The Million Dollar Host

In under three years, Julie George went from listing her one-bedroom apartment on Airbnb to running a successful property management company that turned over $5.5M. So, how did Julie scale from one to 130 units in 19 months? And how can you follow in her footsteps to become a million-dollar host?Julie George is the founder of Host My Home, Queensland’s top short-term rental (STR) property management company. She leveraged her background in hospitality, marketing and real estate sales to help property owners replicate the success she had hosting on Airbnb. In June 2019, Julie sold Host My Home, and today, she travels the world and runs Million Dollar Host, a consulting platform designed to help aspiring Airbnb entrepreneurs grow their business. Julie is also the author of Million Dollar Host: Julie’s Airbnb Portfolio Earned Over a Million Dollars in Her First Year … Yours Can Too!On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Julie joins me to share her Airbnb origin story and explain how she built, scaled and sold Host My Home. She offers advice on optimizing your revenue as a STR host and walks us through her process for onboarding a new property. Listen in for Julie’s insight on maintaining total control of the listings you manage and learn how YOU can get into the Airbnb property management game!Topics CoveredJulie’s Airbnb origin storyTenant moved out of 1BR apartmentList on Airbnb (from $240 to $600/week)Help others with property managementWhere Julie’s STR business was locatedCairns, Queensland, near Great Barrier ReefTourism hub w/ demand for accommodationsJulie’s journey to building Host My HomeHelp property investors buy vacation homesEstablish self as local expert through articlesHire cohosts in January 2018 (up to 15 STRs)Scale to 130 properties, $5.5M by June 2019How Julie sold her property management companyWriting Million Dollar Host generated buzzTook offer from Hometime, sold June 2019Julie’s tips for optimizing revenue on AirbnbUse fresh photos + floor plans, good contentOffer extras (e.g.: coffee machines, bicycles)Keep minimum nightly stay low to fill 100%Keep eye on competitors, research ratesJulie’s process for onboarding a new propertyEstablish realistic expectations IN WRITINGCover what clean entails, consumables, etc.The opportunity to get into the management gameNovelty wears off quickly for new hostsGet message out re: services you offerHow the STR landscape has changed since 2016More competition means work harderAdditional education, support availableJulie’s advice for aspiring property managersMaintain total control of listing (vs. cohost)JUST DO ITConnect with JulieMillion Dollar HostEmail [email protected] Dollar Host: Julie’s Airbnb Portfolio Earned Over a Million Dollars in Her First Year … Yours Can Too! by Julie GeorgeGet Paid for Your Pad: How to Maximize Profit from Your Airbnb Listing by Jasper Ribbers and Huzefa KapadiaHost My HomeFloorplannerHometimeHost 2019STR Legends LiveTo subscribe to the podcast, please use the links belowClick Here to Subscribe via iTunesClick here to Subscribe via Stitcher (Android users)If you like the show, please consider leaving the show a review in iTunesor Stitcher. A couple minutes of your time can help the show immensely! Thanks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.