The Most ANNOYING Part of Owning an Airbnb (in Joshua Tree, CA)
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- Join Michael on his solo trip to the Airbnb he and Kristen own in Joshua Tree, where he faces unexpected challenges-from forgetting essential items like shirts and breakfast food to battling the desert heat while working on their property. Along the way, he encounters a few surprises, including a giant lizard and some frustrating Airbnb annoyances. Discover how Michael managed these obstacles, made some upgrades to the house, and what he learned from this desert adventure. If you're considering a stay in Joshua Tree or planning your own Airbnb hosting experience, this video is packed with useful insights and real-life lessons!
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New to our channel? Well, hi there! We're Kristen and Michael, a couple embarking on a wild adventure of transforming our dream desert home into a short-term rental biz!
As crazy as it sounds, we decided to ditch our beloved Los Angeles (which we called home for 7 years) and chase our wildest dreams of owning a piece of land in California. And guess what? We did it! We finally bought our desert house in the summer of 2021, and we've been DIY-ing our hearts out ever since!
We're talking about an (almost) complete renovation, from top to bottom! But that's not all! We're also building our business from scratch, with the goal of sharing our little oasis with our family, friends, and even strangers from all over the world.
So come on and join us on this crazy ride! We promise it'll be full of laughs, tears, and lots of DIY fails (and wins!). Welcome to our channel! Let us know in the comments if you have any suggestions or questions for us.
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You guys work so hard on your property you deserve all the bookings❤
Been watching Kara & Nate for years and said to my wife while watching their JT episode "wouldn't it've been cool if they'd stayed at Kristen & Michael's?"
I love it when two things you enjoy cross paths ❤
Right? What a dream that would have been!
Love the redesign of the living room. Have you considered adding a mirror on the wall, between the Front Door and the Window? It looks a bit blank, plus it's nice to give a last look before heading out. Maybe a small console underneath for dropping a purse or keys as well.
We thought about adding that and were trying to keep it minimal but you might be right, it's always good to have a last look before heading out the door!
I have a mid term rental which had no dishwasher. I looked into getting one and it was quite expensive due to installation which would involve carpentry, plumbing, electric and permitting. So instead, i got a Hermitlux Countertop Dishwasher for under $300. It's a perfect size for two people. I refer to it as a Compact Dishwasher in the listing. The residents like it!
thanks for this rec!! 😍 we have a cabin in VT and yes, there wasn't an ideal way to install a dishwasher (concerns of freezing in winter when the house is closed down seasonally). This could be a beautiful solution. Do you like this specific model? Gonna look into this further.
@@MegInWhispers Yes we do! We got the clear door so you can watch the action. Be aware that you have to pour water in at the top each time; you can use cold water, the dw heats it. Also, the there was an upper cabinet above the place we needed to put it which was too low for the height of the dw plus pouring space, so we removed it and installed two shelves instead (which we wanted to do anyway). Finally, the drainage hose needed to go into the sink and it wouldn't stay in place with the little piece they provided, so I made a little tunnel using sticky velcro tape (putting some duct tape over the glue-y part of the velcro that directly touched the drainpipe, so there's still the option to slide the drainpipe out of the velcro should that be necessary). Hope that makes sense, and good luck!
Wasn’t expecting a Kara and Nate reference!
Great work Michael. You definitely deserve a vacation at your Airbnb.
@@clm318 we love watching Kara & Nate :) thank you! Yes - vacay at the house coming soon (we hope)! Haha
Hard to vacay at your place of business I imagine. 😀
Yes. Looks great. We use a despenser with body wash shampoo conditioner and lotion- right in the tub ( name of sosp listed on our air bnb site) . No guests have ever emptied it. We seldom have to refill it, but it's there if they need it.
We too started with individually pkg soaps but realized the waste and decided to switch to 12oz refillable sham/conditioner and body wash containers. Looks very nice and no more high cost soaps!
Yes! We have a Brita filter too. I'd recommend upgrading to Zero filters. Planning to upgrade to those someday hehe.
Thanks for the tip!
About the A/C filter. They should be cleaned once a month for that style. Also, it collects/circulates what is in the home. You have a dusty environment outside, but I feel like I've seen you guys using brooms to clean your hard floors. Definitely need to vacuum all floors with a strong "stick" vac to minimize what being sucked into the filter. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks Michael and Kristen for sharing your hosting experience.
That is a lot of back breaking work Mike! 😢 have you thought of doing some rock features ? My airbnb is in the West Desert ( Utah ) and 50 percent of my half acre home has some rock and it’s felt. Love coming to a weed free home.
I run air filter units in the house, they are HEPA and charcoal activated. We used to have a dog and they eliminate pet and cooking odor. Helps with the AC filters too. I also watch desert landscaping videos on you tube. They use native plant species from the dessert and irrigate with grey water. Might help with weed control or ascetics. Run grey water from your new dishwasher and laundry.
I have to say… after several days of yard work this week, this is so gratifying to watch. I am not alone 😅
Definitely not alone! We feel your struggle
It's so relaxing, sitting here watching you work, lol😂
Your hard work has paid off! It looks great!! ❤
After 2.5 years of handwork fixing up our beach rental we are finally enjoying it. Really hope you guys get to vacation at your home soon, you truly deserve it. I bet you laugh every time you hear someone call an STR "passive" income. Yeh sure it is....
Right?? “Passive” 🫠Either way, we are grateful and know it has those moments of solitude when we need it. So happy to hear you guys are enjoying that beach rental! What a dream 😍
Wow, Michael, you put in the work. Good job! And yes, I have a water cooler and Brita thing in the house, along with a coffee station, so good job on those things!😁
Next year we are hiring it done hahah
We do have a welcome basket on the table when guests walk in. It includes 1 snack per person, a hand-written welcome card, and next to it is our house binder & little guestbook. So far so good! I think it's the snacks that lure people in lol...
That’s awesome about Kara and Nate ! Our Airbnb was the Mars Hangar. Thats the type of above ground you guys should do :)
No way! Your place is awesome. We have so many questions about the above ground pool. 1. How durable is it/how long have you had it? 2. What do you do with it during the winter? 3. Do you have critters getting into it? We know snakes can smell water in the desert.
Love the mars hangar, such a cool idea in the middle of the desert!
@@kristenandmichael Thanks so much for the kind words! My wife and I love watching your guys channel and relate so much to all that you go through with your house. 1. We have two houses that are almost identical on the property. The first house has had the pool up for almost two years and has had no issues, and the mars hangers pool has been up this summer with no issues. During the winter we keep it filled, we cover it and put shock in once a month. We only have it open from May to September. No issues with critters but mosquitos can be an issue if chemicals aren't properly maintained. We pay $150 a month to have it serviced and cleaned twice a week and they provide the chemicals, that is only in the summer months though. No issues with snakes and the pool, we did have a rattle snake near our front door recently though, fortunately there is a free service out there that will come and get the snakes and take them to Loma LInda to make anti venom. We are planning on upgrading the pools next year though to hard-sided semi inground pools, just to make it a bit higher end. They will probably each cost about $10k. The current ones we have cost less than $1,000 all in :). Do you guys watch The Real Estate Robinsons? They have alot of airbnbs in JT and they do monthly meetups in So-Cal. You guys should definitely check them out!
Yea, work smarter not harder
The dried out pampas grass on your kitchen table is a trendy distraction and not adding to the welcome area. Also when you film in kitchen all I can see is dead branch on top of your cabinets, not useful for guests. Liked your recent couch update though!
I hope you oiled the squeaky front door before you left. 😊
I vote for adding a dishwasher, IMO! ❤
We agree, the only reason we haven’t yet is because we have to redo the plumbing and will have to cut into our cabinets to make one work so it’s a whole thing. It’s definitely on our list to do!🙏🏼
@@kristenandmichael- i hear you! our cabin in VT also does not have a dishwasher and it just continues to break my heart again and again LOL. I saw someone recommend a countertop model though, so I wonder of that could be a possibility. Maybe it will work out someday!
I wonder about this question I’m gonna ask, every time I see you hula hoeing that yard you got there… maybe you’ve explained your reasoning already? No idea, but WHY do you manually get the weeds out by doing this by hand, by yourself? I get not paying for it. But why, do you do it with a hula hoe? If not a weed whacker, maybe an electric weed whacker? Quieter. Or… weed killer? Your comments about hating doing this work are understandable. Hula hoeing is free, but seems a bit 30 years ago style maintenance. Just wondering?
Valid question! Weed whacking chops the top of the weed, but doesn’t get it out of the sand. So there is still a layer of dead growth that doesn’t look good. Using any sort of weed killer is super toxic not only to humans but also the wildlife and other plants that we want to live. Most people have it hired done to keep the property presentable, and they bring in tractors and equipment. Just wasn’t in the budget this year. We think we might have a solution to prevent this from happening next year that we are going to test out. So for now it’s best to do it by hand.
It seems like if you are going to go to Joshua Tree you'd be the camping type....not book a lux B&B....what do I know I hate the desert...makes me thirsty. Nice house inside though.
😂😂
Sorry but investing 5000$ in living room and still not having a dishwasher is a mystery to me. It tells me you are interested in superficial comfort for Guests but you don’t really want to make their stay easier
100%
I feel like you’re gonna bully us into getting one 😂 The only reason we haven’t yet is because we have to redo the plumbing and will have to cut into our cabinets to make one work so it’s a whole thing. It’s definitely on our list to do soon, but tbh not sure it will make the biggest impact for bookings due to most of our stays being quick weekend trips, so it hasn’t been the highest priority.
@@kristenandmichael people always find something to complain about. It’s not as simple to install as a sofa.
I agree, dishwashers are important…when mine stopped working a slapped them! 😂
Photos sell. Higher ROI with living room investment. Unless they’re receiving negative reviews due to not having a dishwasher, then they can invest elsewhere.
I’m looking forward to seeing you slightly tackle the garage to give me ideas, cuz my garage is all over the place with items. I luv your builds , that big wood mirror is so nice!! Maybe build a floating counter in garage that could house different items?
Place looks great!! 🫶🏼