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Post by High Priestess on Sept 20, 2016 15:30:01 GMT
I want to highlight two new(ish) websites where the site creator or company is actively seeking new listings, as well as a third older one that I think is useful. The first is "Home Escape", which started around August 2016 and it seems you can list with them for free. I am in the process of signing up now... fund it at www.homeescape.comThe other is "Traquo" which is a new site also created in the last few weeks, by a host, and she is actively seeking more properties to profile and do articles on. One can either put one's Airbnb listing there or one's property website, if you have your own website. Find this one at traquo.com/Note that on traquo The site creator is the one who has to put your listing on --- you will not be able to put it on directly --- she may give you that option later ---she's also going to add a navigation menu when she gets more listings on there The third is an older site that's been around awhile is "Sabbatical Homes", which is a great site if you live near a major university. It's oriented to academics seeking short term or middle term (several months long) housing near universities, but is actually used by many nonacademics as well. Find it at www.sabbaticalhomes.com
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Post by maria on Sept 20, 2016 21:39:30 GMT
Deborah, most of these sites are for entire-places. The only one I saw similar to ABB (for rooms) is Traquo. Is this correct?
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Post by High Priestess on Sept 20, 2016 23:19:39 GMT
Maria Sabbatical Homes is not just for whole places. They have more of those, but one can list rooms there too. I haven't looked into Home Escape enough yet to know what they do. I plan to sign up...hope it's not just whole places allowed. I just looked on Home Escape and it isn't only whole places. HEre's a room in San Francisco for instance: www.homeescape.com/vacation-rental/60290000/
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Post by maria on Sept 21, 2016 15:00:43 GMT
Deborah, my only concern (so far) is how reliable will these 2 companies be for paying Hosts.
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Post by High Priestess on Sept 21, 2016 15:06:51 GMT
Maria, on all these three sites, the site isn't involved in the finances. That's the whole point of being independent -- the guest pays the host directly. The whole difference between a standard THird Party STR Platform and a more independent website is that on the latter, hosts can put anything and everything in their listing -- contact info, their website, everything -- and they deal directly with the guest. The website creator is just a bulletin board, they don't get involved in the transaction.
However, I just heard from someone who signed up on Home Escape that Home Escape is now offering that guests can pay thru their site. So that to me isn't good news because to me it could indicate the erosion of independence of the host. But perhaps the option is still there for host to ask guest to pay directly.
This is what Home Escape says on their site:
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Post by maria on Sept 21, 2016 15:35:28 GMT
I checked one of the websites you mentioned, had to re-read again. You have to pay them.
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Post by High Priestess on Sept 21, 2016 16:10:40 GMT
YEs, Sabbatical HOmes you do have to pay -- but it's a very low amount. Only $65 for the entire year, no matter how much business you do thru them. So, compared to Airbnb's 3% service fee....that would be equivalent to the service fee you'd pay Airbnb for making about $2200 in one year. So if you make $15,000 in one year on Airbnb you'd pay Airbnb $450 in service fees, versus only $65 to Sabbatical Homes.
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