Chi Ta’s BNB University Review—Is Optimization The Key For A Higher Airbnb Listing? + A Digital Alternative

What Are BNB University Pros and Cons?

What Do I Get In BNB University?

You get 3 levels of courses in BNB University. Each course is unique in the information it gives to students. So let me break down the module for each course:

• Level 1 is an Airbnb intro course that shows a projection of how profitable rental arbitrage is. It teaches you how to compound your income and create a real estate empire that will make you money for as long as your property stands. He offers this course for free.

• Level 2 is a management made easy course that shows you how to earn 6 figures or more in 6 months or less. This course is priced at $2,497, which is a lot, especially for beginners. Plus, it does not show you the arbitrage aspect of the business.

• Level 3 is the arbitrage course you can enroll in by inquiring through Chi Ta’s Instagram page. There are no price details revealed for this course, even on the BNB University site.

What Are BNB University’s 3 Important Foundations To Be Successful In Airbnb?

1. Property research. This is to make sure you’re only working with the most profitable properties.
2. Understanding how to properly list your property on Airbnb’s website. This is to gain the most conversions.
3. Understanding how to have Airbnb recognize your property listing as a priority. This is so they will show you on the first page.

To be successful on Airbnb, you need to make your listing a winner. How do you do that? Optimize. This is what Chi Ta will guide you through in BNB University.

Who Is Chi Ta?

Chi Ta is the creator of BNB University, back in 2020. He started his Airbnb rental arbitrage business after his company, Senior Advantage Association, went under in 2017. The Department of Housing and Urban Development passed a new law that changed the qualifications for reverse mortgages.

This change reduced the loan amount from 64% to only 58% of the property value. Further, the borrowers would have to pay higher upfront insurance premiums.

In the fear of not being able to pay rent, he listed his house on Airbnb, where he made $5000. That was more than enough to pay for his $3900 rent and maintenance fees.

When he realized Airbnb had great potential, using his own industry knowledge, he started his Airbnb arbitrage business. Within nine months, he was earning six figures a month from 30 properties listed on Airbnb and has made $2.4 million in a year—making him one of the most successful Airbnb hosts.

Why Is Chi Ta Teaching at BNB University?

Chi Ta is teaching at BNB University because he believes it will strengthen the short-term rental and vacation rental market. No additional competition is being created through the course because rental arbitrage is already a multibillion dollar market, in his words. As the market slowly becomes saturated , you need to up your game on your property and listing.

How Do I Rank Higher On Airbnb?

You need to optimize your listing to rank higher on Airbnb. Keep in mind the goals of Airbnb optimization, which are getting on top of the search results, increasing property relevance, getting future guests to check your property, motivating them to inquire, and scoring a booking.

A top listing on Airbnb is like a top search on Google. More exposure means more interactions. As Chi Ta would say, being on top means more bookings for your property. Here are 6 ways that can help you win over the competition and put your listing on top:

• Use high-quality photos. You can hire a professional photographer or do it on your own with a high-quality smartphone that will better show off the aesthetics and amenities of your property. This will catch your future guests’ attention and attract more bookings.
• Write a detailed description. Having an elaborate property description will help your guests understand the value that your property will give. You can show off a unique feature or amenity. And tell them about interesting places they can check out.
• Price competitively. BNB University will teach you about dynamic pricing. Price is a significant factor in a guest’s decision to book your property. It’s best to research the prices of surrounding Airbnb properties in your area so you can price your listing competitively.
• Respond quickly. I have used Airbnbs too, and it’s great to talk to hosts that respond quickly to inquiries. As an aspiring Superhost, it’s important that you get to guest inquiries quickly.
• Request positive reviews. Airbnb reviews are the lifeline of your listing. The more you get 5 stars and positive reviews, the more Airbnb will recommend your listing to guests. A potential guest will most likely avoid a bad review. They get a sense of security that your property will give them the most value out of other nearby Airbnbs.
• Use Airbnb’s features to your advantage. Airbnb offers features like instant booking, smart pricing, exclusive discounts, and promotions. These can help optimize your listing and attract more bookings.

If you put all these tips into practice, you might just get your Airbnb listing on top. But is that really enough for you to make a continuous stream of passive income? What about the risks?

What Are the Risks Of Rental Arbitrage?

• Legal risks. Rental arbitrage can be a complex legal matter. There are laws and regulations that prohibit Airbnb hosting, such as Santa Monica, California, where 80% of its Airbnb listings are shut down. Chi Ta’s company, Senior Advantage Association, went under in 2017 because of a new law that reduced his allowable loans to get a property. Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to legal issues, fines, and even eviction.
• Financial risks. Rental arbitrage requires a significant financial investment with no guarantee of returns. However, BNB University will teach you how to avoid this risk, rent, improve, and optimize your property with zero to low upfront costs. If the Airbnb property remains vacant for a longer period due to market fluctuations, you may face financial losses. There are also overhead expenses, such as maintenance, cleaning, and other significant services that reduce your profit margins.
• Market risks. Rental arbitrage is susceptible to supply and demand changes. Regardless of positive or negative change, it will affect the profitability of the business. If the market becomes saturated with similar properties, it becomes difficult for an Airbnb host to find guests willing to pay the asking price. On the other hand, demand may drop and leave you with empty units.

What Are Alternatives to BNB University?

• STR Accelerator. This teaches you how to start, scale, and automate Airbnb rentals without owning property. It needs landlord permission and carries the usual real-estate risks.
• Airbnb Arbitrage Roadmap. This shows how to build a six-figure Airbnb business across platforms like Vrbo and Booking. It cites about $2,500 per unit per month, but results depend on your market and occupancy.
• BNB Method. This teaches earning six figures on Airbnb without owning property, using outsourcing to cut your time to a few hours a week. Outsourcing raises costs and makes low occupancy riskier.

Is BNB University Worth It?

BNB University is worth it if you are set on starting a short-term or vacation rental business. It comes with a free course to give you an idea of what and how you’ll learn rental arbitrage. Chi Ta also speaks from his own experiences, so you’ll get a real-world viewpoint.

However, you just have to deal with BNB University’s higher price tag compared to other Airbnb courses available online. Plus, you can get similar value from free articles and YouTube videos circling the internet.

If you’re not willing to put in the hard work and are just looking for passive income, then BNB University (and rental arbitrage as a business) is not worth it. You’ll only be wasting your time and money. But if you want to invest in “real estate” that’s passive and not risky, then I highly recommend local lead generation. This is a digital real estate business that has to do with renting out websites.

Why Local Lead Generation Is Better Than Rental Arbitrage?

Local lead generation is better than rental arbitrage because:

• 💰 It’s a lot cheaper. You only need to spend $500 to build and rank a website. It costs roughly $30 a month to maintain it. With rental arbitrage, you’re spending thousands each month to rent out a property to list on Airbnb.
• ⚖️ It’s less risky. Rental arbitrage comes with a lot of legal, financial, and market risks. You’ll find yourself in hot water if you’re not careful. With local lead gen, the only risk is wasting a few hours building and ranking websites.
• 💸 It’s passive income. Once all your websites are up and rented out, they generate monthly income. Since these sites use SEO to rank high on Google, they bring in quality leads without you having to monitor anything. Then, you rent out these leads to local businesses for a monthly fee. Rental arbitrage is an active business because you always have to optimize your Airbnb listing, respond to guests, manage cleaners and maintenance, and handle check-ins and check-outs.
• 📞 It provides sure clients. Local lead generation offers real leads to local businesses. These business owners won’t turn you down. With rental arbitrage, it all depends on when your next guest will book with you. Your income only comes when people reserve your property.
• 🚀 It’s easily scalable. To scale a local lead gen business, all you need to do is repeat the build, rank, and rent process. To scale rental arbitrage, you have to go out and find another property, make a deal with the owner, look into contracts and laws, and optimize its listing on Airbnb.
• 🌱 It’s more long-term. People always need local businesses, and these businesses always need new clients. You’re the middleman that brings them together. Rental arbitrage is a short-term rental property that is facing a rocky market. In fact, many US cities implemented very strict regulations on Airbnb and other short-term rentals. Who knows if the business model will be here in the next few years?

In my opinion, local lead generation is like owning toll booths on the Golden Gate Bridge. Once they’re built, cars (leads) flow through every day, and you collect steady payments without constant upkeep. Meanwhile, rental arbitrage is like managing rooms at the Bellagio Hotel. You don’t own the property, but you cover the rent and hope guests keep booking, or you’re left paying for empty suites.

Local Lead Generation Is The Real Estate Business For Me

Local lead generation is the real estate business for me because it earns me a total of $52,000 per month. I get to enjoy my life instead of stressing over some other great business idea that requires hard work. One of my highest-paying websites, Santa Ana Elite Roofing, 135 East Garry Avenue, Santa Ana, California 92707, 714-581-9695, santaanaeliteroofing.com, earns $4,500 a month. This is because it sells 8 leads to my roofing client in Santa Ana, and I get a 5% commission from their earnings. This is the amount of money you can make with one website. Imagine if you have 50+!

If you want to try your hand at digital real estate, check out my local lead generation course. I walk you through all the steps, from building, ranking, and renting out. You can also choose to build and rank websites for one of my clients. He focuses on the roofing niche and pays 1% to 5% commission.