How I Setup an Airbnb property. Furnishing an Airbnb like a Pro in 2021

Free Short Term Rental Course by Sean Rakidzich
8 Jun 202124:26

Summary

TLDRIn this informative video, Sean Rockyjeech shares expert tips on setting up an Airbnb property for success. He covers key factors such as budgeting, aesthetics, durability, cleanability, replaceability, and functionality of furniture and decor. With practical advice on choosing quality items and planning for maintenance, Sean's experience setting up 13 apartments in Philadelphia provides a real-world perspective on furnishing Airbnb properties to enhance guest experience and minimize long-term costs.

Takeaways

  • 🏠 Proper planning and setup are crucial for an Airbnb property to avoid future maintenance issues and guest refunds.
  • πŸ›‹οΈ Furniture and decor should be chosen with aesthetics, durability, cleanability, replaceability, and functionality in mind.
  • πŸ’° Budgeting for an Airbnb setup is essential, with a base cost for a one-bedroom apartment and additional costs per extra bedroom.
  • 🎨 Aesthetics are not just about individual pieces but how everything comes together in a cohesive design using common themes and colors.
  • πŸ”§ Durability is key; furniture and items must withstand regular use without breaking or showing excessive wear.
  • 🧼 Cleanability is important; choose materials that can be easily cleaned or are resistant to stains and damage.
  • πŸ”„ Replaceability ensures that common items can be easily swapped out when they wear out or get damaged.
  • πŸ›Œ Prioritize sleep quality by investing in a good mattress, pillows, and high-quality sheets.
  • 🍽️ In larger homes, ensure the kitchen is well-equipped for family cooking, as this is a significant part of the guest experience.
  • πŸ›‹οΈ Opt for modular furniture like rollaway beds over sleeper sofas for easier maintenance and replacement.
  • πŸ“Έ Design the space with photos in mind; focus on making key areas look appealing for listing photos even if the entire space is not fully furnished or decorated.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is teaching viewers how to properly plan and set up an Airbnb property, focusing on furnishing and choosing pieces based on aesthetics, durability, cleanability, replaceability, and functionality.

  • Why is it important to plan ahead when setting up an Airbnb property?

    -Planning ahead is important because it helps prevent future issues such as items breaking, wearing out, or becoming unsightly, which can lead to guest refunds and additional costs for replacements.

  • What are the six key factors considered when choosing items for an Airbnb property according to the video?

    -The six key factors are price, aesthetic, durability, cleanability, replaceability, and functionality.

  • What is the approximate budget for furnishing a one-bedroom or smaller apartment for Airbnb as mentioned in the video?

    -The approximate budget for furnishing a one-bedroom or smaller apartment is around five thousand dollars, which covers all basics including furniture, decor, amenities, and initial rent and security deposit.

  • How much should be added to the base budget for each additional bedroom in an apartment?

    -Two thousand dollars should be added to the base budget for each additional bedroom in an apartment.

  • What is the difference in budgeting for a house versus an apartment according to the video?

    -For a house, an additional thousand dollars is added to the base budget, and an additional twenty-five hundred dollars per bedroom instead of two thousand, due to the larger square footage and additional needs of a house.

  • What is the significance of aesthetic in furnishing an Airbnb property?

    -Aesthetic is significant because it's about designing a room as a composition that looks good in photos and in person, giving the place personality and making it appealing to guests.

  • Why is durability an important factor when choosing items for an Airbnb property?

    -Durability is important because items that break easily or wear down quickly can lead to additional maintenance and replacement costs, affecting the profitability of the property.

  • What does the video suggest about the use of sleeper sofas in Airbnb properties?

    -The video suggests moving away from sleeper sofas due to their durability issues and difficulty in maintenance, recommending rollaway beds as an alternative for easier maintenance and replacement.

  • What are some examples of items that should be of high quality in an Airbnb property to ensure a good guest experience?

    -Examples of items that should be of high quality include the mattress, pillows, sheets, cookware in larger homes, and couch cushions to ensure a comfortable sleep and good seating experience.

  • What is a pro tip mentioned in the video for maintaining white towels and linens?

    -A pro tip mentioned is to wash white towels and linens with a light blue item to keep them looking crisp and white, as natural white can appear dull compared to the more vibrant pearly white.

  • How can a host save on budget while furnishing an Airbnb property according to the video?

    -A host can save on budget by focusing on making a few walls look good for photos rather than furnishing the entire space, prioritizing quality in items that are highly interacted with, and considering the use of colored towels and linens that can be incorporated into the design style.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 Setting Up an Airbnb: Planning and Furnishing Essentials

Sean Rockyjeech introduces his experience in setting up over 100 Airbnb properties and discusses the importance of planning and furnishing an Airbnb property with an eye on aesthetics, durability, cleanability, replaceability, and functionality. He warns against the pitfalls of setting up a property without considering these factors, which can lead to costly repairs and refunds. Sean is currently setting up 13 apartments in Philadelphia and shares insights on budgeting, staging, and maintaining the property for the long term.

05:01

πŸ›‹οΈ Key Metrics for Selecting Furniture and Decor

The video script delves into the six key metrics for choosing items for an Airbnb: price, aesthetic, durability, cleanability, replaceability, and functionality. Aesthetic is emphasized as a composition of the room's design, not just individual pieces. Durability is crucial to prevent frequent replacements, while cleanability ensures items can be maintained in good condition. Replaceability is highlighted to avoid the need for re-staging and re-photography. Functionality is also discussed, with examples of items that may look good but fail to serve their purpose effectively.

10:01

πŸ’Έ Budgeting for Airbnb Property Setup

Sean outlines the budgeting process for setting up an Airbnb property, detailing the costs for furnishing and staging a one-bedroom apartment and adjusting for larger properties like houses. He provides specific amounts to budget per bedroom and emphasizes the importance of staying within budget while ensuring quality. The discussion includes the costs of amenities that enhance competitiveness and strategies for negotiating rent and security deposit concessions.

15:02

πŸ› οΈ Maintaining Durability and Serviceability

The script focuses on the durability and serviceability of items in an Airbnb property. It discusses the challenges of maintaining items that are prone to staining or damage, such as fabric furniture, and the importance of choosing materials that can be easily cleaned and maintained. Examples are given of items that may initially appear durable but eventually show signs of wear, impacting the guest experience and requiring costly replacements.

20:03

πŸ›Œ Prioritizing Quality for High-Interaction Items

Sean advises prioritizing quality for items that are frequently interacted with by guests, such as beds, couches, and kitchen utensils. He explains the importance of having a durable bed frame and the challenges of maintaining sleeper sofas versus the benefits of rollaway beds. The discussion also covers the selection of kitchen items, emphasizing the use of silicone over hard plastic for cooking utensils and the preference for ceramic over teflon pans.

🎨 Designing for Photos and Practicality

The final paragraph discusses strategies for designing an Airbnb property on a budget, focusing on creating a good first impression through photos while ensuring practicality for guests. It suggests concentrating on key areas of the property that will be captured in photos and deferring less critical areas for later improvements. The importance of sleep quality, kitchen experience, and the selection of towels and linens are also highlighted, with tips on maintaining white linens and incorporating colored ones into the design theme.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Airbnb Property

An Airbnb property refers to a home or apartment that is rented out to guests for short-term stays through the Airbnb platform. In the video's theme, setting up an Airbnb property involves careful planning and furnishing to ensure a positive guest experience and long-term sustainability of the property. The script mentions the importance of furnishing and maintaining such properties to prevent future issues and costs.

πŸ’‘Aesthetic

Aesthetic in the context of the video pertains to the visual appeal and attractiveness of the Airbnb property. It is crucial as it impacts how the property is perceived in photos and by guests upon arrival. The script emphasizes using common themes and colors to tie the room together, such as using an accent wall or choosing furniture that complements the overall design.

πŸ’‘Durability

Durability refers to the ability of furniture and fixtures to withstand wear and tear over time. The script discusses the necessity of choosing durable items to minimize the need for replacements and repairs, which can be costly and time-consuming for Airbnb hosts.

πŸ’‘Cleanability

Cleanability is the ease with which an item can be cleaned and maintained in a hygienic condition. The video script highlights the importance of selecting items that are easy to clean, such as materials that do not stain easily, to ensure the property remains in a pristine condition for guests.

πŸ’‘Replaceability

Replaceability involves the ease of finding and swapping out items that have become worn or damaged. The script mentions the need for items to be either common enough to be easily replaced or neutral enough to be substituted with similar products without requiring a complete overhaul of the property's design.

πŸ’‘Functionality

Functionality refers to the practicality and usefulness of items within the Airbnb property. The video emphasizes the importance of choosing items that not only look good but also serve their intended purpose well, contributing to a positive guest experience without causing inconvenience or dissatisfaction.

πŸ’‘Budget

Budget is the financial plan for setting up and furnishing an Airbnb property. The script provides specific budget allocations for different types of properties, such as apartments and houses, and stresses the importance of staying within budget while still ensuring quality and meeting the needs of guests.

πŸ’‘Staging

Staging is the process of setting up an Airbnb property to make it appealing for guests, including taking photos, arranging furniture, and creating an inviting atmosphere. The video script explains that staging is a time and cost-intensive part of the business, and it should be done effectively to minimize future maintenance and guest complaints.

πŸ’‘Serviceability

Serviceability in the context of the video relates to the ability to maintain and service items within the Airbnb property. It is highlighted that certain materials and items may look good initially but become difficult to clean or maintain, leading to a decline in the property's condition and guest satisfaction.

πŸ’‘Faux Leather

Faux leather is a synthetic material designed to mimic the appearance and texture of real leather. The script discusses using faux leather for furniture, such as couches, because it is easy to clean and maintain, unlike real leather which can be damaged by burns or stains.

πŸ’‘Rollaway Beds

Rollaway beds, also known as Murphy beds or sofa beds, are beds that can be folded away when not in use. The video script suggests using rollaway beds instead of sleeper sofas for their ease of maintenance and replaceability, offering a more practical solution for providing additional sleeping space in Airbnb properties.

Highlights

Proper planning and setup are crucial for an Airbnb property to prevent future issues with wear and tear.

Choosing furniture and decor based on aesthetic, durability, cleanability, replaceability, and functionality is essential.

Setting up an Airbnb without planning can lead to costly refunds and replacements.

The presenter, Sean Rockyjeech, has experience with over 100 Airbnb properties and shares his expertise on furnishing.

Six key metrics for choosing items for an Airbnb include price, aesthetic, durability, cleanability, replaceability, and functionality.

Staging an Airbnb property is the most time and cost-effective part of the business, setting up for easy maintenance.

Aesthetics are about the overall composition of the room and should be designed with photos in mind.

Serviceability is about choosing materials that can be easily cleaned and maintained.

Durability involves selecting items that won't break down easily and can withstand regular use.

Replaceability is important to ensure easy and cost-effective replacements of items.

Budgeting for an Airbnb property includes $5,000 for a one-bedroom apartment and an additional $2,000 per bedroom.

Aesthetics can be enhanced with accent walls and a cohesive color scheme using no more than three colors.

Durability is compromised by certain materials like cheap wood or fabric that stains easily.

Functionality is key, and items like a Keurig machine may not be the best choice due to cleaning issues.

For durability, reinforced bed frames and modular couches are recommended to facilitate easy repairs.

Least interacted items like fake plants and decor can be of lesser quality as they don't require frequent maintenance.

Quality sleep experience is paramount, so investing in a good mattress and pillows is advised.

For larger homes, delivering on kitchen quality is important for a positive guest experience.

When on a tight budget, focus on making a few key walls and areas look good for photos, and address other areas later.

Transcripts

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in this video i'm going to teach you how

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to properly plan

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and set up an airbnb property how to

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furnish your airbnb apartment or your

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home

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and we're specifically going to cover

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the topics of choosing pieces

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based on like aesthetic durability

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cleanability replaceability

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functionality like all this good stuff

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these are important topics because

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if you set up an airbnb apartment in a

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hurry and don't really plan ahead and

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plan for the future

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things are gonna break um they're gonna

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wear out uh they're gonna be

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unsightly you're gonna end up having to

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give guest refunds and then replace

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stuff that costs you money down the road

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and this can be prevented on the front

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end so

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um i'm setting up 13 apartments as we

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speak here in philadelphia in the same

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building

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and there's a lot of boxes as you can

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see but this is obviously fresh in my

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mind so i think i'm well qualified to

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talk to you about furnishing airbnb

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properties my name's sean rockyjeech i

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actually have over 100 properties on

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airbnb been doing this for six years

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and let's jump into furnishing your

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first or next airbnb

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welcome back airbnb family thank you so

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much for tuning in on this video

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uh this is a fun one because it's so

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fresh in my mind as you see all these

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boxes i'm setting up 13 apartments at

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the same time

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right now here in philadelphia um and

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more to come in this building it's a

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pretty big negotiation that i did

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uh they actually gave me five hundred

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thousand dollars in rent concessions

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to pick up this deal and i've got a

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video on that um a few videos back

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so i want to talk to you about the six

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main like

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key metrics the factors that we use when

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choosing stuff that we

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buy whether it's furniture decor stuff

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for the kitchen new stuff like that

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and their relationship with each other

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and how some things need to have certain

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characteristics and some things don't

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the implications matter so when you do

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airbnb

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the most time and cost effective part of

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this business is staging

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taking photos setting the thing up and

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then getting it listed right you spend

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the most money and you spend the most

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time on it from there it should be

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easily maintained where guests are just

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checking in and out

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um you're dealing with them through the

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phone and you're doing light maintenance

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but if you don't do this appropriately

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you don't plan ahead for things to break

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or things will wear down you know like

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you don't pick your pieces because of

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that inevitable future

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um things will go wrong eventually where

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things will start to look like grody and

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dirty even though it's technically in

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the best condition it can be in at the

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time and guess what want refunds because

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things don't look like they were in the

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photos or they don't look good and then

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you're gonna have to

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you have to replace stuff or things are

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just gonna break then you have to spend

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people time and resources to go replace

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things that break um and this stuff

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costs you money down the road so when

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you set up an airbnb right from the

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beginning you should be

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looking at the next two years at least

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of the future of your property

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because we budget for about two years of

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use at minimum

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for the stuff that we buy so before we

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get into the details please like this

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video

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um i really do appreciate it it helps

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the video perform it really does the

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algorithm's fun like that

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and subscribe if you're new welcome to

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the channel uh we're going to talk a lot

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about the functionality

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of running the airbnb business and of

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course i welcome you to watch like

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playlists i've got

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ones on topics so the six things that we

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look for when setting up an airbnb

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property first off is price right

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everything's driven by price because we

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have a budget if you blow your budget

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and spend like twenty thousand dollars

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more in your home than you should it's

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gonna take you so much more money time

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to get your money back

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right so there is always a ceiling on

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budget you've got to be thrifty within

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that number

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but then there's things like aesthetic

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things have to look good

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in the photos they also have to look

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good when the guest shows up

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there's durability like i said things

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can't be breaking randomly and you're

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constantly sending people to replace or

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fix stuff that's tough

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things have to be cleanable right they

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have to be serviceable

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so um like for example like fabric can

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stain

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where leather does not and so like

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things like that where

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you might be keeping it in the best

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condition you can put it in but a year

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from now

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it's gonna look diminished a year from

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now and that means you're probably gonna

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have to replace it when a guest gets

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upset about it like so that's the kind

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of whole

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the cleanable aspect and then there's

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the replaceability

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where you need to find things that are

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either common enough that you can always

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buy them

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or they are neutral enough that you can

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replace them with a like product

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something similar where you won't have

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to go shoot new photos again right so

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replaceability matters there then

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functionality um there's things that you

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buy because they look good they're good

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value

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but um they just suck right and we're

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gonna talk about a few things that you

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shouldn't really buy for your space

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because they they actually

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harm your guest experience you know for

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example as opposed to actually you know

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giving them a better one

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so functionality matters too um so yeah

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let's jump

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right in let's talk about budget so we

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spent about five thousand dollars

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on an apartment like out the door

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one bedroom or smaller apartment complex

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like this and that covers

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all of your basics like furniture it

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covers the decor to make your place look

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competitive like an accent wall you

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paint

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to make it pop all the amenities that

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make you more competitive like a coffee

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station with the decaf and the tea

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full length mirror you know tv with the

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disney plus on it

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all that good stuff and then of course

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um getting in rent and security deposit

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and stuff like that but i negotiate

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a lot of like rents and security deposit

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discounts and that's why i can get in

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for less than five thousand dollars

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i'm getting a lot of free rents on the

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front end typically and that's how that

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number comes now we add two thousand

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dollars per bedroom

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in budget for staging but if it's a

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house um

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add a thousand dollars to the base so

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six thousand instead of five

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and then add twenty five hundred instead

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of two thousand per bedroom

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so you're looking at about 11 000 for a

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three bedroom house as opposed to 9 000

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for a three bedroom apartment

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that's based on square footage and

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usually homes have a little bit more

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needs

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because apartments tend to like have

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more amenities

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better fixtures and all that good stuff

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right out the door where if you sell a

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landlord on letting you airbnb their

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property

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there's more that you have to put in

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there more love to make that thing

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competitive and that's why there's a

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little bit more money there now let's

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first talk about aesthetic

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see the aesthetic of the home isn't

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about the individual quality of the

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piece

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but how it all comes together so if

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you've ever walked through an ikea and

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saw all the little rooms that they make

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that stuff isn't expensive stuff but

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they find a way to make these rooms look

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really cool

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and so you can increase the overall

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aesthetic of your space by

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using common themes that tie together

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well and like painting an accent wall

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can give you a pop of color

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and you know using just like a few main

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colors where you might have

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a couple more cool colors and then one

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pop of warm

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right so you like you do like blue like

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maybe two shades of blue and then like

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just canary yellow for example right

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it'd be a way to like use that use like

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a like an electric blue

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a royal blue or something and then a

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midnight blue and then a pop of canary

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yellow

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and that's a way to use three colors in

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a space and it's gonna make it look

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really clean

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you can always cut your colors with

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neutrals you can always use anything

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white black around the gray scale

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because they don't really make more

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chaos i wouldn't recommend doing more

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than three colors and you want to make

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sure that those colors have a

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relationship with each other

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and then have fun with the accent wall

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and all the good stuff right textures um

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matter too so if everything's like

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farmhouse style like wood metal leather

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that's really cool um if you do

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something modern um you could do things

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that are more like glass

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acrylic like plastic but like like more

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quality plastic

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um like that white porcelain style

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plastic and stuff like that and go for

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this more modern contemporary maybe some

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like stone

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like um some really smooth concrete

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stuff uh custom poured

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i mean that starts to get expensive but

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you get my point now

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this leads to what's what's gonna be the

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next one which is like like

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serviceability

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but what i do want to hammer home here

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is aesthetic is about

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designing a room as a composition and

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making sure you pay attention to like

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the little details and give the place

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personality

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and you're doing it for the photos more

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so than for the space you're doing it

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for the photos

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so as long as your home looks good at a

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couple key angles and can get some good

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shots out of it

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that's good enough so you don't have to

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like adorn the place and overload it so

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that way it looks good at every single

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angle

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if you are on a budget and you want a

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good aesthetic and you kind of end up

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having to cut corners anywhere

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skip one wall right just skip one wall

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and just kind of basic out that wall but

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make sure that your photos

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don't include that one wall right and

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that's just coming in on a budget you

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can always upgrade that later as you

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make some more money if you want to

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but serviceability is next see the

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reason why the examples i gave you were

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like wood

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metal leather plastic acrylic glass

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concrete

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is because they can be cleaned right and

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this is super important what i've

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noticed with a lot of stuff that we've

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bought even high quality

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items if they've got that fabric top to

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it um like couches that are fabric or

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bar stools that are fabric those stain

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um and if you've got like certain types

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of certain types of wood too

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certain types of wood tops where like a

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cup sweats on the wood and then it gets

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a ring on it

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that's no fun and then there are like

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like

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like lacquer um nightstands that

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if like somebody spills something on the

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nightstand then it creates this like

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really weird off-color white translucent

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thing

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so there's some stuff that you just

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shouldn't buy because even though

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they're cheap and they look nice

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this stuff just goes bad and even though

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you try to clean them and ever it says

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it's sterile it's not going to look

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clean a few examples of other stuff that

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you may not even be control of

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one of the older properties i picked up

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in fort worth years ago um the

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apartment was so old that the tubs

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needed to be acid washed

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so as clean as we could get them they

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still had like this like kind of

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blackish

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color and they kind of had this off

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texture from excessive cleaning the

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outside of the tub was rough looking

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and we had to give refunds for a

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completely clean pristine sterile tub

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because they looked old and in the

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photos that meant that they looked dirty

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so

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you should be careful with properties

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that you pick up where there are things

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that

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if it looks dirty but it's clean that

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means that that's the best condition you

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can get it in and if it's going to give

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you problems with guests you should skip

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that apartment and so

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we be careful with like be careful with

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tubs you can get them resurfaced

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and so if you're negotiating with an

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apartment you should negotiate to

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resurface those tubs

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for an example but try to stay away from

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fabrics uh try to stay away from things

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with cheap coatings

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and you know try to make sure you move

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into a place that has new stuff and

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that'll avoid

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that lack of serviceability another

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example

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of something that is like durable enough

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to continue to be used but just starts

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looking bad

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we love the home hero knife sets for the

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most part they're the ones with the

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acrylic stands and the knives all fan

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out they look really pretty

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but we've bought a lot of ones that are

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black and black black blade black handle

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problem with that is the blades as you

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re-sharpen them and you use them

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uh the the silver underneath starts to

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show and the outside layer

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starts to like oh no in a way like chip

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away as like

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you know like a ceramic pan would i'm

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not a ceramic pen but like one of the

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like a teflon pan would

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and they just start to look really junky

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and old so we're now moving to

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using knives that just have a stainless

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steel outside

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because we don't have to worry about the

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coating going away and that way they

play10:16

last

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longer that's one example now the

play10:18

acrylic thing it's actually hard to

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clean so that's the only drawback to the

play10:22

home hero knife sets is people stick

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dirty knives in there for some stupid

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reason

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and cleaning the inside part can be

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really tough

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so you really have to stay diligent with

play10:30

your housekeepers to have those cleaned

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um another example is like um what

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coffee stations you use

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keurig machines they they go dirty and

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people don't know how to properly clean

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keurig machines

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um and it's nasty mold grows inside of

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them so i always recommend get a regular

play10:44

coffee station

play10:45

if you want to have a perfectly

play10:46

manageable perfectly clean and pretty

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coffee situation

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you should do a kettle and you should do

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a pour over like a chemex

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with the tin on the top this means that

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a housekeeper will never forget to open

play10:56

the coffee machine to check for a filter

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and coffee because they'll forget that

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sometimes which sucks

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so this coffee station if it's used it's

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obvious and it has to get cleaned every

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time

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so i would recommend those now they're

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not as durable somebody could drop the

play11:07

glass or chip the glass

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and you'll need to replace it but that's

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the kind of trade-off that we're looking

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for

play11:12

here or we're considering is um for the

play11:14

proper maintenance of the property and

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proper cleaning

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a regular coffee machine doesn't get

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cleaned properly typically

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and i used to work as a barista in a

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coffee shop and i kind of know how grody

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that stuff gets

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and so i'm leaning towards pour overs

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and the chemex style thing just because

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i think they look

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cool it's more of an like um like a

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do-it-yourself coffee thing which is

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kind of a fun activity

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some people hate it um but it just saves

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us from ever disappointing a guest

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with a with the subpar quality of clean

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so those are some stuff in the kitchen

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that matters just the same now uh

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durability is next

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so these things are all still usable but

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um they just become unsightly or

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problematic and that's kind of

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like the point there but with durable um

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there are things that just like break

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they look good and they're cheap and

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stuff but like ikea furniture that's

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like the eight dollar nightstands they

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just break and they're hard to repair

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and so this is the other part of the

play12:06

durability airbnb has got a policy where

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you have to try to repair something

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before you build the guest to replace it

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in its entirety

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so we're looking at this a lot at scale

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as how to manage our property

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based on durability and how to fix stuff

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so

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we've got this beautiful 10 foot long

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blue couch that we bought

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off of sofa mania because we had a

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really unique floor plan

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and somebody put a cigarette burn mark

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in it well it's a blue

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uh like velvety felt kind of fake fabric

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and so it is really tough

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because um i had to throw my phone it

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keeps ringing um it's really

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tough to replace because that fabric's

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so unique so we have to pull fabric like

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a

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like a little patch of fabric from the

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back of the couch and then patch the

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cushion

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and like restuff the couch and then

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cover the back of the couch with a black

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patch

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or something like that the part that's

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not aesthetic can have that off color

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patch

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so that's what we have to do to replace

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like the fabric of the couch now the

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cool thing with this couch

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is this fabric doesn't stain like other

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fabrics right like if you have like the

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cross stitch like

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linen or cotton like you know like the

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weaving that stuff stains it has like

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water marks really easily and those ones

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have given us the most trouble but this

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felt like like

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velvet thing they i like the velvet they

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it doesn't stain so easily so if you're

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going to use a fabric you can use velvet

play13:17

but watch out for burn marks

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i think it is better too considering

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burn marks even though people aren't

play13:22

supposed to be smoking

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um it is better for that than leather uh

play13:25

but leather

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is completely easily cleanable like and

play13:29

it's hypoallergenic which is great

play13:30

i'm sitting on a faux leather couch

play13:32

cushion right now from a new couch that

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we're buying we're testing something let

play13:35

me tell you about it

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um but i will say uh that like burning

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this with a cigarette there's no way to

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fix it you just have to replace the

play13:41

whole cushion or replace that section of

play13:42

couch

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so with that in mind the couch i'm

play13:45

sitting on see if i can get you to link

play13:46

i think i bought these on sofa mini as

play13:47

well

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they're black faux leather chesterfield

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style couches and they're modular

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they just click together so the arms

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click and the bottom clicks and the back

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clicks together

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so what we can do is we can have 10 or

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20 of them and then keep keep a couple

play13:59

in

play13:59

inventory and then if somebody breaks a

play14:01

piece of the couch we can just replace

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it we can use two

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spare couches for parts right and so now

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we can

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very quickly replace an entire couch

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by fixing the piece that's broken so

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it's easy for our housekeeper

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or someone to go into a storage closet

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grab the arm of a couch and bring it in

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and have some maintenance guy come in

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real quick and put it together

play14:21

all right so that serviceability or the

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repair ability replaceability kind of

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intersects there

play14:25

you have to plan for things to break

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down now so this one

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right we can't just patch it with a

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little sewing machine but we can replace

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the whole chunk of it other things that

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need to be really durable in your place

play14:34

is like the bed frame

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we've noticed that a lot of times the

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bed frames give out so we've been buying

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these

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uh like amazon reinforced metal frames

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that go below the bed and kind of like

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stick it into

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the outer part of a frame but there's

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been a lot of like cheapskate

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manufacturers on amazon selling like

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really low quality versions of this

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um and they've gone up in price we used

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to get the best quality

play14:56

metal frames on amazon for like 80 90

play14:58

bucks for a king

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now they're like 165 bucks for king and

play15:01

that could be just because of logistics

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with covid and china shipping and stuff

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maybe otherwise people just know that

play15:06

these things are popular now

play15:07

and they can get more money for them i

play15:08

don't know but you should reinforce your

play15:10

bed frame

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so instead of buying a 160 dollar metal

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bed frame you can go to lowe's

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and get extra lumber and like reinforce

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the wood

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frame that you have i think that's a

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good idea because it's definitely less

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than 160 bucks in lumber to reinforce

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what's already a wood frame

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and these are all the beds so i'm gonna

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have one guy go and assemble all of the

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beds it's gonna be part of our like

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launch for these 13 units um but each

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one

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the beds will have to be reinforced

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because we're planning ahead

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for stuff like that now certain things

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don't have to be durable like the

play15:40

like the the fake plants and the lamps

play15:42

tend to not have to be durable because

play15:43

they're very rarely

play15:45

interacted with um the lights have to be

play15:47

functional

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but they don't have to be durable and

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functionality is one thing too

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like we'll talk about that in a second

play15:53

so we buy our fake plants typically from

play15:55

ikea or target

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we prefer the ones at ikea because of

play15:59

better price

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but if you order them online or go into

play16:02

the store it's just what they have at

play16:03

that store's inventory when you order

play16:04

online

play16:05

target if you buy fake plants online

play16:07

they'll distribute them from like a

play16:08

wider geographic area so you can get

play16:10

more

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so for 13 apartments i had to use target

play16:13

to buy tons of fake plants in bulk where

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if it was just one or two apartments i'd

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go to ikea or ship in from ikea but they

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they don't carry as much inventory which

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makes it hard to do it at scale

play16:22

but cups plates bowls stuff like that

play16:24

ikea is good for that so we buy all that

play16:26

kind of stuff

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from ikea because you can get 80 cent

play16:28

plates that are good quality 80 cent

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bowls that are good quality

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so in mass i mean i think we just

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ordered like 100 plates for this place

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something like that and it was super

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cheap which is awesome

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now with stuff in the kitchen of the

play16:40

same type we don't buy teflon pans we've

play16:42

switched to ceramic

play16:44

um we're hoping that ceramic is a little

play16:45

bit more durable doesn't create that

play16:47

grody nasty teflon scrapey

play16:49

thing also when you buy like cooking

play16:51

utensils you should be using silicone

play16:53

instead of like the hard plastic because

play16:55

the hard plastic melts and gets into

play16:57

food which is

play16:58

just super nasty and certain people know

play17:00

this and if they

play17:01

see that you have cheap cooking utensils

play17:03

that kind of like start to warp and bend

play17:04

and like flatten out

play17:05

they're like come on guys right so um

play17:08

silicone

play17:09

cooking utensils is more durable um and

play17:12

they

play17:13

they won't irk out certain guests so and

play17:16

what that said is for like functionality

play17:17

goes that's another thing there

play17:19

and like the keurig machine coffee

play17:21

station thing that's a functionality

play17:22

thing that we talked about too see all

play17:24

this stuff starts to intersect

play17:25

now the keurig is le the keurig is the

play17:28

easiest to wield

play17:29

right the regular coffee pot people are

play17:31

used to the coffee station with the

play17:33

chemex

play17:34

it's a little harder to like to use so

play17:36

it doesn't win on the functionality side

play17:38

um but if you if the guest likes it as

play17:41

an experience then way cool right

play17:43

um all the lights lamp switches they all

play17:45

have to work um

play17:46

we stopped using sleeper sofas

play17:48

combination of functionality and

play17:49

durability here they eventually break um

play17:52

sleeper sofas are hard to replace

play17:53

because they're heavy

play17:54

uh they break and they're hard to do

play17:57

maintenance on because they're kind of

play17:58

like

play17:59

weird and you have to find somebody

play18:00

who's like good at repairing them and

play18:02

if you can't effectively repair it it

play18:04

stops being couch

play18:05

right it just becomes like sunken in and

play18:07

like off center

play18:08

and they become problematic so if they

play18:10

if you lose the sleeper part of the sofa

play18:12

you lose the sofa part of the sofa so

play18:14

that's why we don't really like sleeper

play18:15

sofas anymore

play18:16

we've actually switched to rollaway beds

play18:18

um because

play18:19

they still break like sleeper sofas do

play18:22

but

play18:23

um they're easier to do maintenance on

play18:24

because you can remove it from the

play18:25

property and try to fix it and bring it

play18:27

back later

play18:27

they're easier to swap out because

play18:28

they're smaller and they roll and they

play18:30

roll out

play18:30

um and they're more modular right so you

play18:33

can have a love seat

play18:34

in a space that only had room for a love

play18:36

seat but then you can have a sleeper

play18:37

sofa like

play18:38

i mean a rollaway bed where you can

play18:40

still sleep an extra person with the

play18:41

roll-away bed

play18:42

didn't have room for like a whole couch

play18:43

but you had room for the like roll-away

play18:45

bed

play18:45

and that is something that you can do

play18:47

too especially with couches

play18:48

they're like this faux leather you may

play18:50

not want somebody sleeping on it so you

play18:51

don't want to list the couch as a

play18:52

sleeping space

play18:54

but you can have the roll-away bed and

play18:56

give somebody space to sleep in in the

play18:57

living room so that's another kind of

play18:58

pro tip

play18:59

is we're getting away from sleeper sofas

play19:00

and into rollaway beds for that reason

play19:03

so to kind of in reverse take a look at

play19:06

everything i kind of just dumped on you

play19:07

the most interacted with stuff on a

play19:10

property that you should plan

play19:11

for upkeep uh and breakage and stuff

play19:13

like that will be the couch

play19:15

the bed um the towels and the linens in

play19:18

the house

play19:18

the cups plates bowls utensils stuff

play19:22

like that

play19:22

the front door the carpet coming inside

play19:25

you know like that old stuff

play19:26

the stuff that is the least interacted

play19:28

with would be

play19:30

the fake plants uh would be the lights

play19:32

um

play19:33

the toaster probably rarely gets used

play19:35

but i mean they still get used

play19:37

um stuff like that uh stuff that it just

play19:39

kind of sits there and it's like hey

play19:40

that's nice so the art on the walls the

play19:42

decor

play19:42

the fake plants that stuff is rarely

play19:44

interacted with so that stuff

play19:45

just kind of lasts right so you should

play19:48

be keeping extra things on standby that

play19:50

are highly interacted with i recommend

play19:51

keeping a spare

play19:52

like smart tv on standby because if

play19:54

somebody steals it or breaks it you can

play19:56

just replace the tv

play19:57

um we're doing these extra couches that

play19:58

are modular so we can replace pieces of

play20:00

that

play20:00

we keep extra sheets and towels and

play20:02

stuff on standby

play20:03

and now here's a pro tip for that too

play20:05

guys is you

play20:07

you can do the white towels and linens

play20:09

and stuff and look really crisp and

play20:10

sharp and professional which i love i

play20:12

love that white crispy look

play20:14

but they're harder to maintain you gotta

play20:15

bleach them and stuff like that um you

play20:17

don't want to bleach them on site

play20:18

because then the washer could have

play20:19

bleach in it and you bleach your guests

play20:21

clothes and they get pissed and you have

play20:22

to replace those that would be bad

play20:24

so you would have to launder them

play20:26

off-site

play20:27

so that becomes a thing now you can use

play20:30

colored towels and stuff but then they

play20:33

may not seem as professional or as

play20:35

luxury and then there's a trade-off

play20:36

there

play20:36

but one thing you can do is if you want

play20:39

to justify using colored towels and

play20:41

colored sheets you can incorporate it

play20:42

into your design style

play20:44

so that way using a purple towels in a

play20:46

place that has like a good purple theme

play20:48

is like justified right now if you use

play20:51

white

play20:52

sheets uh be careful what colors you

play20:54

have you should probably use a blue

play20:56

if anything because um natural white

play20:59

sheets

play21:00

um kind of actually more dull than the

play21:03

vivid pearly white sheets that we all

play21:04

love they're like just

play21:05

like like pearly white teeth kind of

play21:07

white um those actually have a little

play21:09

bit of blue in them they're not actually

play21:11

a true white

play21:12

so if you want to wash white with

play21:14

something else probably choose a blue

play21:15

like a light blue

play21:16

um and that'll keep your white sheets

play21:18

lasting longer um so just keep that as a

play21:20

pro tip

play21:21

but if you want to use colors for

play21:22

everything then just justify your colors

play21:24

in your design style and you'll be good

play21:26

there

play21:27

now if you if with all this set you find

play21:29

yourself kind of like at a loss

play21:31

on budget um and you want to stick to

play21:34

that five thousand dollars and you want

play21:35

to buy some nice stuff and you want to

play21:36

do the accent walls and everything but

play21:37

you just don't have enough money to

play21:38

build up a whole place

play21:40

pro tip is you're actually designing the

play21:42

the place

play21:43

um for photos not for the space right so

play21:47

you are trying to make sure that the

play21:48

photos look good so if you can do two or

play21:50

three walls and make them look really

play21:51

good at certain angles

play21:52

that's good enough if you have to skip

play21:54

one wall and have like a basic

play21:55

wall that's fine but com like make sure

play21:58

that everything else is composed and

play21:59

good enough that you can get the photos

play22:01

that you need for the airbnb

play22:02

listing and then you can work on that

play22:03

wall later something like that

play22:05

um so coming in under budget means

play22:07

everything that you do

play22:08

do well think of it as photos first not

play22:11

the entire space

play22:12

um because if you do the wall with the

play22:13

headboard like with the bed um at that

play22:15

point then you're like able to

play22:17

um be able to get the photos of the bed

play22:20

at a couple different angles with the

play22:20

headboard the back wall with a cool

play22:22

backsplash or whatever spend all the

play22:24

money on that then if the rest of the

play22:26

room is generally basic that's gonna be

play22:28

okay to get started

play22:30

now um if there's things that you're not

play22:32

gonna slouch on money on

play22:34

don't slouch on the mattress and don't

play22:36

slouch on the pillows um and you

play22:37

probably also should make sure that

play22:38

you've got a decent quality of uh

play22:40

of like sheets on the bed too because

play22:42

the sleep experience in that in a home

play22:44

is probably the most important thing

play22:46

um the sleep experience is the most

play22:47

important now if you have a larger home

play22:49

too

play22:50

your cookware needs to be on point

play22:51

because people will be preparing meals

play22:53

and if they're cooking for family

play22:55

and that's a big thing for like their

play22:57

their family situation

play22:58

if a family can't cook like they

play23:01

normally would because they've got to

play23:02

work around like really dingy stuff

play23:04

that's going to give them a negative

play23:05

kitchen experience right so

play23:07

eating with family is a big experience

play23:10

think about greek culture italian

play23:11

culture just think just

play23:12

picture thanksgiving right you want to

play23:14

deliver on sleep quality and on bigger

play23:16

properties you want to deliver on

play23:17

kitchen quality those are big

play23:19

now the couch will get sat on a lot so

play23:21

couch cushions having good dense firm

play23:23

cushions

play23:23

it's probably gonna matter because

play23:24

otherwise they'll start to sink in and

play23:26

get old

play23:27

otherwise you have to have a plan to

play23:28

replace those cushions right so um keep

play23:30

certain things of quality the stuff that

play23:33

doesn't get interacted with just make

play23:34

sure it looks pretty

play23:35

now if you'd like to continue this

play23:36

conversation i welcome you to

play23:38

leave questions in the comments talk to

play23:40

me directly in the comments

play23:41

i manage those myself if you want to get

play23:44

a big

play23:45

like hearty response on something that

play23:47

you want like hosts

play23:48

opinions on like multiple hosts join my

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facebook group the hosts of airbnb

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automated there's over 16 000 people in

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there

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we talk about all sorts of stuff they're

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all super professional

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super helpful people and if you want to

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know what a lot of hosts think about

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something that's

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that's actually the best place on the

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internet to go for some good

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solid feedback thank you for watching

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this video i hope it was super helpful

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um in your journey as a short-term

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rental operator airbnb host

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small business owner uh if you need me

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find me and like on instagram hit me up

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in the dms

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as per usual i will see you on the other

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[Music]

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side

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