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They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. Sometimes, a picture can be worth $1,000, too.
Consider online hospitality company Airbnb. Earlier this summer, the company revealed the most “wish-listed” properties on Airbnb for each county in Florida.
The properties represent listings users viewed and saved for later; places where people were impressed by photographs; and information about the rentals.
On the west coast of Florida, two properties stand out — the most wish-listed property in Lee County and the most wish-listed property in Polk County. The two listings, for starters, run the gamut in terms of size.
The Lee County unit is 2,200 square feet — the entire first floor of a Key West-style home. The owner, Dan Grahl, tells Coffee Talk he built the two-story house and lived there for several years before deciding to rent it out. Cypress and pine trees surround the Fort Myers house. “As gorgeous as the pictures are, invariably when they get here and look around, they say it’s even prettier than the photographs,” Grahl gushes.
The first floor (and the second floor, which he’s also started renting out) is well-booked into the near future.
The secret to maintaining most wish-listed status? Grahl says, No. 1, it’s about having a unique property. Then you have to have really good photographs. “I’ve had a number of people tell me when they saw the first photo," he says, "they were hooked.”
On the other end of the size spectrum is the most wish-listed Polk County property. It’s a tiny house, coming in at 7 by 18 feet.
“I think when people are traveling now, they are including where they stay as part of the experience,” says Anna Ashie, who owns and manages the tiny house, about 20 minutes away from Legoland. “We find that a lot of people are really interested in tiny house living.”
Ashie adds that since Airbnb's most wish-listed report was released, she’s seen more interest and traffic.
To be a successful Airbnb host, Ashie says it’s key to focus on the customer experience. “It’s different than a hotel," she tells Coffee Talk, "because you’re inviting someone into your own space to live like a local and experience the area in the way that you enjoy the area.”
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