COVID-19 has turned the world upside down in a matter of weeks.  Everyone is sheltering in place and staying indoors.  Restaurants are take-out only, businesses are filing for bankruptcy and people are losing their jobs. These are some crazy times, aren’t they?

The effect of COVID-19 on the short-term rental industry has been devastating to say the least. I don’t know about you, but all of my bookings for the next several months have been cancelled. And because of the uncertainty of the Coronavirus, I have no idea when things will go “back to normal” and start getting bookings again.

We Will Get Back to Normal Again

But I do know one thing, this will blow over and we will get back to normal. We will stop social distancing and quarantining. The malls, parks and restaurants will open back up. And most importantly for us, travel and booking short-term rentals will resume. It is coming back. Maybe by the summer or maybe in the Fall, things will start open back up again. I really don’t know. But things will get back to the way things used to be.

But until that happens, I am going to make the most of this downtime. I am not worrying about the future, I am planning for it. I know that once everything opens back up again, people are going to be chomping at the bit to get out the house, go to the movies, go out to eat and attend sporting events. People will travel, go on vacation and just enjoy life. And me and my short-term rental properties will be ready for them.

4 ways to get your short-term rental ready.

  1. Deep Cleaning – This is the time of year for spring cleaning anyway. So why not take the time to move things around and clean your airbnb like you really need to. Do all that deep cleaning that you were putting off because you had bookings or didn’t have the time to do it. I am getting my carpets cleaned because my homes are empty for now.
  2. Repairs – There is always something that needs to be repaired in a short-term rental. I don’t care if you are just renting out a spare bedroom. You can always find something to fix.
  3. Update or Renovate – If your short-term rental is an older property, you never want it to look “dated”. Keeping your airbnb looking fresh and current adds to its value. So this is a great time to paint, do some renovations or anything you need to do to freshen up the property.
  4. Start a Blog for Your Short-Term Rental – Now this might seem a little far fetched but it is a profitable strategy. So many people rely on sites like AirBnb and VRBO to get bookings. But you can set up your own blog and get direct bookings without having to give AirBnb or VRBO a cut. During the pandemic, you can take the time to set it up and ready for direct bookings. If you have no idea how to set a blog set up, no worries!  I can help you do it quickly and cheaply. For a limited time, you can get web hosting service from Blue Host for as low as $3.95 a month, which is ridiculously cheap.  And as an added bonus, you’ll get a free domain name ($15 value) through my Blue Host link if you purchase at least one year of web hosting service.

And if you are reading this and are thinking about setting up your first short-term rental property, now would be a GREAT time to do so.  Check out my blog post on how you can get set up and running in only 90 days.

Prepare, Don’t Panic!

I hope that I have given you some encouragement to get going during this unprecedented time. Let’s plot and plan on building our future instead of giving in to panic. Don’t throw in the towel. Take this downtime to build up.

When everything opens back up again, I am going to be ready. Are you?

Stay safe and take care!

Marcella