have regarding your own rental — even whether you would like to charge a separate cleaning fee for each booking.

House Digest spoke with Superhost Larissa of The Haystack Haus – A Cabin on the Oregon Coast who advised, "Make your property a brand! This is the biggest thing to make it really stand out. Get creative with your branding and your amenities." Larissa also noted, "Create an experience for your guest. Think about the first impression when they walk in the door and build from there."

It probably goes without saying, but Airbnb guests will expect all essential amenities to be supplied without question, such as toilet paper, body soap, linens, towels, and pillows. Think about it — when you stay at a hotel, you don't expect to worry about the basics, so neither should your guests. All extra amenities must be reflective of what's in the listing (in-ground pool, hot tub, second bathroom, pool table, cappuccino maker, etc.), and pictures should be accurate and representative of the property.

Another matter of top importance is the cleanliness of your Airbnb, which includes every corner of the property. There should be no dust, hair, trash, or food, and fresh linens are, of course, imperative. Last but not least, we cannot stress enough that the check-in process must be seamless, and guests should have easy communication with the host. This includes a clear understanding of accessing the key, directions to the house, any special security code or Wi-Fi information, and detailed contact information in case they need to get a hold of you during their stay.

Look at every step of the process this way: When you spend money on vacation to stay at a nice hotel, you expect staff members to be helpful and all of the steps along the way to be easy. You want your accommodations to be clean and relaxing. If they aren't, you won't want to stay there again ... and you will probably write a horrible review.

Airbnb wants their hosts to totally crush it at booking guests, and has created an entire Resource Center to ensure you have all the tools and information that you need to succeed. It's chock-full of helpful tips, suggestions, webinars, and first-hand experiences from other hosts — both good and bad — and answers to any questions that a host may have. This stocked library includes everything from videos you can watch to helpful guides and articles you can read that address any situation you may have to deal with. You can learn everything from how to create a stellar listing to the amenities guests want, to how to create a guest-friendly space and so much more. Much of the material is provided by hosts that have already successfully rocked the Airbnb process. 

In addition, there are online groups to participate in, such as Airbnb's Community Center and Facebook groups, where hosts can share past and current situations they've addressed while lending helpful advice and support if a host wants to explore a particular topic. Although you would be working independently when hosting your Airbnb, you're never really alone. Having other hosts within your reach for a wealth of support and so many inspiring stories on which to draw makes the entire hosting process feel as though you have your own team to work with. On Airbnb's website, one host, Shelley Galbraith, shared, "We share ideas, help each other resolve challenges, and cheer our successes."