Adventures in house sharing through AIRBNB

The term the “Sharing Economy” was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2015. Companies like Uber, Lyft, and AIRBNB have changed the landscape of the taxi and hotel industries.  Being a natural sharer since the age of one when my brother was born, I decided to jump into this new economy.  I rented out my basement sparingly at first and then increased my availability this year.  The experience has been pretty awesome and I enjoyed renting my space.

The unexpected bonus for me was the opportunity to host guests from around the world.  I was an exchange student a few times throughout my education in the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Bolivia.  My host families enthusiastically took great care in ensuring my safety and sharing their cultures with me.  And I always wanted the opportunity to repay the favor by hosting people from other countries. To date I have hosted South African diplomats, German and Chinese students, Singaporean business graduates, and Bermudan hip hop artists, It has been an amazing opportunity to discuss politics and culture over a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.

I quickly had to learn how to delegate my home responsibilities in order to keep the space available.  Trying to work full-time and clean my house from top to bottom every 2-3 days was too taxing. So, I found a house cleaner and lawn care company to take care the inside and outside of the home while I worked.  However, the game changer was taken advantage of the co-host option provided by Airbnb.  There are other Airbnb hosts that will answer inquiries, greet guests, and write your listings for a negotiated percentage of your profits.  My co-host was a seasoned Airbnb host that helped me revise my guest screening process, answer guest questions/concerns and keep my listing prices competitive with other properties in my neighborhood.

If you have in an interest in becoming an Airbnb host, please use my referral link below:

http://www.airbnb.com/r/nboyce6

If you would like to stay in my Airbnb studio in DC please book here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17927340?s=51

Happy Hosting!