Last updated on July 16th, 2022
Welcome back to another episode of Into The Airbnb, where we talk with Airbnb hosts about their short-term rental experience.
Today’s guest is Makeba Matthews from Metro Atlanta, Georgia, who will tell us about her journey and experience as an Airbnb host and also how is it like to rent her own house on Airbnb during the weekends.
This episode is sponsored by Airbtics, the only one analytics dashboard for short-term rental investors and managers, where you can find precise Airbnb data such as occupancy rate, revenue, average daily rate and so on. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!
Into The Airbnb S2 EP 21: Make Profit During Weekends Renting your Primary Residence on Airbnb – Metro Atlanta, GA
You can also listen to this Into The Airbnb Podcast Episode on Otter.
Delia:
So can you tell us how did you get started on Airbnb?
Makeba Matthews:
Actually I purchased the property for myself and then I decided to make passive income, to find creative ways to make create passive income. So what I used was actually my property that I live in. I rent it out and I close off certain rooms where the guests don’t have access, like my master bedroom, things of that nature. So I kind of live like a gypsy.
Delia:
Oh and how was your experience renting your own place?
Makeba Matthews:
It’s work because I have quite a bit of turnover. This month alone I’ve rented every weekend. I’m actually prepping as I’m talking to you, I’m making up some bids now. I had one this past weekend and I have one this coming weekend. So right now I have my occupancy has, for the last five weeks, I’ve been occupied. And it works because it helps pay the mortgage, to create a low income stream and allows me to start the process of looking for real estate. I do want to actually get another property. But right now, everything’s so expensive right now. What was like 60,000 is a 100,000. So I want to wait a little bit, until things kind of settle back down. The rates go back down because when you are buying, so this is my primary and if I was turning around and buy another property, it would be considered indefinite and your interest rates are a lot higher on investment property.
Delia:
I see. Is that rate high only for like your state? Or is it in general?
Makeba Matthews:
This is general.
Delia:
Okay, I see. So now that you’re hosting in your primary residence, how is your audience like? Your target audience, the kind of guests you get most?
Makeba Matthews:
Typically families, small families, I do have quite a bit of inquiries for events and parties, I don’t host events and parties. If there was an exception, I’m staying on property to ensure that everything is running smoothly. There’s too many incidents where issues have happened. Teens have died or things have gotten out of control. So I do try to manage that flow and like when someone accepts a listing or inquires, that’s like one of my first things that I mentioned, please read the rules, “we do not allow parties or events”. In fact, people will call and say can we do a kid’s party? If it was my children, sure, you could do a kid’s party because I know my people are, you know, the attendee because I don’t know, these attendees. No, we can’t, I don’t have parking and you have to be mindful that when you’re looking for property, to be mindful of parking, my spot doesn’t have a lot of parking. Then you also have to be mindful of your guests and what kind of traffic is flowing in and out of your property.
Delia:
I see. So you get many requests for that kind of things? For example, parties, like you said.
Makeba Matthews:
Yeah, because it’s cheaper, it’s less expensive than going to an event hall.
Delia:
Right, that’s right. I understand.
Makeba Matthews:
They’re very expensive right now, they’re going for well, $1,500, where you can get a whole face for a couple of $100 a night, you know, and you get to stay there.
Delia:
Right! Do you mind tell us how is your average pricing?
Makeba Matthews:
Average pricing is about $150 a night. But then I have a graduated rate where if you book, there’s a cancellation policy, so if you accept the cancellation policy, where it’s 100%, you know, where it’s not, you can’t cancel or get any money back, something like that. It’s some kind of way they have a fee configured and it’s 15%, no 10% off per night, but then it becomes $135. So a lot of guests will take the $135 and forego the cancellation. So there is, you know, like something happens, it’s non refundable. If you do the one where you actually booked for the $150 and don’t take advantage of the discount, then there’s some refund available in there, something like that. But, you know, no, it’s not refundable, but you get the cleaning fee back. But my cleaning fee is $75 for short-term stay. So it works out right.
Delia:
Right. I understand. And is it your price, like the one of the lowest rates for your are?
Makeba Matthews:
No, I wouldn’t say low. I would say moderate, right in the middle.
Delia:
So do you go away while your host are in your residence? Do they get access to the whole house?
Makeba Matthews:
The whole house, they get access to the whole house with the exception of a few rules.
Delia:
And for example, getting them to have access for your kitchen, do they they have that?
Makeba Matthews:
Oh yeah they have full access and our kitchen is fully stocked and they liked it. My kitchen is fully stocked, our refrigerator has condiments on the door and the fruit basket on the table. I leave individual snacks and a cookie jar in the middle, we wrapped snacks in a cookie jar. I leave eggs and like sausage and apple juice or some yoghurt for them in the refrigerator and then I leave condiments in the refrigerator. But outside of that it’s not. It’s empty.
Delia:
Oh, and how is your experience with leaving food there for people to use? I know they like it, but some hosts might not really like the idea because they think maybe their guests can do something bad with them or leave the kitchen really dirty and stuff like that.
Makeba Matthews:
No, I haven’t had that experience. People have left my home very nice. You know, I haven’t had an experience where anybody spoil anything up or mess with anything like apple juice is in my refrigerator and no one even had the apple juice the last visit.
Delia:
Oh, you have good experience then. Do you tell them like before they check in everything in the kitchen is for them to use?
Makeba Matthews:
Yeah, like this past weekend was Easter, so I actually had created some eatable Easter baskets and then I also got some eggs and put them in the refrigerator. I had like, some toys in the Easter basket full because I know she had two kids. No, you know, no experience that way. You know, give them some little different experiences.
Delia:
Yeah, that’s cut and usually guests like that a lot.
Makeba Matthews:
There’s a prot, you know, for me or like if it’s a birthday, I may leave like a bottle of wine or sparkling grape juice. Like, what was it? Was it the holidays… New Year! New Year’s, I left the kids and she has some kids coming with her from New Orleans. So I let the kids sparkling grape juice. I left them a bottle of wine and let the kids sparkling grape juice.
Delia:
That’s great. Those are really great details and guests really like that. And I was about to ask you, how many days do you allow guests to stay?Like how many maximum days?
Makeba Matthews:
I’ve had a guest staying as long as three months.
Delia:
Three months. Okay, I see!
Makeba Matthews:
They can stay longer you know, but that’s the longest I’ve had, but I mean, they can stay longer, you know, putting on their contract that particular guest work for was a corporate. But it worked for company and did corporate housing.
Delia:
And how was your experience with someone staying that long in your residence?
Makeba Matthews:
It was good. She did great. She made it her home, people want to see what a couple of people can’t. She do the smoker, but the setup that is smoked and what it can’t and she’ll ask like a little umbrella up for herself and to set like a little table outside. And so she bought these items so that she could be comfortable in her space while she was here.
Delia:
Okay, that’s great. And if you don’t mind sharing while you’re renting your residence, where do you usually go and stay?
Makeba Matthews:
Oh, family and friends.
Delia:
Family and friends, okay that’s great. So, now I’d like to ask you some questions about the area you’re hosting. You’re in Atlanta, right?
Makeba Matthews:
Yes, Atlanta, Metro Atlanta.
Delia:
Okay. So in that area, how is the seasonality like?
Makeba Matthews:
Okay, summer, spring those are the highest seasons.
Delia:
And how is your average occupancy rate like in the high seasons versus the low seasons?
Makeba Matthews:
Right now, like I said, I’ve been booked every weekend and I’m already booking for May. Weekends are more booked more than weekdays. So I have a weekend bookings that I have weekday booking.
Delia:
So how is your average occupancy rate like in this seasons?
Makeba Matthews:
You mean like in terms of how many days?
Delia:
Yes, for example, you open your calendar for the whole month of April and you should get all the days booked or just 15 days out of it?
Makeba Matthews:
All weekend. So I’m gonna say all the weekend. So I would say 100% for weekends, I don’t do anything really during the week.
Delia:
I see I see. And for that like for your high weekends, how is your pricing strategy?
Makeba Matthews:
It’s pretty consistent with the week. I don’t really change the pricing. So some people might do like a low number doing the the week and the high number on the weekend. I don’t really do that, my discount is if you stay less than three days, you get a you only pay $75 for cleaning fee, if you stay more then you pay $100 for cleaning fee. But my rate is the same the weekend and the weekday.
Delia:
Is it the same?
Makeba Matthews:
Yes.
Delia:
Oh, I see. Do you usually check on your competition for pricing? Do you use some dynamic pricing solution? Or do it yourself?
Makeba Matthews:
Yeah, I do. I check my competition and see what they’re doing. A lot of people are offering whole houses
Delia:
Oh, and I forgot to ask you, how is like the market there right now? I’ve seen that it’s a very competitive market. It has a lot of tourists.
Makeba Matthews:
Yes, it’s very competitive. But I look at location, when I’m looking at my competition, I look at location, I look at price, I look at what they have to offer, stuff like that. Even though I’m in the Metro area of Atlanta, I’m only 19 minutes from the city, 30 minutes from the airport. So I’m not that far out a couple of power hospitals for doctors, nurses, right down the street. So yeah a new construction for everything isn’t new. Nothing is a war.
Delia:
And what would you say is the main reason people visit that area?
Makeba Matthews:
You know, I was looking at a study recently and they said most people, it was about convenience over prices. So I think for me, it might be right in the middle because when you look at a hotel today, a hotel around you about $150 to $200 a night, plus taxes, then you get state tax. So the tag quarterback, so that’s another 18/20% on top of your base rate and all you getting is a room. What I find that when people travel, they want to strike out. Like if they may have some family, a lot of people that I’m hosting have family in the area. Like I hosted a young lady, a family, they were here for a baby shower, her family was 10 minutes away. Another family, their family was around the corner, you know, so or in the neighbouring city. So I think location has a big play, a big role in it, in terms of booking with it. And you see what are you getting with this as well. Like if you have a baby infant, a two year old or nine year old, you got a whole bunch of people. I had one family that had eight people in a party, eight people to get a hotel room would be two or three rooms and they’re paying $200 per room. You know, I know my family I took my husband, I took the boys, my two sons and their best friends to New York. We stayed at the market. The teenagers, they were one was a freshman in college and two were still in the high school. I had to give them their own, in Manhattan, the hotel was small. So the rooms are small. So all five of us can’t stay in a room, so I had to give them all another room. So this setup right here allows everybody to stay together and travel together, you know.
Delia:
Right and would you say that’s the main reason people are choosing for example, your listing or Airbnb in general over hotels?
Makeba Matthews:
Airbnb in general, yes. I mean, Airbnb is just another name for renting. But people were renting houses before Airbnb. Airbnb is just a more structured platform that pulls people together, nationally, globally, but I remember where my kids were younger, my family and other family went to Orlando and we rented a house in Orlando and it was like 10 of us. You know, that was great because we got to cook. We got to cook meal, save money by cooking and lodging. I do find that on terms of cooking. I don’t find a lot of people cooking even though it’s open to them to cook. They’re mostly like, I had one lady one, one guest, she reviewed us and said “oh she even had a piece stone” a pizza stone where you can put the pizza on or put an oven and at the bottom heat up real good. You know, but most people aren’t cooking. I leave out coffee, tea, I have a dual Couric. Well, one side of this is a tea pot, the low pot and the other side is the granules for the coffee and most people are not even using it. I mean people go into Starbucks, there’s a Dunkin Donuts right up the street for me, there’s a Starbucks up the street. Plenty of restaurants around here. So like even in my listing, as you go to my listing, you’ll see the guide books and I tried to give you places to eat, places to hang out, sightseeing, but give you some different experiences. So if you’re new to the city, you know where to go and some you know places that have been tried through our recommendation.
Delia:
Oh and would you say people choose not to cook because they just don’t want to, they want to live like a more experience or like are they afraid of using your kitchen?
Makeba Matthews:
No, they’re on vacation. So they’re on vacation and they don’t want to cook. I get it, I get it. I mean when I go on vacation, I’ll cook breakfast but that’s the only thing I’m cooking, everything else we’re gonna find lunch. Sometimes the guys cook dinner, you know, but like, before I used to do, I used to plan road trips with family and friends and get the guys to come in on that Friday night and they’ll do a fish fry and then in the morning the girls will cook breakfast and then we’ll have a meal out in the street, you know, a local restaurant, experience the local. But yeah, people they’re not and then you just have to but I just don’t cook. They don’t cook at home, so why are they going to cook at somebody else’s house?
Delia:
Right! I understand completely. And can I ask you about cleaning? Do you hire people for cleaning in your house? Do you do it yourself?
Makeba Matthews:
Because it’s just one unit, I do it myself. Yeah, I follow all the COVID restrictions, rules and restrictions on cleaning. I know how to clean. So it’s just one listing, it’s not hard to manage. If it was multiple listings, then I would hire a cleaning service, but it’s just one listing.
Delia:
Okay, I see. So, even in case you’re kind of busy, you don’t get to hire anyone for that?
Makeba Matthews:
No, I’m not that busy.
Delia:
Okay! So, can you tell me in the past years being on Airbnb host, what have been your top challenges?
Makeba Matthews:
Top challenges? I would say, getting started, like knowing what to do. Like when I first started, I wasn’t sure how to handle them using my dishes, right? So I went and bought a crate and I put all my guests dishes and plates and cups, I bought a whole set and just put it in the crate and say for your use. I have like a little note on the counter and a picture frame that welcomes them to the property and shares with them that the basket is for them, the crates for them to use anyhing out of it. That way we don’t cross contaminate, we keep our things separate. When I first started, I was doing the key, but then a key entry. But then I wasn’t liking that, so I switched over to keyless entry. When I first started to add inside cameras, then I learned that that wasn’t such a good idea because people don’t want to know that they’re inside cameras. So I unplugged all my cameras, but I do say in my listing that there are cameras, but they’re unplugged. But if for additional safety and security, they feel free to plug them up. Most people don’t do that. I haven’t had anybody to do that. Let’s see. So yeah, that I will say just getting started, knowing the do’s and the don’ts and what you can and cannot do. I would say that was probably probably be my biggest challenge. When you learn it, you go and you listen to what other people are saying.
Delia:
Yes, so did you learn that way by listening or reading about other people’s experience?
Makeba Matthews:
Yes, yes.
Delia:
Yes, that’s the best way to learn about it. Okay, so that’ll be it for today. Thank you for your time!
Makeba Matthews:
Okay, thank you!
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