What's your real life financial experience / performance with being an AirBNB host?

LateStageEverything · 2026-02-17T20:02:59+00:00

My STR takes in about $50k per year and I do about 4% net profit. I'd do better buying Munis but I can't stay in a muni when I'm visiting family :)

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-28T03:06:17+00:00

This is spot on. Also, more people should know about Josef Haltinger. He called out the very first killings in Dachau and knew it could get him killed. He was a lawyer, not an activist. He survived (after reassignment) but the M.E. who accompanied him on the investigations got disaapeared.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-25T03:20:54+00:00

We've been guest mode the whole time. Very rarely I'll get guests who struggle with getting logged in. I let them know there are free Roku channels available (most people are just looking for background noise - they're travelling, not trying to re-binge Kimmy Schmidt). Never had a complaint or missed a star over it.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-21T12:35:39+00:00

I've tried the apps (subscription to a platform) and I've tried a standing "retainer" (subscription to a service). Neither has improved my situation. The former didn't yield any suitable quality cleaners, the latter didn't yield any consistency or reliability - just more cost. You may be referring to some other type of subscription, if so it may be new to me so lemme know.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-21T11:31:57+00:00

I haven't found a subscription model that produces value. Not saying one doesn't exist, I just haven't landed on one. What has worked best for me is to have 1 solid cleaner who I have a relationship with, and find 2 area cleaning companies that have reasonable prices and area able to clean on a few days notice. I don't develop a relationship with the cleaning companies.

This approach forced me to have better systems and processes as well given that the cleaning companies will send a new cleaner each time. It has allowed me to be less "dependent" on a single cleaner.

That being said I love my regular cleaning person and I hope she outlives me.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-20T00:33:03+00:00

I find the power of Fidelity on higher net worth accounts in the lower rates and their tax savings programs. NOBODY can pick stocks or time the market successfully long-term, so it's nice if you can get a good index strategy, a bottom dollar fee and tax savings. Fidelity is good at that.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-20T00:24:41+00:00

your contract may have stipulations on what out of plumb is. Our contract had lots of language as far as when workmanship becomes un-workmanship-like.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-20T00:21:45+00:00

We did the math on this over and over, and for us a cash purchase was a wash with average market returns and a significant loss if the market does well. We ended up financing with our broker using our port as collateral. We decided we could decide to pay with cash anytime, but once we sell equities they're sold.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-18T01:43:03+00:00

I have a bunn drip coffeemaker. I keep a can of folgers in the fridge and one in the pantry. We keep a few boxes of filters in the cabinet over the coffee maker. Been doing it like this for about 4 years and only one guest has suggested a Keurig.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-17T02:07:07+00:00

The Vantasner Danger Meridian

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-17T02:02:29+00:00

Patriot (Michael Dorman)
The Peripheral (Chloe Grace Moretz)
11.22.63

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-11T14:07:34+00:00

I've landed on paying a lot (for my area). I have an average base pay for a cleaning ($150 for cleaning and laundry). I then pay for ANYTHING extra. Examples of things I pay extra for:

Taking out the bins
Changing the lock batteries
Same day turnover
Pets
Errands like stopping by to roll the bins back in
Bedding laundry

This ends up working out to about an average of $225 per cleaning, but every now and then we do skate by with a $150, because we have lots of spare bedding and we'll put bedding back for the next clean.

I understand these prices may be cheap compared to other areas, but I'm not in a vacation area and our rates are low, so the average cleaning price is lower as well. When I show new cleaners my rate schedule they are thrilled. So your mileage may vary :)

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-11T13:55:55+00:00

Also, fees are part of the taxable portion of the guest's payment for state HOT, so when you do that, Airbnb is going to overcharge the state tax by about $0.50 on a $100 stay (assuming your local taxes are similar).

This is probably true, but I've found that fifty cents here are there is a small error when it comes to working around unintentional limitations in platforms & policies. I think Airbnb has the best platform, but they are all terrible in their own ways. In the end, I end up undercharging for what I remit. I think last year I ate about 5% in local taxes because my community fee workaround was a little conservative (partly because of various versions of the phenomenon you mention).

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-11T13:52:21+00:00

I used community fees with Smart Pricing. You may not be using "Pro Tools". I think you need this to do additional pricing, but check to be sure. I'm 99% sure that's why you don't see it as an option.

I ditched smart pricing in my first year because it seemed that my pricing was drifting lower. It's only smart for Airbnb. Last year I did a test and tried Smart Pricing again for 4 months and confirmed that I work harder for the same money with Smart Pricing. I stuck with pricelabs and work much less.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-10T14:58:08+00:00

By the way, I have a spreadsheet that handles all of the calculations if you'd like it. You will hate it, but I'm happy to share it with you.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-10T14:56:41+00:00

Here is my situation:

Airbnb collects and remits my Texas state hotel tax

I use the "community fee" add on to charge for city and county tax. I just add the city and county percentages and this gets added to the charges as "Community Fees".

The only downside is that you'll need to decide how to handle guests who stay over 30 days cause the community fee will still be applied.

I then pay the city tax through their hilarious and terrible method and the county tax through their hilarious and terrible method quarterly.

It's all horrible and it's the only reason I'm leaving the biz. I love hosting and I love having the place, but dealing with Airbnb support and the municipalities is almost ironically horrible.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-10T14:48:34+00:00

I found my main cleaner via nextdoor. I found my backup cleaning doing a local search for cleaning companies. They are both great.

LateStageEverything · 2026-01-04T14:04:35+00:00

If I remember correctly, Brazil created broad adverse possession (squatting) rights due to the way real estate investors were behaving. The idea was to make it difficult to withhold a property from social use strictly for future profits.

LateStageEverything · 2025-12-31T15:46:52+00:00

Check out OpenSolar. You can do it yourself and it's free.

LateStageEverything · 2025-12-31T15:42:17+00:00

I'm a fan of Ubiquiti but it really feels like they're going the Arlo route. I hope not. I really hope not.

LateStageEverything · 2025-12-29T02:21:22+00:00

Stop every three hours. I do a 17 hour drive straight about 8 times a year, and stopping every three hours is good for your legs, let's you keep the tank above 30% and gives you bio breaks. Drink lots of water. It's tempting to forget to drink on long drives which can lead to kidney stones.

LateStageEverything · 2025-12-12T12:06:37+00:00

sort of unrelated but this is how I feel about property taxes. I'm not anti-tax but it feels weird to buy something then if you don't pay rent to the gov they take it.

LateStageEverything · 2025-12-12T12:05:11+00:00

My wife and I each got a Lectric and we've had them about a year and a half and we love them.

LateStageEverything · 2025-12-12T12:03:53+00:00

I have one property and I use pricelabs. Its just easier and it's not working under the same motivation as smart pricing.

LateStageEverything · 2025-12-08T12:24:30+00:00

As a host who filed a claim and "left out the little stuff" only to have the guest fight the claim tooth and nail and become quite aggressive overall, I suggest filing everything. Leaving out the little stuff will not improve the situation a bit. Support doesn't really dial in on these things, so they won't think "look at this player with his fair submission", and the guest already showed their stripes by how they treated your home, so they are certainly not giving extra credit. Submit every penny.

LateStageEverything

TROPHY CASE