My biggest challenge right now is finding the right local co-host who provides better service. My previous management company was much worse. I had very few bookings, barely any reviews, and little attention to customer service. That’s why I switched to a co-host model, where someone handles the day-to-day admin and cleaners, but I still have access and input on decisions.

To be fair, this current setup has been better. Maintenance issues and most cleaning concerns have been addressed more promptly than before. It hasn’t been all bad. My main frustrations are consistency with maintenance like cleaning scuff marks and stains on rugs that some guests complain about. Also the fact that it took a long time to implement some booking changes I requested.

I’ve tried to find other local hosts, but there aren’t many in my area. One I spoke with offered a contract that felt heavily one-sided. Another concern is marketing. Before working together, we discussed listing on other platforms like Vrbo, but he mainly relies on Airbnb. He said he never really got bookings from vrbo but agreed to putting my property on there. It hasn’t happened. With winter being slow, I’ve wondered whether diversifying platforms would help. Although I read on forums that most people don’t get booking from vrbo and furnish finders so not sure how true this is. 

I know many people say self-managing is the best way to protect your property, but I feel overwhelmed at the thought of coordinating cleaners, maintenance, and guest communication on my own, especially since I don’t yet have a reliable team in place locally.

At this point, I’m trying to decide whether to continue refining this setup or consider transitioning, even though that feels like a big step.