Earn an Extra $400 a week Hosting with Airbnb (Earn Money From Home Renting Out Your Extra Space)!

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Are you looking for a way to earn some extra money from home? Do you have an extra room in your home you could rent out to guests who are looking to visit your area? If so, you might want to consider hosting guests in your room through Airbnb! Some folks even rent out their Travel Trailers, or treehouse getaways. If you think you have a spot folks would be willing to stay, this could be an opportunity for you to earn some extra cash!

Airbnb, originally “Air Bed and Breakfast”, is a worldwide alternative to the traditional Hotel stay. People around the globe, in 191 countries, are offering up their homes as a place for you to book your next vacation. You can rent a spare bedroom downtown, a cottage on the beach, a treehouse , or even a houseboat with a view of the Eiffel Tower! The opportunities are endless, and half the fun is looking at all the cool places you can stay.

We were recently contacted by J.P., who helps people get started hosting through Airbnb, about sharing how folks can make extra income through the program. Normally we are a little hesitant about income earning opportunities, unless we know they are legit. In this case I (Sia) have an aunt who has been doing very well renting out rooms in her Edmonds home, and Jen has a friend who has been making a side income by renting out one of her rooms just for the summer. So, we know from others experiences that this is a legitimate way to earn income at home, and it might be a great fit for some of you too.

My Aunts Edmonds Suite (bedroom) 

My aunt lives in Edmonds, and there are not many hotels in her area. They had a spare room that they started renting out four years ago, and it was so popular they very quickly had it booked regularly. After a year of renting the first room with so much success (and they found it was a great fit for their lifestyle), they actually converted a second spare room into one that they now also rent on Airbnb, and it rents out regularly too! They have now been part of the program for 4 years, and in my aunts words “We love Airbnb”.

When my aunt is out of town, my mom stays in their home to run the rooms and make sure guests get in, rooms are clean etc. So, not only does my aunt make a nice income off the renting, she makes enough to pay someone else to help maintain the rooms, etc. My kids and I have stayed over at her place a few times when their were Airbnb guests on site, and its been a lot of fun. We have had opportunities to visit and recommend nearby restaurants, etc. for guests.

These last three images are of their 2 room guest suite that they rent out for $150 night (right up from Edmonds waterfront). It would be hard to find a suite this beautiful and spacious in a hotel for that rate (with waterfront views)!

In the Seattle area we found everything from single rooms renting out starting at $71 a night, to house boats for $500 night. Many folks add on the cleaning fee too, so you really could make some extra spending cash. Its something you could do year round, or just for specific dates or seasons that work for your family (like Jens friend who does it only during the summer season).

These guys rent out their travel trailer in their backyard for $100 a night!

Here are more details on how Hosting with Airbnb works:

The process of listing your spare room, MIL, or entire home with Airbnb is simple and safe. While some Northwesterners are making $60,000+/year with their listings the average host in Seattle is making an extra $400/week! That is an extra $1,600 / month, just for making some of your space available!

People host for many reasons:

• Some use Airbnb to pay their mortgage or other bills, save for their retirement or kids’ education, or even pay for their own vacations.
• Others use it because they love connecting with guests from around the world.

The beauty of hosting with Airbnb is in the flexibility that it offers. You can host however you’d like. Host while you are away or when you are home. Choose how long and when guests can stay with you. Some people open up their homes just a couple weeks out of the year, while others rent out their space all year long.

You can also review potential guests profiles before accepting their inquiry. You can have guests stay in a spare room, your entire house, or any space intended for lodging where your guests would feel welcome!

Liability issues are a concern for some, so here is why hosting with Airbnb is great:

What if my guest slips and falls down my stairs? What if someone accidentally breaks my sliding glass door or worse yet my ceramic Owl cookie jar I made in the third grade? What if I don’t get paid due to a payment processing error?

First, each host is protected with a “$1 million dollar host guarantee” for any damages to the property. Second, Host Protect Insurance provides $1 million dollars of liability coverage for any incident on site during a registered stay. Third, Airbnb offers a secure messaging and payment platform, verified ID for hosts and guests, and a Resolution Center that allows hosts to send or receive money related to an Airbnb trip. And lastly, they have great 24 hour/day 7 day/week Customer Service team ready to answer your calls.

J.P. is local to the Seattle area, a new father and husband, and has recently been named Seattle’s first AirAmbassador’s with Airbnb!

FREE Consultation with J.P. to learn more about how hosting might work for you!

You may be thinking “I’ve got that extra bedroom downstairs… Our house will be empty for couple of weeks this summer… I’d love to meet some new and interesting people! Or I can use some extra income to pay for my underwater basket weaving lessons” $400/week is the average earnings of hosts in the Greater Seattle area. What are you going to do with this extra income?

There are countless stories of people who never in a million years thought they’d be paying their mortgage by renting their space, or paying for their vacation while on vacation! But there are even more stories of people who came up with a zillion excuses.

J.P. will help you Kickstart your Airbnb listing! He is offering a free consultation, “Hosting 101 Toolkit”, and Access to the new Mentor Host Program to get you started! J.P. is Seattle’s first AirAmbassador’s with Airbnb, so he knows his stuff when it comes to the program. He will discuss with you:

• How to get started?
• What to expect?
• Tips and Tricks for maximizing your listing

To setup a conference call and/or receive the Toolkit send an email to me, J.P. Dennis your local Airbnb Ambassador at [email protected], or fill out this form here.

As an added bonus just for Thrifty Northwest Mom readers, J.P. is giving you $200 bonus when you create your listing and get your first booking through this link here! The $200 bonus is for new listings in the greater Seattle area (within 30 miles of Seattle proper).

PLUS, get an Airbnb $30 Travel Credit when you book your first stay through J.P.! 

If you are new to Airbnb you can create a new account and get $30 off a future Airbnb stay (its a travel credit, so you will get the $30 off for a future stay, after you book your first night through the link here) when you go through this link here: www.airbnb.com/c/jpd95

This is a great offer, as Airbnb stays are often more budget friendly then standard hotels to start with, especially if you are traveling with a larger family.  Airbnb can be especially frugal when planning trips for groups of 4 or more, as many hotel rooms these days only accommodate up to 4 people, so you will need to rent two hotel rooms or a suite once you have over 4 people. We found rooms in the Seattle area starting at around $70, so this could make for a great deal!

This Leavenworth Cabin will sleep 10 for $175 night 

We recently heard from J.P. (its his business that is offering the $30 discount for you all), whose family booked with Airbnb, that rather than spending $100-$150/night per room ($200-$300/night) at the local hotel for their larger family, they booked a beautiful two bedroom cabin overlooking the water in La Conner, with a fully stocked kitchen, a hot tub, and even a kayak for $160/night! Not only were they able to save money, but he said their experience was much more spacious, private, and enjoyable.

If you are interested in earning the $30 travel credit, be sure to sign up for an Airbnb account here.

Disclosure: this post was sponsored by J.P., who is Seattle’s first AirAmbassador’s with Airbnb! All thoughts (and my personal experience with the program) are 100% my own.