I've made my first money off Airbnb!
Not a lot - about $150 net. We're not in a touristy area, and only have a tiny single room in a shabby house with 2 crazy dogs. But that's okay, any extra is a bonus. Especially given lots of recent and upcoming expenses (two weddings, two friends both expecting babies, one expensive stag do, plus dog behaviourist consulting). And as the universe would have it, the exact week of the first booking, a friend wound up needing a place to stay. So, Airbnb is back on hold while we have a flatmate for now.
Our guest wanted to book a second short stint after arriving, and so we arranged that off the site. But man, do I feel awkward handling cash - the actual exchange, the handover. I gotta say, it's more work than expected too - the laundry, the working to keep the house cleaner than usual, even always closing the bathroom door. Not to mention all the dang time spent setting up the listing online, researching the market, and organising payout to my bank account! Paypal is great - whether you want to receive or transfer money overseas it's super convenient - but I figured that bypassing Paypal would save me a couple bucks in fees to receive the payments.
