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Guides, tips, and answers for self-managing hosts
Written by operators for owners with one to twenty-five short-term rentals. Specific, current, and free of the usual filler.
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31 guides
Booking Holdings Q2 2026: Alternative-Accommodation Takeaways
Booking Holdings' latest results show continued travel demand, growing room nights, and a large direct-booking mix. Here is the STR operator view.
Vrbo and Expedia Q2 2026: What the Results Mean for Hosts
Expedia Group posted stronger bookings and revenue in Q2 2026. Because Vrbo results were not broken out, here is a careful operator-focused interpretation.
Salt Lake City STR Rules Face an Airbnb Enforcement Dispute
New Salt Lake City short-term rental rules and an Airbnb enforcement dispute show why hosts need a repeatable local-compliance process.
Treat Airbnb Like a Search Engine: Filters, Accuracy, and Guest Fit
Optimizing for how guests actually search on Airbnb — filters, amenity accuracy, listing completeness, photos, availability, pricing, conversion, reviews, and guest fit. Not a ranking-gaming guide.
Airbnb's 15.5% Host Fee: October 13, 2026 Changes Explained
Airbnb is moving affected PMS-connected hosts to a single 15.5% host fee on October 13, 2026. See the payout math and the checks to make before the switch.
Highest-Impact Amenities by Market Type: Beach, Mountain, Urban, and Lake/Rural
Which amenities actually change search-filter visibility and guest fit, broken down by beach, mountain/ski, urban, and rural/lake markets — without unsupported ROI claims.
Short-Term Rental Design Trends: Standing Out Without Creating a Maintenance Problem
Current STR design trends worth considering, and the durability, accessibility, and maintenance trade-offs to weigh before you commit to any of them.
Can Vacohost Support My Market? How Remote Co-Hosting Scope Actually Works
What Vacohost handles remotely, what has to stay local, which platforms and property types are compatible, and who owns regulatory responsibility — so you can tell in ten minutes whether remote co-hosting fits your property.
How Remote Co-Hosting Works Across Destinations and Time Zones
The operating mechanics of remote co-hosting: how messaging, turnovers, escalation, and pricing are handled when the co-host is not in the market, and what has to be set up locally for it to work.
The Short-Term Rental Regulation Research Checklist
A repeatable process for confirming what your jurisdiction actually requires — which authority governs your parcel, what to ask, which official sources to read, and how to document what you verified and when.
Co-Host vs. Full-Service Property Manager: How to Choose
A structural comparison of co-hosting and full-service short-term rental management — who holds the money, who holds the contracts, who absorbs the 2 a.m. problem, and which model fits which owner.
Is a 20% Management Fee Worth It?
How to test whether a 20% short-term rental management fee is fair for your property — what the percentage should buy, when it's a bargain, when it isn't, and how to renegotiate with numbers instead of frustration.
How to Switch Vacation Rental Property Managers Without Losing Bookings
A step-by-step transition plan for changing short-term rental managers — contract review, listing and review ownership, existing reservations, vendor handoff, payouts, and the order that protects your calendar.
Warning Signs Your Vacation Rental Manager Isn't Working Out
Twelve observable signals that a short-term rental manager is underperforming — plus how to verify each one, what to raise, and how to tell a real problem from a normal bad month.
A Practical Guide to Airbnb Guest Messaging
What to automate and what needs judgment in Airbnb guest messaging: message sequence, escalation rules, tone, response-time coverage, and handoff notes.
10 Airbnb Listing Optimization Tips That Move the Needle
Ten listing changes that measurably affect clicks and bookings: photo order, title clarity, amenity accuracy, captions, sleeping arrangements, and mobile preview.
Co-Host vs. Property Manager vs. Hybrid Management
A side-by-side comparison of co-hosting, full-service property management, and hybrid management across control, payouts, fees, maintenance, and best-fit owner.
How to Estimate Short-Term Rental Revenue Before You Buy
A practical method for modeling STR revenue before closing: ADR, occupancy, RevPAR, seasonality, booking pace, real expenses, and conservative/base/upside cases.
How to Find a Short-Term-Rental-Friendly Real Estate Agent
Interview questions, red flags, and the difference between an investor-friendly agent and one who actually understands short-term rental underwriting and local ordinances.
How to Hire the Right Airbnb Cleaner
A hiring process for short-term rental cleaners: sourcing, the paid trial turn, photo checklists, linen systems, pricing, backup coverage, and an inspection scorecard.
7 Red Flags in a Short-Term Rental Revenue Projection
How to pressure-test a short-term rental revenue projection before you buy: inflated comps, missing platform fees and lodging taxes, thin furnishing budgets, and properties with obvious STR flaws.
Short-Term Rental Regulations: A Due-Diligence Checklist
A step-by-step regulatory checklist before buying a short-term rental: city, county, and HOA layers, permit caps, zoning, taxes, and grandfathering.
The STR Property Operations Manual: What to Document Before You Need It
Build a platform-agnostic operating knowledge base for your short-term rental: utility shutoffs, vendors, Wi-Fi, appliance manuals, lock codes, recurring tasks, and emergency continuity.
Your Short-Term Rental Is Underperforming. What Are Your Options?
A decision framework for owners whose STR is not going as hoped: how to diagnose the real problem, then reposition, reprice, delegate, or sell without guessing.
The Real Cost of Vacation Rental Management Fees
How to calculate the total effective fee on your short-term rental management agreement — management %, software, cleaning and maintenance markups, onboarding, linen, channel, and exit terms.
When to Fire Your Short-Term Rental Cleaner
How to tell a fixable miss from a trust failure, how to document and coach, and how to run a replacement-first transition without exposing guests to a bad turn.
Full-Service Property Management vs. Co-Hosting: Which Is Right for Your STR?
Compare full-service property management and co-hosting side-by-side. See why co-hosting gives owners more control over money flow, guest experience, visibility, and tax flexibility while keeping the option to lean in or out of operations.
How to Add a Co-Host on VRBO: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
Exactly how to add a co-host to your VRBO listing, what permissions to give them, and how to hand off guest messaging without losing control of your property.
What Is an Airbnb Co-Host? A Plain-English Guide for Overwhelmed Hosts
A straight answer to what an Airbnb co-host actually does, what they don't do, and how it's different from property management — written by a Superhost who runs one.
Getting Started with Airbnb Co-Hosting
A practical walkthrough of what an Airbnb co-host actually does, when to hire one, and how the handoff works in your first 30 days.
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