Welcome back friends this is Richard founder of Short Term Rental University
Wow I didn't fill up that Charles that actually worked out okay that's my first
time actually saying it on camera and feels great I hope you're excited as I
am in any event today we're going to be
looking at Ryan and Tamar's listing they paid for the listing review and so we
very much appreciate that Ryan and Tamar and just as a recap what we do is six
steps here title the photos in the order the thumbnail that Ryan and Tamar have
selected the description how they describe their property then the reviews
that they've received and then finally we talked about their pricing so let's
get started so first up is the title and here we've got a star which I like a lot
capitalized free private parking plus quiet and secure and another star and I
think that the stars are attention-grabbing so I think that's
really interesting Ryan in tomorrow I'm not very familiar with Indianapolis but
presumably people are looking to rent your place either for its location its
size its convenience it's something but unlikely that they're renting your place
for the parking that's a perk that's a benefit but that's not the selling point
so I think that the title can really be vastly improved and what I like to see
in the title is selling the dream talking about the experience talking
about the convenience talking about the proximity talking about the spaciousness
talking about the comfort something and I do like the Stars a lot I think it's
attention-grabbing but I think you're missing a big opportunity like for
instance if I came to Indianapolis and I planned on using an uber or a bus or
somebody else was driving I didn't have a car then I'm not even gonna look at
your listing because I don't even have a car so therefore free private parking
doesn't really appeal to me so I think back to the drawing board on that you'll
probably see a lot more clicks and then ultimately converge
once we start to sell the dream and or the location or the experience so that's
the title that's my two cents okay so let's go ahead and take a look at the
photos give me a minute and I'm gonna go ahead and scroll through
okay so I've taken a look at the photos here and I think the photos in general
are very good they describe this place adequately and appropriately and I think
what they highlight to me more than anything is that you care it's clean
it's neat its orderly but I also think there's a little bit room for
improvement in regard to making it more livable more approachable more like
comfortable it looks very much like a hotel if you will and and that's not a
bad thing but part of the charm of being in somebody's home at an Airbnb
is that it feels a little bit more like a home and so I think there's a few
touches that I would bring out and then the photos like I said the quality is
high but what they highlight to me is the opportunity to improve the photos
through decor so for instance on this very first photo here there's a lot of
monotone beige gray ish colors the throat pillars bring up a little bit of
accent I do like the magazines on the desk here those magazines are missing in
the later shot I'll point that out later and I like the wine up here again I like
to see them maybe set with wine poured you know just you and Tamar can enjoy
the wine after you do the photo shoot I like to see some magazines or art on the
coffee table and I think a really inexpensive rug with some color
underneath the coffee table would go a long way you could probably get it
somewhere inexpensive like an Ikea or online maybe a hundred dollars one
hundred and fifty nine dollars this white wall here looks like you could use
some artwork this lamp in the corner here I'm sure it's functional but it's
not very tall and it doesn't look very pleasing aesthetically it looks like
it's there for utility and functionality but overall I think the photo is taken
well although it's a little too overexposed here so maybe dim down on
the f-stops that you get a more accurate representation and I've said this before
I like to see what's past those windows like what am I looking at
so that's my thought on this photo here again I think that the place looks
really clean and neat and so on I think a rug would do really well maybe an
orchid or a candle or a magazine on the coffee table would look great and I
think it's a little weird that the lamp here in the corner is shorter than the
tree and that kind of looks like a fake tree which is fine if you're not gonna
be able to water it and so on but um this just looks like it's not the right
proportion so I would encourage that to be changed the artwork I think is a
little bit dumb I don't know what the right word is dreary it's a personal
selection but like we're trying to encourage people to come here and be
upbeat and be excited and between the color tones and not a lot of personal
touches and not a lot of color it just sort of looks like like a Marriott
Courtyard or something like that which again it's a great business they do
really well tons of business travelers enjoy it so I'm not being critical in
the negative sense but what I'm trying to do is make it a little bit more
exciting relative to say other listings in the Indianapolis area here's a really
easy fix this wire from the television Charles and I just did this in one of my
units just go by white duct tape I mean the right way to do it is you can get a
u-channel it's white you can like attach that to the wall and just hide the cable
takes a little bit more work it's not any real expense but we didn't have time
or to know how to do that so all we did was we went a little bit more ghetto
with it and it just looks much better which is literally buying white duct
tape at Home Depot or at Amazon and then just tape the black cord against the
white line and if the white doesn't really match you can even just paint
over that again really ghetto back-of-the-envelope there's a better
way to do it but it's certainly better than leaving it the way it is right here
again here I see the wine it's not out this time I really just enjoy seeing the
place being like used and vibrant and the wine opened and set I like the
uncork and unwind and I'd like you to take that same advice and uncork it and
unwind it make the place look a little bit more
lived in not filled with clutter not messy not dirty just lived in I do like
the way that you're describing in all the different photos what is being done
here and what it's used for and I think that that's great
I didn't see this before but it looks like you have some sort of instructions
on the counter that's probably pretty helpful and now that I look a little
more carefully from this angle I do see the magazine's there well it might be
nice even if it's just for staging purposes of putting your own laptop
there and suggesting that people can use it maybe put down in the description
here laptop not included or bring your own laptop but showing people why this
little desk is there another thing you could do really inexpensively and I've
done this successfully too is go get a google chrome like notebook or a google
chrome and a inexpensive monitor and include that for people so they don't
have to bring their own this photo I like the color of the duvet and the
pillows it looks like the pillows are a little
bit of a mismatch like I'm not sure this or maybe there's another pillow there
I'm not exactly sure it's not exactly symmetrical again really nitpicky but
that might be helpful and I like to see maybe a bottle of water or a magazine on
the nightstands I would probably shoot this photo from a little bit lower again
the best practice is to shoot the photo from the angle that you're seeing it and
so even though you're walking into the room you're not actually standing over
the bed probably a little bit lower this photos probably a little bit better
height and here I can see I think the mismatch that I was seeing before from
that other angle was just the size difference in these two pillows so I
think probably another pillow like this would be better and then make this one
an accent pillow as well and again I think just something on the night table
whether it's a candle or a orchid or a magazine or something just to make it
again a little bit more like lived in an hospitable same goes with this bedroom
that I think the angles a little bit awkward
you're a little bit high the bed is a little bit wrinkled but you
know I get it the color selection here the color palette I think is a little
bit I don't know if it's it feels like it's a little bit like beachy but from
like the 1980s color pattern you know the coral and all that and I
don't have a problem with it but if you're looking for improvement if and
when you're ready to spend a little bit more money I might change the color
pattern into something that's a little bit more like 2017 and it might be a
little bit more in the grays whites blacks blues this like teal and beige I
don't see too much and in magazines I've suggested that before if people like if
people aren't sure what to do and how to decorate just go out and pick up a bunch
of magazines or look online go to house h:o uzz has tons of tips Pinterest is
great so if you're struggling with it there's plenty of resources here's
another angle interestingly I think the back of this unit
I think this unit was assembled incorrectly I can see space under here
and it just again looks kind of empty I do like the fact that the lights are lit
and the bed is made nicely and it looks really comfortable and interestingly I
commented as I was looking through this before I think this might be your best
shot in terms of just a lived-in decorated comfortable the bathroom looks
remarkable I see extra toilet paper I see nicely folded towels and rolled up
towels and I see a hairdryer and I see Kleenex and I see all sorts of you know
accessories over here and so like this room looks lived in this room looks
inviting this room looks different than I would see at a Marriott Courtyard and
so even though it's probably the least exciting space itself I think that the
photo and the care and attention that you've put in here this really shows me
that you're you know caring as a super host and the place is really comfortable
and I think this is really well done I love the fact that you put in
reviews and the reviews that you put in talked a lot about downtown Indianapolis
is seven minutes away it's great for business and leisure Ryan was courteous
and respectful I think that's great perfect stay I like the fact that you
responded here you're too kind it's the least we could do I think that that's a
really nice you know upbeat hospitable way to respond as always I encourage you
to respond to all of them just so that people see that you're present in
responding this shot I think could be improved and I'm not exactly sure how I
don't know where your unit is here is it in one of these front units is it one of
the back units are you on the first floor are you on the second floor
maybe a little Photoshop arrow saying this is us or something like that would
be helpful because I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at and again you're
highlighting the parking and then this is very clearly the parking so perhaps
parking is a much bigger deal in your neighborhood or in Indianapolis I live
in New York City New York City parking is a huge deal and this would never
exist but unless it's a major major attraction and a major reason it
shouldn't be in your title and you shouldn't devote to photos to it you
should just say we offer parking convenient this is a beautiful shot I
don't know if you've taken this shot or if you've used it from somebody if
you're borrowing it from somebody make sure that you have the legal rights to
use it so you don't run into any legal problems but beautiful colors beautiful
sky vibrant it's exciting I would push this way forward it's number 13 of 18 I
may not have made it here and I would maybe talk about how many minutes like
and what things to do you can make these descriptions longer so puts just forward
in the in the listing and talk about where seven minutes where 1.2 miles were
two bus stops away where whatever from and then put one or two destinations
whatever we're looking at here would be a good place to start I think this is a
really great place several restaurants and local coffee shops within walking
distance I wish pushed this forward also
certainly before doing redundant shots of the same like
you have two shots of the bedrooms let's let's show people what's in walking
distance I like this a lot we mentioned it early you might want to have the wine
poured and just say I like to take care of my guests in the wall and the wine is
their port this is a cool poster it's worth taking a look at doesn't add a lot
of value to me some cool artwork this doesn't add a ton of value in fact I
don't think I've seen this in the house so I'm not sure where this is but it's
colorful and then blue car rentals available one block away 200 plus
parking stations are all over Indy and I feel like I'm missing something but I
feel like parking must either be the biggest problem in Indianapolis or it's
like a personal hang-up of yours or people are coming only to indeed alike
rent cars and park but I think there's way too much emphasis on parking and we
need to put more emphasis on your location on your hosting capabilities on
the the premises themselves the comfort of the two bedrooms the location the
experience so I would just tone down the parking I think it's excessive okay
let's now talk about the thumbnail selection and I think based on all these
photos this is the best thumbnail photo I might retake it as I mentioned if you
put that orchid and cow or candle or both on the coffee table and get a
little throw rug underneath there change this lamp and make it something that
looks a little bit more elegant they don't have to be expensive you can get
taller ones for like $19 but this one just sort of looks too small in that
room or like as an afterthought and the rest of the place looks you know very
clearly thoughtful so that just looks like an oversight but I think this is
probably your best thumbnail and accordingly the fact that we're
highlighting that it's an open-concept living area with the kitchen bar and
desk to work is probably something that your title should talk about right like
in your thumbnail shot you don't talk about
parking and so therefore your title and your thumbnail shot probably should go
hand in hand to make it a more cohesive experience so people are looking at
something and what they're reading sort of relates to that and you know I like
the whole open-concept living area I might pick up on this uncork and unwind
theme convenient to everything great place to unwind after the day whatever
you know you can play with that and again a be test it okay so let's turn to
the description there's some things in the description that I really like I
think it's very thoughtful for instance the fact that it's fully equipped and
stocked kitchen with snacks and water - I think that's awesome I'd like to see
some of that water on the nightstands on-site washer and dryer and your
including this detergent I love this Smart TV with Netflix and Hulu so that
people know that they can stream I think that this two and a half miles to the
convention center and Lucas Oil Stadium needs to be brought out in some of the
photos one block to a grocery store one block to the car rental quiet
neighborhood two bedrooms one bath and this is something that I haven't seen
before and I absolutely love so everyone should do this I guess this is an Airbnb
link a referral or affiliate link that Airbnb is encouraging Ryan and Tamar to
go ahead and get more people to use Airbnb and who they're using it for our
first-time guests staying at their place to give them a discount I think that's
really great and I love this hospitality please let us know how we can make your
stay more comfortable or convenient so I think that that's great
I like this please remember that you're staying in a house and not a hotel treat
the place with respect and I might change this a little bit it seems a
little bit negative if any problems arise we will do our best to take action
ASAP but there was no one living on site 24/7 I think we all understand what
you're trying to say I would just try and phrase it from a position that's a
little bit better meaning more positive like although we
don't live on the premises we are available and always respond as
quickly as possible something like that so I took a look at
all the different things that you offer I would like to see the speed of the
wireless internet mentioned so that I know that I can stream that Netflix I am
always a big fan of charging people if there's more people that stay the
cleaning fee seems light to me but if you think that that's what it costs and
you say you'd support the living yeh pledge so if it really cost you $69 and
you support the living wage and that's fine if you're subsidizing it then
increase that go to 80 go to 90 go to 100 it's a two-bedroom place there's
lots of laundry towels sheets so I think that that's okay
you've heard me say this before but I don't believe in monthly or weekly
discounts I think if you're using dynamic pricing and we recommend beyond
pricing the discounts are all built-in right like I've never checked into a
hotel and been told if or you stay for a week you're gonna get a discount or if
you stay for a month and I'm not sure that we as short-term rental hosts
should be thinking about that as well so I definitely think you should be
charging more for people that are using the couch or the air mattress and I
think that moderate cancellation is a personal preference you've heard me say
it before I like strict while it still exists and the vinum um stay varies so
that's a pretty good description I think you can do more to sell the experience
and talk about like what people can do who comes here business travelers
couples students what do they do what do they come to Indianapolis for other than
park and rent cars like that's clearly a big thing and let's take the focus off
that and talk about what happens at Lucas Oil Stadium what goes on in the
convention center what else happens in and around the area where's the shopping
area what are the restaurants what are the foods what's you know let's sell the
the location a little bit more please turning now to the reviews so you
clearly know exactly what it is that you're doing you're doing it incredibly
well you've got 22 five-star reviews with everything including value and
I think that that's an opportunity for you to increase your pricing so that you
are more profitable the reviews are all very positive everybody talks about then
you guys are great the apartment was clean
good location safe I'll stay here again easy to communicate everything looks
really good convenient again I think you can do a better job of responding these
are all in October September so it looks like you're doing quite well but there's
no real response from you so let's try and take a minute to be a little bit
more on top of it and here for example somebody who didn't have a car and still
say there were five or ten dollar lift rides away so anyway the reviews are
fantastic and everything looks really good I think you have room to increase
your pricing it looks like you're about 50% sold out in November about 50% sold
out in December maybe a little bit more and then no real bookings out
it looks like March might be booked and your prices are Dynamics or you're using
something anyway I think that there's probably an opportunity for you now that
you're a super host with 22 5 star reviews to increase your base price and
I'd be curious to know what dynamic pricing service you're using and what
you think how it's working for you but overall keep doing what you're doing
this is fantastic to the extent that you're enjoying it you want to grow your
business I'd encourage you to get a second one because you're off to a
flying start and it's fantastic and all these little changes that I'm
recommending for you are really just like a few more photos a little bit more
to kill decor you could invest $200 and take care of everything that I'm talking
about which is really like one night and I think you'll get 10x the return every
year not just like you're one but every year you'll get more bookings and your
business will grow faster and not only that you'll be able to increase your
pricing so your profitability will go so that's how you scale and then you take
that money to the extent that you're enjoying it and you buy a second place
or you rent a second place or a third place or a fourth place anyway this is
fantastic I've really enjoyed reviewing it I appreciate your supporting us in
paying for the review I also loved the fact that you were the
very first person in the very first time that I got to say
Richard fertig with short-term rental university anyway I hope you've enjoyed
this video I've certainly enjoyed reviewing it and Ryan and tomorrow I
appreciate you paying for this and supporting us if you want yours reviewed
go ahead and click the link below and like the video please and go ahead and
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happy hosting
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