Airbnb Upgrades on a Budget

We’re back to continue the discussion from last week about upgrading your rental on the cheap. We touched more of the “philosophical” ideas, such as “less could be more” and proper furniture placement. These could definitely give your rental additional aesthetic points for free! But now, it’s time to bring our wallets into the picture.

Yes, you don’t have to buy anything to make things better, but let’s be honest, it’s tough to level up the look of a home without a trip to the store (physical or digital)! Also, some mistakes can’t be fixed without having to spend a little extra. Think ill-sized furniture that messes up the “balance” of the unit – there’s hardly a solution for that other than buying a new one altogether! What if the current paint job irritates you so much? There’s no way you can fix that for free!

We want to avoid the ever-present debate of what “cheap” or “budget” really means, so we did our best to make things relatable. In essence, we’re trying to encourage practicality aimed at your purpose. Remember those sample questions we had from last week?

“Do I need this?”

“Is this essential for my guests?”

“Does this achieve my purpose for this rental?”

These guiding questions should still apply to however you want to proceed with your rental. With all of that in mind, let’s begin!

Buying Used (Furniture, Appliances, and Many Others)

Maybe what you’re looking for is already at a lower price than retail on sites like Craigslist, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace. There’s a whole gold mine of goods that can be bought cheaper than retail price. Places like Goodwill also sell secondhand furniture but do take note that they’ve already priced with profit in mind. They’ll still be cheaper than new, though. Just mind the price to condition ratio.

For those of you who don’t think buying used is a good idea (at least in this instance), aren’t you in the short-term rental business? Isn’t having people rent the same unit over and over again equal to you buying a used fridge from someone else? Sure, sometimes, there’d be defects like dents and discolorations, but won’t your guests expect everything in the rental to be in a “used” condition anyways? If you’re worried about the condition of the item you want to get, just ask for pictures and pick the item up yourself!

If that’s your issue, you can learn how to bring a little life back into furniture yourself! If the couch you got has the wrong color, maybe there’s a way to DIY that color into the right one. Having basic upholstery in your skillset can also save you tons of cash. You won’t believe how many people knock prices down for furniture that can be fixed with relative ease! (Off-topic, but that’s a good business opportunity, by the way. Buy them at a low cost. Fix them for cheap. Sell at a high value!)

Of course, buying used wouldn’t always work. The “waiting” aspect of buying used isn’t always applicable to your situation. Sometimes you’d want things now, but no one’s selling at a good price or no one’s selling it at all! Weigh the options and make your best move.

Painting

As mentioned earlier, there’s no other way to fix a bad paint job other than to get a new one. It’s a given that a fresh layer of paint on the walls would make your listing look much more attractive. A splash of color (or lack thereof) can turn your listing images into instant Pinterest eye candy!

There is an infinite combination of designs you could do. There was a period when all-black was the trend, and while the market for it still exists, a simple design may be more palatable to most. You could also consider applying unique color themes mixed with various textures and patterns.

Are you on a budget? Try painting only the doors and cabinetry! Less stuff to paint means less money to spend, right? We won’t take the credit for this idea, though. You can read more about that here.

And yes, if you haven’t realized, painting is a cheaper alternative to using wallpapers!

Cleanliness and Visual Clutter

This is obvious, but hey, someone might have forgotten – you HAVE to clean your rental! People notice small details, even in listing images.

(1) Dust things off. If you didn’t even take the time to wipe off layers of dust on your furniture when taking pictures for the listing, wouldn’t that reflect on how your cleaning game is?

(2) Clean your windows, inside and out. Window sills included!

(3) Wipe dirt off the walls and tiles.

(4) Keep cords hidden – and if you can’t, ensure they’re not in a jumbled mess! Use cable ties, cable racks, or other cable management supplies to keep things neat.

(5) Do you find exposed pipes disgusting? Follow this video to get an idea of how to use scraps of wood to cover them up. You could also use furniture to keep them out of sight or turn them into décor by wrapping them up with string lights (AKA out-of-season Christmas lights) or vines (real or fake, as long as they look good).

Hopefully, these tips have given you an idea for your next step in upgrading your Airbnb or short-term rental. Remember, it always comes down to what your intentions are. Don’t spend on something you or your guests won’t really need, but don’t hesitate to spend on something you truly need!

Are you thinking of doubling down on your short-term rental cash flow? You can try things out with Shorefront Investments! We’re Florida-based real estate investors looking to buy and sell properties fast. You could be one of our buyers by joining our buyers’ list! Are you thinking of doing things the other way around? Trying to sell your property instead? You can also give us a call at (850) 713-4866, send us an email, or fill a form on our front page!