Robert Abasolo’s Robuilt Host Camp Review: 4 Things You Need to Know Before Listing

1. Bulk buy your amenities to make sure you’ll always have extra.
2. Have extra necessities ready, like towels and bed sheets, just in case.
3. Make sure all appliances are in good condition and are working properly.
4. If you hire a team, make sure they know their schedule and responsibilities.

The best way you can prepare for your first guest on Airbnb is to do a trial run. Have a friend or someone you know stay in your property for the trial run and ask them for a complete and honest review so you know what to change or improve before going live with your listing.

It is important to keep stock to make sure your guests get all the amenities. For example: Ideally, you need 1 towel per guest for your Airbnb, but it is better to have 2 per guest to be sure you will always have a backup. Check out Airbnb’s full list of recommended amenities and supplies.

The best way to ensure your Airbnb stays clean is to hire a professional cleaning team. There are a few important questions you need to ask when selecting a cleaning team.

1. What is the number of cleaners in the crew?
2. What is their availability, and how many hours notice is required?
3. Are they available for last-minute calls, and if so, do they charge extra?
4. What exactly is included in their services, and can they do more if requested?

An Airbnb cleaning checklist is important to streamline the cleaning process and ensure compliance. For bigger properties, this will also help the cleaning team distribute the workload and save time. Here’s an example cleaning list:

1. Check for any left items and place them in safekeeping if found.
2. Take out the trash.
3. Sanitize things that are touched often like doorknobs, light switches, keys, etc. Sanitize toilets, bathtubs, and showers.
4. Vacuum and sweep all carpets and floors. Dust commonly used furniture.
5. Replace all sheets, pillowcases, towels, etc. to have them washed.
6. Replenish supplies such as hand soap, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

Airbnb guests aren’t supposed to clean but are expected to put their trash in the designated bins. Guests are also expected to not leave listings in a state that requires excessive or deep cleaning. Any issues that aren’t considered standard cleaning should be reported to the host in order to find a solution.

If you live far away from your Airbnb, you might want to hire a property manager. If your Airbnb is seasonal, you should do off season maintenance tasks:

1. Replace furniture and amenities to be specific for the season, such as boot mats, off-season rugs, etc.
2. Replace lightbulbs, and door lock batteries for digital locks.
3. List down the most common guest requests and try to add that to your property.
4. Check everything for wear and tear and schedule maintenance if needed.

It takes 7 steps to begin hosting on Airbnb:

1. Signup for Airbnb and create a new listing. Enter the physical address, choose what kind of place (apartment, house, etc.), select if it’s dedicated to guests, confirm the pinned location.
2. List the accommodation like number of guests (2 per room, 5 per bathroom), how many beds are available and type, and number of bathrooms.
3. Enter the amenities (air conditioning, fireplace, Wi-Fi, etc.) and safety amenities (smoke alarm, first aid kid, fire extinguisher, etc.).
4. List the spaces that guests can use (kitchen, pool, gym, etc.), and if there are accessible features. Tip: Having unique spaces (game room, bbq pit, etc.) can make your listing more attractive.
5. Always get a professional photographer for the photos. Write an excellent description of the place, add details like distance to nearby landmarks. Make sure the title is captivating and makes them know everything they’ll get.
6. Select additional guest requirements (government ID, has a recommendation from other hosts and no negative review). Set the house rules for your guests (pets, smoking, events, etc.), booking rules (check in time, booking deadline, minimum and maximum stay).
7. Add details for the fees like nightly price, extra guest fees, cleaning fee, and discounts.

Module 1 teaches you about the different platforms for short term rentals, housing types and what can you list on Airbnb, and different strategies. The module also covers buying properties or renting for arbitrage. The module also teaches the basics of creating a listing.

The 2nd module begins with a lesson on why Airbnb would be a good investment and how you can make money with it. Robert also talks about his story about how he got started with his Airbnb journey and how it does today.

You will also learn the differences between short term and long term rentals. Robert also discusses the effects of COVID on short term rentals.

This module teaches you how to do proper market research so you can identify good deals. You'll learn how to properly analyze and comp potential deals and estimate the returns you can make. The module also covers legal issues like how to look up short term rental regulations and required permits.

Module 4 gives you what to keep in mind when buying a home. Making your investment work as a long-term rental will lower your risks, as it provides an alternate option in case your short term rental doesn't work out.

The module also covers lending options and lessons on new construction and remodeling. Finally, the module also covers a point of view on multi family, condo, and townhome properties.

The module starts with Robert telling about his first apartment listing on Airbnb. You'll learn how to furnish the different spaces of your listing, how to budget for it (brand new or rented furniture), and how to set up your unit without even going to your property (useful if you live far away).

Module 5 also covers essentials, appliances and amenities, how to get professional photographs. The lessons also cover security issues.

Module 6 is all about ways you can improve your listings and how you can make it easier for you while ensuring you attract the "good" kind of renters. Adding check-in and check-out policies, sanitary rules, and house rules will make it easier for you to manage the listing. Including useful information, such as directions to the property, on your listings will also make your customer experience better.

The 7th module is all about the management of operations and automation. You will learn how to manage your Airbnb from long distances through the hiring of teams. Automation is another important lesson in this module which will make the management of your Airbnb easier, allowing you to scale.

There is no limit to how many Airbnb listings you can manage at once. Airbnb has its own tutorial on how you can manage multiple listings by using professional hosting tools. This module also covers tools you can use for the automation of almost every aspect of your Airbnb business. Automation is something also covered in the STR Shortcut course. 

The final module discusses occupancy rates, cancellations, refunds, and other booking issues. Roberto also goes over long term stays and discounts, as well as over-hosting and under-hosting.

You'll also get further tips on hosting, such as how to leverage DoorDash to deliver lacking or replacement amenities. The lessons also include how to ask for and manage reviews and deal with negative reviews.