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Whenever it seems that someone has “special insight” to a particular thing, we attach the title “whisperer” to embody the idea of their unique perspective on any given subject. Cesar Milan, for instance, is most famously known for his work on Animal Planet, The Dog Whisperer. Being an accomplished canine trainer, his methodology almost seems magical at times, and he has now trained hundreds of dog owners on how to successfully train their dogs to be an obedient companion.
Tia Bailey is a “whisperer” of a different kind. She doesn’t speak to dog owners or animals; rather, her magic is in helping a homeowner take their property and create additional income. We’re talking, of course, about “short-term rentals,” which, with companies like Airbnb, have become an additional revenue opportunity for homeowners and investors.
Bailey specializes in the Seattle area and works with homeowners who have individual rooms, mother-in-law apartments, or people who rent their entire homes when they go on vacation. This helps create supplemental income for her clients and provides a lofty experience for guests. As she calls it, “A win-win for everyone involved!”
Bailey’s journey to becoming the Airbnb whisperer starts from her own personal experience listing her parents’ upstairs mother-in-law in the top portion of their house after she came back from her own stay in an Airbnb in Brazil. She returned home to learn that her parents were fed up with their experience renting to long-term tenants who caused a lot of damage to their property and had the perfect solution for them. Bailey convinced her parents that listing their mother-in-law apartment as a short-term rental would be a more profitable and better experience.
Within the first month, the mother-in-law apartment produced $1750 ($700 more than they received from previous long-term renters). The second month, the same space generated $2150, and by month three, they cleared nearly at $2800. Furthermore, there were no damages that occurred during this period. Needless to say, her parents were quite happy with the results.
Bailey, on the other hand, realized that she was on to something significant. She pursued the Airbnb venture and to date has hosted more than 400 people and manages more than 19 properties.
The key to her success? Bailey removes the headache and horror stories that investors and property owners can experience renting their properties to long-term tenants.
While many property owners might still be on the fence when it comes to converting their property into an Airbnb, Bailey assures that there are many benefits. Bailey, along with her team, takes care of everything from maintenance, through handling guests, to clean up and more. As a result, she has maintained a 4.9 rating even with all the guest she’s hosted over the past few years.
“Well, the biggest thing is that their home is being kept in incredible condition. We’ve got professional cleaners that are coming in multiple times a week. Our company has our own maintenance/handyman who handles all the minor maintenance. We’ve got insurance protection, and we make sure that the homeowners are not only protected but also compliant with city regulations. It’s perfect for them (homeowners) because they have the flexibility of making money throughout the year, or if they’ve got family and friends coming into town, then they can have a place for them to stay,” Bailey said in a recent interview.
In relation to the return on investment, Bailey has seen some of her homeowners “make two- to three-and-a-half times more than what they do in long-term rental income.”
Bailey isn’t concerned with competition either. She trains and coaches Airbnb hosts to have more profitable listings. Bailey travels extensively, training hosts who are currently running Airbnbs to “think outside of the box.” She teaches them how to take the businesses they already have and make it more profitable. She also partners with real estate investors. “So, one of the things that we do is, we work with real estate investors who are looking to purchase properties and turn them into short-term rentals in areas that short-term rentals are allowed and that are flourishing and growing.”
Another reason that can be attributed to Bailey’s success is, she doesn’t do it on her own. Bailey has a highly efficient team in her corner helping to make the experience more efficient and profitable.
“From the moment I meet with a homeowner, entrepreneur, or real estate investor, I’m investing my time to make their property profitable, and I want homeowners to know that.”
One of the motivations behind Bailey’s tenacity is her underlying mission: to help homeowners and investors gain greater financial freedom. She helps them discover hidden revenue that is being left on the table. “I help property owners make money that they didn’t even think would be possible and they earn income that can help offset their mortgage, pay off their credit cards, or just be additional income.”
With her support, Bailey plans to increase the overall quality of life of the homeowners she works with, aiding them in enjoying life unhindered by the responsibilities of managing a property.
When Bailey and her team work with a homeowner, she makes sure that they (the homeowner) are one hundred percent compliant with city requisites. “… you’ll find that a lot of the rules, laws, and regulations in most of the major cities all come down to, they don’t want people renting from a homeowner and then running it as an Airbnb. I completely agree with all of this because, first off, whether you’re renting it long term or short term, you should have a business license on your home. We provide the homeowner with what I call the homeowner basics, and we guide them through the process to become compliant.”
While there are many people who manage properties within the Airbnb platform, the story of Tia Bailey is an inspirational one, and now she is ready to help others create their success. In a relatively short period of time, Bailey built a solid bnb business that is quickly growing leaps and bounds.
As an Airbnb short-term rental specialist, Bailey is available to help homeowners learn about this additional revenue stream and to help those who want their listings to be more profitable.
“… the whole reason our company is named ‘connecting with homeowners and managing their properties’ is that the very first thing that we want to do is to build that relationship with our homeowners so they know that they are our priority.”
Bailey, the Airbnb Whisperer, is always eager to meet new homeowners and help them create additional income or work with investors to convert their long-term rentals into short-term profit centers, all while providing a home-like stay for their guest. To learn more about Connecting with Homeowners and how you can get your property listed to profit, visit www.connectingwithhomeowners.com.
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