How I Started an AirBnB Business
Real quick…before we dive in…if you’d like to listen to this story while you fold laundry, clean the kitchen or drive to your next appointment, I’ve got you covered! Here’s a quick video where I share the details of this post. You can easily listen to it in the background and pop into this blog post to see the pictures when you’ve got the time! Enjoy! Happy Wholehearted Hosting, friend!
Part One
I could feel the shift coming.
I was regularly hosting events in my home and couldn’t help but notice how many were walking around with wide eyes and lots of questions. “You did this yourself? How did you do this? Do you help other people design their homes?” It just kept happening!
When we were house hunting, we knew we wanted a fixer upper. We were itching to breath new life into something that had been lost and forgotten. And boy did we find exactly what we were looking for! The home was a custom build back in 1973. Every detail was top notch in its day and all the original features were in place. From the chocolate brown double ovens to the avocado green light fixtures. It was all there. The windows had original custom blinds and curtains and the wood panelling was still intact in all its glory. It was truly something to behold.
This was the original kitchen, complete with chocolate brown double ovens and avocado green light features!
Another view of the kitchen. One of my favorite parts was the skylights. You can’t see them here, but they offer great natural light!
We went through it big time to actually buy the house. We had to get a special kind of loan to cover the renovations and it took time. We sold our house and had to move in with my parents...not knowing if we’d actually get the vintage treasure we were hoping for. Talk about a time of testing!
The living room. Wood paneling, custom built-ins, custom curtains…the carpet was brand new, but everything else was original.
One of the simplest things you can add to your STR that helps your guests feel empowered with the information most important for their stay AND relieves the pressure you feel to make sure they have all they need is a simple info sheet posted in a central location.
Maybe you’d like to keep it EXTA simple and use mine! You can check it out in my shop by clicking below…it comes with a short Cavna tutorial so you’ll know exactly how to customize it to your unique Short Term Rental.
Happy Wholehearted Hosting, friend!
We got the house!
As I’m sure you’ve concluded, we did get that house. And renovations started right away. We gutted the kitchen, stripped the floors, tore down walls and lived through every minute of it. Did I mention we had a one year old and got a puppy soon after moving in? And we were both working full time outside of the home at that time. It was a wild adventure! I was lucky if I came home to a utility sink hooked up in the bare cave that was supposed to be my kitchen at the end of the day. Our fridge and microwave were plugged in in the soon to be dining room...with a folding table set up as a countertop. We had really gone all in.
And it was so very worth it! We did a good chunk of the work ourselves and had help from a contractor to get the big parts done. But I got to design every detail. It was truly magical to see this house take on a whole new life and become a home. Wouldn’t change the journey for anything in the world!
Our fully renovated kitchen! We opened it all up, tore down a wall, converted a window to French doors and redid all the flooring. Tom and Dad made the custom pantry doors. Tom also built the concrete island, the open shelving and wood trim features. This truly is the heart of our home!
The next adventure was taking shape…
Fast forward about three years and we invited our amazing realtor back to see the house. This beautiful human walked through thirty (yes, thirty!) properties with us when we were house hunting. Seriously, the fact that she endured all those fixer uppers with us...she’s a keeper. If you’re looking for a good Albuquerque realtor, I’ve shared the link to her profile at the end of this blog post.
Anyways, she came one day to see our home and said something to me I’ll never forget: this was the best renovation she’d ever seen. She’s been in the real estate world for 20+ years. It was at that moment that I knew for sure a shift was coming. I started exploring my options in the interior design space.
Our living room, post renovation. There was once a wall between the living room and kitchen, now they flow together perfectly. We painted the paneling and built-ins, laid new flooring and Tom built a custom concrete slap for the fireplace. I’m happy to report that it no longer feels like a cave!
What was once a formal sitting room was transformed into a perfect dining room! This reclaimed wood table is twelve feet long! We chose chandeliers and had recessed lighting installed. We love to host Thanksgiving at our house these days! Tom also built those floating shelves.
Stay tuned for more!
I’ll share how I got started in interior design with no formal background in next week’s post! Stay tuned!
Looking for a great realtor in Albuquerque? Click here to connect with Julie, the realtor who helped us find this home!