When Kristine Dowhan bought a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home, she planned to fill the extra rooms with roommates.
She paid off debt, negotiated raises and looked for every discount that would help her get approved.
By the time she finally closed on her home, she had a special connection to it.
Kristine Dowhan decorated the rooms in her home with furniture she found for free on Craigslist. Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder
Her first roommates, not as much.
Shes also learned some universal truths that anyone whos thinking about becoming an Airbnb host should know.
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1.
You Dont Have to Spend a Fortune
Buying a house isnt cheap.
She decided every piece of furniture she brought in would be something she found for free on Craigslist.
She waited patiently to find good-quality free furniture.
She found a free bunk bed, two twin beds, two king-size beds and a crib.
It only took six months to fully furnish the house.
The lesson: Dont feel pressured to have everything perfect.
you could start simple and grow with your business.
Did you know?
Expect the Unexpected
Some guests are really cool, but some not so much.
Shes also met some great people who left their mark via nice notes in her guest book.
Every guest is different, so you have to be prepared.
So she got really good at cleaning it herself.
The three bedrooms and two bathrooms took her anywhere from six to eight hours to clean.
If guests left it pristine, she could be done in four hours.
The one time college kids trashed her house, it took her four days.
But thanks to her buffer, she had that time.
Make a Plan
Airbnb was never her long-term plan.
Over 18 months, Dowhan received several raises, and she recently got married.
Dowhan knew she could put up with the inconveniences of hosting because she saw the bigger picture.
Jen Smith is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
She gives money-saving and debt-payoff tips on Instagram at @savingwithspunk.
