Should we Airbnb our house?
It’s something we’ve talked about. Considered. Set aside. It’s one of those conversations we’d pick up after six months, a year. Then we’d decide it was too risky, too many unknowns. Would our house ever feel like home again after other people lived in it? How could we make it work?
Besides, we had obligations.
Decisions. Decisions.
This past spring we started going on lots of walks in our neighborhood. We noticed nice houses like ours and houses larger and more luxurious than ours. New homes in a subdivision built at the edge of town — a great neighborhood to raise a family in.
Chris bought the house before we were married. Yet, in almost every way, it was the first house we chose together. A choice we made two-and-a-half years ago for a different kind of life. One that involved four children visiting every other weekend and every Wednesday night. They’re no longer children.
As we’d walk, we’d talk about what we thought our next home would be like. Before the pandemic, we were planning to sell our house and move to an apartment in Minneapolis. After the pandemic hit, we took our house off the market.
We walked and Airbnb talked more.
Reasons to Airbnb:
- Our obligations have changed.
- Our house and neighborhood don’t seem to match who we are and what we want out of life.
- We won’t be able to spend time with family and friends indoors as the weather turns cold in Minnesota.
Reasons to not Airbnb:
- People might mess up our house. Yet, there’s a rating system on Airbnb. Hosts can rate guests. Guests can rate hosts.
- Uncertainty. Nothing is certain. Never has been. Gosh is 2020 determined to show us how uncertain the world always is.
Putting our house on Airbnb isn’t a permanent decision. We can explore options and return to our house if it’s best. Perhaps once we’ve stayed in enough different places, we’ll know where and what home is for us.
Have you ever stayed at an Airbnb before? To save $65 and give it a try, click here.
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Details! There were so many details. More details if you happen to be Type A like I (the Melissa half of The ChriMel Show) am. If you have my perfectionistic tendencies and a husband with random particular-itis, there are even more details. Despite all that, I had a lot of fun getting our house ready to host others. I love playing hostess, so it worked for me.
The Welcome Basket
A welcome basket is on our kitchen counter featuring a few items in that a road-weary traveler might enjoy:
- Mountain Cabin ground coffee in a Breakfast Blend and Colombian Roast. To the left of the basket is an assortment of teas, mugs, and a coffeemaker. I have to work on taking better pictures!
- Boom Chicka Pop in Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn (https://amzn.to/3j7051X) and Sea Salt (https://amzn.to/2QdQ8mP). Boom Chicka Pop is Minnesota-made, so it seemed appropriate.
- An assortment of Kakookies cookies (https://amzn.to/2FLYiRv)! They’re Minnesota-made, tasty, gluten-free, vegan, which makes them dairy-free, and they’re one of my favorite treats! I met Sue Kakuk, founder of Kakookies and two times Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist, at Feast a couple of years ago. She’s so kind, caring, and talented!
- A couple of bottles of Just Water (https://amzn.to/3gkeQN4). Just Water is premium still water bottled into an eco-friendly, BPA-free, plant-based, fully recyclable carton. In addition to all that goodness, we like that the company is a b-corp.
The Bathroom Basket
I set up a basket with a few extra travel-sized goodies we’ve picked up from other adventures. Sharing is caring, so I decided to share a few of my favorites in the Master Bathroom: JAFRA’s foot scrub and foot balm and JAFRA Royal Olive body wash and lotion. They both have great gender-neutral scents. Along with the body wash, all three bathrooms have JAFRA Moisture Replenish Shampoo and Conditioner.
Fun fact: I once convinced Chris to have a special spa day using JAFRA’s Mud Mask. You can watch that fun by clicking here.
The Workout Basket
Working out isn’t always easy to do in the great, sometimes frigid, state of Minnesota. I put together a workout basket with 3 lb. weights, a new GAIAM yoga mat, and Tough & Tender cleaning wipes. The basket is sitting on top of a Step Aerobics step.
Airbnb-ing so far
We’ve had bookings! Chris is managing those. We have family helping us keep an eye on the house and we couldn’t be more grateful for that. We’ve hired a cleaner to do an enhanced clean between guest stays. We’ve received our first guest review and it was quite positive.
Have you ever thought about Airbnb-ing your place? We’d love to know! Click here to send us a message.