Do you have a spare bedroom? Live in a place where tourists visit, or at least close to a tourist city or town? Then you could make money by renting out your spare room to vacationers. While many people see their spare room as a storage closet or a waste of space, it could become an earner if you treat it correctly. Increasing numbers of people are listing their spare rooms on websites like Airbnb.com and iStopOver.com for extra cash they put towards little extras like travel and clothes. These specialist websites help you advertise your room and get trustworthy tenants. You also get insurance within the package.
Make some extra money on your spare room by giving it a makeover for visitors. First step – cut the clutter. You want the room to be as bare, but as welcoming, as possible. Remove family pictures and personal mementos to make the room look clean and welcoming. Paint your room in a shade that makes the space look bigger. Don’t go for white; choose a subtle tone that you can accentuate with colorful bed coverings.
If you can, install a queen size or bigger bed. Rooms with bigger beds are more rentable. Whatever the size of the bed, buy new sheets to give the room extra freshness. Make sure the photos you take of your room are good quality and show it to best advantage.
When listing your room use certain terms and key words to move your place up the listings. Include any landmarks you are close to, for example the city park or a hiking trail, and avoid using words like cheap. You will sound like your room is low quality. Instead list the price and don’t comment on it – you can use words like cozy or luxurious to give tourists a feel for the room, rather than focus on the price.
