Tag Archives: short term rentals

Would you AirBnB your home to sell it?

25 Thursday Jan 2018

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for-rent1If you stop to think about it, selling a home is a bit of a strange endeavor. You’re asking prospective buyers to make a huge investment in your home without the experience of actually living there. Yet this is standard procedure. Buyers make offers after showings without having spent a single night in the home where they’re planning on living!

Now there’s an emerging marketing trend designed to take some of the ambivalence out of buying a home. Some sellers are taking the steps to let prospective buyers “live” in their house for a few days to see if the home is right for them.

AirBnB is one platform making this strategy possible. Most effective for sellers who have staged their house and are not currently living in the listing, the approach is direct: Sellers list the home on AirBnB and when they have an interested buyer, they arrange a temporary “rental” of the property. This way, the buyers get to spend real time in the home. They are allowed privacy, the chance to see what it’s like to sleep in the house at night, and use the facilities just as they would if they owned the home.

While the approach goes a long way to calming buyer fears, the idea is not without its critics. For one, not all brokers may be comfortable with this approach. Obviously having prospective buyers temporarily rent the home can create difficulties showing the home to other buyers when the property is rented.

Also, there are infrequent horror stories associated with this type of short-term rental. Home damage and even squatters who refuse to leave have happened to people listing their property on AirBnB. Finally, there are potential legal complications related to short-term rentals in certain communities.

You can see the appeal, though. There’s a real potential for buyers to build an emotional attachment to your home if they spend a little vacation time there together while evaluating the property.

What do you think? Would you AirBnB your home if it gave you an selling advantage?

AirBnB’ing your home is hardly the only strategy for a quick, competitive sale. We have a full range of marketing and sales techniques to help you sell! If you’re thinking about selling soon, get in touch to see what we can do for you: Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com

Finding Short Term Rentals

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

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When you’re relocating to a new city, home hunting remotely is no fun. Have you considered a short-term rental? Here are four ways you can secure a short-term rental that will give you the time you need to find your new home.

If you’re relocating to a new city, hunting for a home remotely can be a bit of a hassle. Despite the convenience of MLS alerts and virtual tours, nothing compares to visiting listings in person. Besides, with markets heating up and inventory dropping, homes you view online can be off the market before you book a plane ticket to visit. (Not to mention how the cost of those visits add up in a hurry.) There’s really no substitute for living locally while you search for your new dream home.

Since it’s unlikely you want to sign even a six-month lease on an apartment while you’re looking, what’s the best approach? Here are some options for finding a perfect short term rental while you’re house hunting:

1. Check out vacation rental sites. Websites like Airbnb (https://www.airbnb.com/), Vacation Rentals By Owner (http://www.vrbo.com), and Owner Direct Vacation Rentals (http://www.ownerdirect.com/) provide fractional access to furnished properties. While most people think of these properties for short vacation-length stays, many properties offer a monthly rate as well. One benefit to the selection of properties on vacation rental sites is the increased ability to locate properties in or near your preferred neighborhoods.

2. Consult with HR departments. If you’re relocating for work, often a company’s HR department can assist with temporary housing or at least provide access to a corporate rate on an extended stay hotel. There’s also the possibility that HR can circulate an intracompany memo or request for temporary housing referrals.

3. Get social (media). Even if you don’t have friends in your new city yet, you may have friends-of-friends living there you don’t know about. Put the word out on social media that you’re looking for a temporary home. Post several times on Facebook during different times of the day to maximize exposure (and ask for people to share your post!).

4. Tap your agent’s network. You are working with an agent to help you find a home, right? Well ask for help finding a short term rental while you search! Though not every agent will be able to provide referrals for rentals, often local MLS systems have private message boards where agents can pass along your request.

Buying a home is a big decision and making it under the pressure of a short visit isn’t a great idea. Use these tips to find a short-term rental while you look for a permanent landing place in your new city.

We’d love to help you find a home in the greater Jacksonville area. Get in touch today: Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS 904-422-7626 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com