When buying a house, many people decide on a property with an extra bedroom or two, just in case friends or family come to visit. Often, we overestimate the frequency of such an occurrence, meaning the spare bedroom is empty for about 360 days a year.
Why not make a little extra money and rent that room out on Airbnb?
It’s a fantastic side hustle that takes very little extra work. A few pictures and a decent write-up is all you really need to get started. It’s likely you’ve already got all the needed supplies, and it only takes a few minutes to straighten up after a guest leaves. Besides, it’s easy to charge guests a small cleaning fee to make it worth your time.
An enterprising host can even create more revenue opportunities by charging for a home cooked dinner or breakfast, or taking the guest around to their city’s top sites.
Yes, there’s potential for, uh, unfavorable guests, but Airbnb veterans will tell you those instances are few and far between. Most guests are regular people who would rather stay in someone else’s house because it costs less or the location is good. And remember, Airbnb has insurance to cover destructive guests.
There’s plenty of flexibility for Airbnb hosts, too. If you have a friend coming by or just want a break from the lifestyle, no problem. Just list your place as unavailable.
Renting out already empty space can be an incredibly easy side hustle that has the benefit of meeting interesting people from around the world.
