Cutting the Cord for Airbnb?

Cutting the cord is a sensitive topic for people who “need” it, and fortunately or unfortunately, a lot of people see lazily watching TV for the week as one of the best parts of their vacation.  It makes cutting the cord much harder when your goal is hacking your house for maximum profits.

Cleaning After Airbnb Guests

Someone has to do it.

AirBNB Photography Tips

You only have one chance to make a good impression before someone will move on to the next listing. The photos of your space make up a huge part of it.  Listings with great photos have significantly higher traffic, which leads to higher bookings.

My Worst AirBnB Hosting Experiences – And the Lessons Learned

I’ve had some great experiences meeting guests, from wine nights to Elf on the Shelf.  Overall, I find guests are respectful of my space.  Many leave my house as clean as they found it.  I regularly get asked about any negative AirBnB experiences, so I’ve decided to keep a running list.  None of the following are bad enough that I’d hesitate to continue hosting.

The Pool I Didn’t Want / Pool Maintenance 101

I had a very specific list of wants when I was buying my second house, including no pool.  Then I picked a fancy area where over 95% of the houses have pools and found a foreclosure for 77% of market value.  “I guess I’m about to learn how to maintain a pool!”

I Finally Paid Off My 401k Loan!

Before closing on my second house, I would balk at even the idea of a 401k loan.  That money is earmarked for retirement and is supposed to be growing tax free.  The loan is almost always a slippery slope that leads to less savings, especially since it’s mentally easier to take a second loan after the first.  The momentum from compounding/investing is lost when the money is taken out of the account.  There were small fees for my administrator.  I didn’t mind paying myself interest, but still.  Additionally, if I wanted to quit or was laid off from my job, I would have to repay the loan in full.  With great trepidation, I decided to take out the loan anyway so that I could purchase my house.

Your Debt is Dragging You Down

Debt may not seem like a big deal, but having debt deeply affects your lifestyle.  Even small amounts of debt cause people to lose sleep, weigh on the mind, and can impact your relationships. Large debts can lead to large monthly payments which can lead to even more debt.  Job loss can wipe out a debt-laden family.  Even if you only have a small amount of debt, it needs to be addressed now before it becomes a big problem.  

Frugal Road Trips

I have a lot going on this year, so it’s a bit harder to commit full weekends flying to the exotic trips I’ve been enjoying.  However, it’s a great opportunity to up my frugal road trip game!

So About That MBA...

I’m the kind of person who loves to learn.  I’ve always enjoyed the classroom setting and had a knack for school.  My company offers tuition reimbursement of up to $5,250 – the IRS limit – for every calendar year for any pursuit of higher education.  I decided that it would be worth pursuing a free MBA (although at a slow pace) since it would ultimately be a free degree, and hey, why not?  The annual reimbursement amounted to two and a half classes a year, so some of it was out of pocket, but I had planned to be in corporate America for the next 20 or 30 years anyway and most of my mentors had graduate degrees.

How to be a Good AirBnB Guest

I promise it isn't hard.