Thanks For Visiting Airbnb Superhosts Annette Grant & Sarah Karakaian

This week’s expert guest is Kristie Wolfe, creative off-grid builder and short-term rental superstar. With her one-of-a-kind projects, her focus is on creating unforgettable guest experiences, not just accommodations.
Kristie is not only the builder in her business, she is also the designer, and she crafts some of Airbnb's most sought-after wishlist stays. She has several tree houses, a hobbit hole, a cocoon cottage, a shipwreck, and even a potato hotel – properties which have earned thousands of five-star reviews as the main attraction to niche travelers from all over the world.
Our chat with Kristie is one of the most entertaining and educational we’ve ever had!
We get all the juicy details about her first treehouse build in the Hawaiian jungle, that time she bought a shipwreck on Craigslist, touring the country to promote Idaho Potatoes, and so many other memorable and meaningful stories from across her accomplished career.
The creative nuggets in this one are uber inspiring – packed with a zest for life and artistic expression that you’ll hear in Kristie’s voice. But she doesn’t stop there! About halfway through this one, she drops the mic with several solid gold operational tidbits that will change how you think about running your short-term rental business.
For years, we’ve had Kristie Wolfe atop our list of dream podcast guests – and, dear listeners, she delivered in a major way. We’re so thankful for her spending her valuable time with us today and look forward to following along with her latest treehouse museum project.
(00:01:27) #STRShareSunday: @ae.premiumrentals
(00:03:35) Introducing: Creative Builder, Kristie Wolfe
(00:12:35) Building a Short-Term Rental in the Jungle
(00:19:32) Kristie Wolfe’s Eclectic Portfolio of Rental Properties
(00:26:54) Pro Tips on Juggling Hosting While Completing Builds
(00:41:45) One-of-a-Kind Listings: Cocoon Cottage & Shipwreck House
(00:50:47) Kristie’s Advice for STR Hosts & Aspiring Builders
Resources:
• #STRShareSunday: @ae.premiumrentals
• Instagram: @kristiemaewolfe
• Website: kristiewolfe.com
• LinkTree: linktr.ee/kristiemaewolfe
• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com
• Video: How to Design Your First Airbnb - Essentials
Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.
Mentioned in this episode:
Hostfully | Go to https://www.hostfully.com/influencers/thanks-for-visiting/ and use TFV100 to get $100 off your subscription.
Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!
Host Checklist | Grab our Airbnb Essentials Checklist and make stocking your Airbnb a breeze – we've got all your hosting needs covered!
Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.
Kendra asks:
We purchased a property, my husband's pipe dream, in western Wisconsin on the trout streams where he grew up fishing. We launched it on Airbnb and VRBO in March. It's called the Trimbelle Cottage and we've had good success with consistent bookings and buzz in the area since that time.
We had someone reach out asking to book it as a mid-term rental from November through March of next year. I believe those would be our slower months anyway. But it's hard to know because we haven't had it on the market for a whole year yet.
We're trying to decide if it's best for us to go for what seems to be a safer mid-term route. Do we risk losing ground in the STR market, on the algorithm, Instagram, or word of mouth?
We would love to hear your thoughts on the pros and cons of taking a mid-term rental vs. keeping it on the STR market through the down season. Thank you so much.
(00:03:01) Should We Convert to Mid-Term for Our Slow Rental Season?
(00:04:34) Understanding Risk & Knowing Your Why
(00:05:14) The (Harsh) Realities of Today’s Mid-Term Rental Market
(00:06:21) Prioritize Running Your Numbers with PriceLabs
(00:07:39) Nurture Existing Guest Leads: All of Them!
(00:10:19) Specific Prep & Comms for a Mid-Term Pivot
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, submit your burning hosting questions at: hostinghotline.com.
Resources:
• PriceLabs Free Trial
• Video: 3 Analytics Airbnb Hosts Need to be Tracking
• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com
Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.
Mentioned in this episode:
StayFi | Go to www.stayfi.com and enter TFV to get 50% off your first three months.
Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!

Today’s expert guests are Austin and Karlee Phippen, operators of an expanding portfolio of hospitality brands and businesses in scenic Northern New Mexico. Starting in just 2019, they’ve already built an empire in Chama – from boutique hotel rooms, a 16-room motel, a dozen co-hosted properties, and a sprawling ranch wedding venue.
With Austin’s background in construction, and Karlee’s formal education and experience in the hospitality industry, magic was bound to be made when these two teamed up. We hear all about how they took on the motel project, detail the fairytale love story behind their wedding venue, unpack how they collected a dozen co-hosting deals, and explain how they keep it all together – in their hearts, minds, and in their paperwork.
As members of our Hosting Business Mastery Method membership, we’ve had front-row seats to Austin and Karlee’s growth (and many challenges) along the way. We’re so excited to bring that story to the larger hosting community today.
(00:01:29) #STRShareSunday: @bluebirddaycottagemarin
(00:03:12) Thanks For Visiting Content Announcements
(00:06:14) Pairing a Wedding Venue with a Motel
(00:15:32) Renovating, Repairing, Remodeling & Running a Remote Motel
(00:21:55) Detailing Their Expanding Business Model
(00:30:45) Current-Day Operations at Chama Trails Motel
(00:38:31) A Classic Love Story at Log River Ranch
(00:41:10) Division of Time, Labor & Profits
Resources:
• #STRShareSunday: @bluebirddaycottagemarin
• Chama Trails Motel: chamatrailsmotel.com
• Instagram: @chamatrailsmotel
• Sterling & Sage Lofts: sterlingandsagechama.com
• Turquoise Antler Co-Hosting: turquoiseantler.com
• Log River Ranch Wedding Venue: logriverranch.com
• Instagram: @logriverranch
• Video: How to Become an Airbnb Co-Host
• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com
Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.
Mentioned in this episode:
Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!
Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!
Host Checklist | Grab our Airbnb Essentials Checklist and make stocking your Airbnb a breeze – we've got all your hosting needs covered!
Hostfully | Go to https://www.hostfully.com/influencers/thanks-for-visiting/ and use TFV100 to get $100 off your subscription.

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.
Bri asks:
How do I prepare guests for nuisance neighbors? I have a neighbor who lives two houses down and he is senile. He does get really chatty and he has doomsday stories.
The other day, my guest engaged in conversation with him, and the story is always the same about wanting to get rid of the drug dealers in the neighborhood, and the prostitution, and all of these sorts of things. It made my guest so uncomfortable that she sent me a message.
It used to be a rough neighborhood. Now, it's an up-and-coming neighborhood, but it still looks rough around the edges. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm not sure how to relay that to my guests. Thanks for your wisdom.
(00:02:08) Dealing with Chatty Neighbors at Your Short-Term Rental
(00:04:05) Your Guest’s Experience is Most Important
(00:08:49) Impress Airbnb Guests with Transparency & Honesty
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, submit your burning hosting questions at: hostinghotline.com.
Resources:
• Relevant Video: How to Improve Check-In Experience for Airbnb Guests
• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!
• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com
Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.
Mentioned in this episode:
Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!
StayFi | Go to www.stayfi.com and enter TFV to get 50% off your first three months.

Today’s expert guest (and one of our new business partners!) is Mike Navarro of Columbus, Ohio. Mike and his wife Ingrid entered the residential market as first-time homebuyers and have since expanded into multi-family housing, constructing single-family homes ranging from 400 sqft to 4500 sq ft. Their diverse portfolio comprises over 20 units, including single-family homes, multi-units, and condos, with a total real estate holding value of $10 million.
We chat with Mike today to lay the groundwork for a series of episodes in which we’ll be detailing our newfound property partnership together – the plan, the preparation, and everything in between – in as much detail as we possibly can.
In this one, you get the skinny on Mike and his wife, as we cover the background of their incredible scalability and unlimited energy. We get vulnerable about our own thought processes before, during, and after the deal closed only a few short weeks ago, and we get excited (well, most of us) about the next steps – surveys, utilities, operations, branding, marketing, oh my!
So many of you ask us about partnerships – consider this episode just the tip of the iceberg on a deeply personal case study illustrating our take on the process, and how we go about our decision making challenges along the way.
(00:01:26) #STRShareSunday: @timbercovehideaway
(00:02:54) Introducing Columbus STR Expert: Mike Navarro
(00:14:00) What Made Them Switch to STRs?
(00:22:28) How Sarah, Annette & Mike First Crossed Paths
(00:25:24) Mike Navarro’s New-Build Property Experience
(00:32:36) Deal Maker: How (and Why) We Became STR Partners
(00:47:39) Reviewing Our Final Land Acquisition Deal
Resources:
• #STRShareSunday: @timbercovehideaway
• Website: rowehouserentals.com
• Instagram: @rowerentals
• Thanks For Visiting Org Chart: Free Download
• Relevant Video: We Bought Our First Airbnb Together: Part 1
• Relevant Video: We Bought Our First Airbnb Together: Part 2 - Renovation & Updates
• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!
• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com
Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.
Mentioned in this episode:
Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!
Host Checklist | Grab our Airbnb Essentials Checklist and make stocking your Airbnb a breeze – we've got all your hosting needs covered!
Hostfully | Go to https://www.hostfully.com/influencers/thanks-for-visiting/ and use TFV100 to get $100 off your subscription.
Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.
A listener asks:
We are about ready to launch our first short-term rental on the beach. I've been vetting cleaning companies and have been a little surprised to learn of common standard practices related to washing (or not) the top layer of bedding.
It seems like most cleaners don't wash that regularly, which to be honest, gave me the heebie-jeebies. Is that standard practice in the industry? To me, that needs to be turned over between each guest. Do I need to wash them myself?
Any other wisdom that you have on bedding, number of layers, quilts vs duvets – really providing a high quality, comfortable, luxury experience for the guests – would be appreciated.
(00:01:51) When Do Airbnb Hosts Wash the Top Layer of Bedding?
(00:03:53) Training Your Turnover Team to Your Cleaning Standards
(00:05:27) Pro Bedding Tips for Successful Airbnb Hosts
(00:09:30) How To Protect Your Pillows in a Short-Term Rental
(00:10:08) Sarah’s Tried-and-True Airbnb Blanket & Sheet Strategy
(00:11:25) White Bedding?! Yes, White Bedding
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, submit your burning hosting questions at: hostinghotline.com.
Resources:
• Shop our recommendations at HostGPO
• Video: How to Clean Your Airbnb - A Walkthrough for New Airbnb Hosts
• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!
• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com
Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.
Mentioned in this episode:
StayFi | Go to www.stayfi.com and enter TFV to get 50% off your first three months.
Quiz | Take our quiz to reveal your hosting personality style!