- Alexi McKinley rents out her home and lives in a trailer in her driveway for a few weeks every month.
- Her family makes up to $9,500 a month from vacation-rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alexi McKinley, a 26-year-old entrepreneur in Marysville, Washington. Insider has verified her income with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
In September 2018, I got laid off from my job as an account manager for a cybersecurity-consulting firm and started as a corporate sales manager for a Marriott hotel. I learned about hospitality, revenue strategy, where to network, contracts and negotiation, and that client experience is everything.
In January 2020, I took my maternity leave and never went back. My husband is self-employed and supported us through his construction and tractor-services company.
Scaling back to a one-household salary was not easy, so I started a consulting business and began posting on social media about my cystic-acne journey, which grew my TikTok following to 480,000 followers.
We also started renting out our home to make some extra income. Now we spend around two weeks every month living in our trailer so we can rent out our house on Airbnb and VRBO.
Our average nightly rate is $600 in peak season and $450 in the slow season. In our first year of short-term renting our house, we almost fully replaced my former corporate income of $45,000. Here's how we set up the business.
After our wedding in 2017, we purchased a 2008 18-foot KZ Coyote for $7,000 before our annual camping trip with friends
We primarily used this trailer for camping, but we did live in it for a couple months while our house was being built.
By the time the next camping trip rolled around, we were expecting our second child and needed something that could accommodate all four of us. We specifically looked for a trailer with a bunk house and a closing door, so it would feel like we had two bedrooms.
In October 2020, the perfect trailer came up on Craigslist: a 2018 32-foot MPG travel trailer. We toured it, immediately fell in love with it, and bought it for $23,000 the same day, thanks to a loan from my grandparents.
In July 2020, my cousin told me about a family she knew in Alaska who rented their home in the summer and made $60,000
We thought that sounded like crazy money, and we were in desperate need of income by that point. It was the middle of the pandemic and the future was very uncertain. Our goal was just to pay our mortgage every month with Airbnb.
Airbnb requires five photos to start. We used iPhone photos for our listings, and the key is making them as clear, clean, and bright as possible. We uploaded photos to Airbnb and VRBO and set the listings live. Forty-eight hours later, we got two back-to-back weeklong bookings, and our mortgage was paid for the month.
We furnished every bedroom with new sheets, new comforters, matching bed frames, and decor. We went to Costco and bought new pots, pans, utensils, a paper-towel holder, and water to stock the fridge. We bought packs of sponges, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and blow dryers for the bathrooms. Anything we replaced found a new home in the trailer, which was nice because it already felt familiar when making the move.
We moved all of our personal items into the locked master bedroom or the garage, which we used as personal storage. We simplified the house and rid it of anything fragile or important to us. We cleared the pantry and refrigerator except for items like flour and spices.
I created systems for our daily belongings that were traveling back and forth, like a shower caddy for skincare, oral care, hair tools, and accessories. We transport all of our clothes back and forth in giant reusable grocery bags. We just pack what we want depending on how long the Airbnb guests are staying.
The final step was to clean the house from floor-to-ceiling. Our first renters told us we had the cleanest rental they'd ever stayed in, and that's still a common response in most of our reviews today.
Setting up listings on Airbnb and VRBO is pretty easy
The first thing they want to know is how many beds, bathrooms, and bedrooms you have, and what amenities you provide. What makes you stand out in the area? What's there to do locally? All of this determines how you'll stack up against your local competition.
I recommend theming or branding your house. Our house is themed "The Woodlands PNW," which ties in local culture, greens, and an overall woodsy vibe. You don't have to start out with everything set up, painted, or perfect. Begin with what you can and continue adding as your revenue increases. My husband and I reinvest everything back into the house. It also increases your home value if you ever decide to sell.
I prefer Airbnb because it seems to have my back more as the host. For example, we've had a couple guests throw unauthorized parties, and Airbnb was a lot more helpful with solving the issue than VRBO.
Your cover photo and title of your listing should highlight your most exciting amenities to draw in potential guests
We have a covered outdoor living space with a fire table and a hot tub that guests can use year-round. Give guests detailed descriptions of what they can expect from the second they walk into your house. Expand on what makes your space special and answer any questions people may have.
When it comes to pricing, search for Airbnbs in your area. Who's your competition and how do you stack up? Would your listing make you click? Be realistic about where you sit in the market and price yourself accordingly at the low or high end of that spectrum.
It's also important to create a revenue strategy for weekends, holidays, and booking discounts. I learned how to do this when I worked for Marriott. We'd sit in meetings every Tuesday looking at our competitors' rates, evaluating what events are coming to the local area, what travel holidays are happening and shift our rates accordingly. These can all be set up automatically in Airbnb.
I don't mind living in our trailer, but it can get cramped
None of our guests have seemed to care that we're in the driveway, and a lot of them even invite us over to hang out with them on the back patio. My husband usually takes them up on it, but I'm a bit more introverted and like to keep a distance for business purposes.
We have to be strategic about utilizing space where we can. I do all of my work in my car or at Starbucks. My husband cooks outside on his Blackstone. We've purchased things to stay organized like a hanging jewelry holder and bins for pens, notepads, mail, and my makeup. We have a place for everything, but we still end up dancing around each other a lot.
There aren't a lot of places to stretch out, the walls are extremely thin, and sometimes going outside is not an option, especially in Washington's rainy winters. It's also hard not having a washer and dryer. We end up bringing our laundry with us to all of our friends' and families' houses and hand-washing dishes.
One of the coolest things about this business is we've been able to travel a lot. Last year we traveled to Nashville, Maui, Huntington Beach, New York, Idaho, and Arizona.
On average, we make anywhere from $3,000 to $5,700 a month, with our highest month being more than $9,500 in July 2021. Our mortgage is $2,700 a month, so it's always covered. We pay our cleaner $150 per turnover, but sometimes we still end up doing it ourselves to save a buck.
Here are my top-3 pieces of advice for new hosts
- Good communication will save you in the long run. Be transparent in what your listing offers, your expectations as a host, and what the guest should expect of you. Respond to criticism and bad reviews. Setting up an automated-message sequence will save you time, make your guest feel supported, and foster good communication.
- Don't skip on thoughtful details. A handwritten note, welcome gift, extra toiletries, and even a good smell will make all the difference. People want to know what they're walking into, and you set the tone from the moment they read your description. Adding the extra touches when they arrive at the house adds to your guest experience.
- Find a good cleaner. Especially if you plan on traveling while you have guests in your house. They should be able to do a walk-through, check for damage, and report back between guests. This can be critical if something happens between guests and it's not caught.