If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. :)

The home is gorgeous. If you really want to make a change, just update lighting, furniture and art to give an updated vibe.

I'm partly suspicious this is just an advertisement for your Air BNB

Your house is gorgeous. Why make it look like every other house in the area by "modernizing" it?

Who travels to this area and for what reason? Is it families with kids?

As someone who stays in air bnbs with kids, I always look for the stuff that makes traveling with kids easier. You say in the amenities that you have a bunch of stuff for kids but none of it is in the pictures. I would also get some board games and maybe a game table, and add pictures of all of this. If you don't have an actual play room then edit your listing. If you do, show a photo of it.

Consider adding a stroller to the mix as well. Maybe s'mores kit add ons. Stuff like that. If you get lots of kids consider decorating the twin bed room a little more kid friendly. Possibly include a baby monitor. And show some actual toys. If you don't have any, get some.

I am a bit curious too. The space looks great for what it is a large house in the mountains what do clients say about it? Do you have a comment book? Maybe post some pics here of other units that you think are better than yours. That might give us some clue as to what you are trying to do.

Your place looks fine. This is more of a marketing question. I might change to a white countertop to brighten the kitchen or go with more luxurious white linens, but that's it.

What do you feel your competition has that you don't? It doesn't look like a place that's appropriate for small children, so I wouldn't encourage that market segment.

What is the guest feedback on your property?

You have a lovely rental. What is your budget? You say it's DIY but you still need a budget. $30 grand or $3000

What are you looking to do? You don't need to add more windows. But maybe a window seat. Maybe add new counters and backsplash something much lighter to balance all the wood. A counter depth refrigerator. Upper, interior and under cab lighting that works on motion. I would update the furniture into something that can sleep more people and sturdy to handle the VRBO and Airbnb crowds. Maybe add better quality bedding, rugs, towels and linens. Maybe add a sauna. In rentals there is rarely enough lamps, mirrors with lighting, kitchenware and utensils. Do you have a grill? How is the Wiifi? Get an extender if it's dreadful. Get a good quality maid who will dust that wood and make it shine.

It all looks lovely.

Enjoy your space.

I would work on getting all 5-star reviews first. As recent as Dec '23 guests had to clean the kitchen upon arrival? Not enough hot water?

Your space is great. I also think you should update your furniture, especially in the main living area. The puffy leather and Western print furniture and rugs look dated and a little worn. I would look at photos of mountain modern cabins for inspiration.

I would change the furniture and buy some nice bedding pieces from Pottery Barn. Personally, I like solid bedding preferably white so I know it is clean.

What Kendrah says: do these things. also fix the hot water and get a better cleaner.

Gorgeous place.

I recently stayed in a VRBO condo in Mexico. A representative of the owner met us when we got there, and because she worked in the building, was immediately available for any issues. We had a problem with the room safe, and one of my friends broke the blind when she pulled it down.

The owner rep repeatedly told us we did not need to do anything when we left. So, it was fine to leave everything in the refrigerator (which was mostly cold drinks), and we did not need to take out the trash (although she did explain where the trash shoot was if we wanted to use it during our stay, which we did). We did not need to gather up used towels.

I believe it is a trend to have the guests do a lot of the cleanup work. I don't mind doing a little bit, but when it gets to asking me to wash the bed linens, then no, I am finding another place. Kids can be hard on things. Attracting too many with children might lead to a lot more damage to your unit.

My friend owns a place on St. Maarten that he has rented for the last 20 years. The hot sun is hard on things, so a lot of work. Tries to price his unit below the neighboring units. Works hard at repeat business, as both parties then know what to expect. Has a big book of things to do in the area, so people arent bored.

Yes to updating your living room furniture to more contemporary style. The Log chair and the rustic style upholstery needs to go. Think neutral linen, subtle colored textiles, classic leather. Go sophisticated with art, vs. “kitschy cabin.” Have you considered turning Bedroom 5 into a bunk room for kids? Do you stock games? In your photo of the room with the pool table, artfully stack some games on the coffee table. I would invest in a HUGE tv for that room and conspicuously show it in a photo. Bravo on having a well outfitted kitchen with lots of utensils and tools. Having a good kitchen adds to the fun. Consider having a fridge with a freezer for overflow food in your garage. If people are buying for a group, they might appreciate it. Your home is beautiful!!

PS: take down the clock! People on vacation don’t want to be reminded of time passing with that gorgeous view in front of them! 😉

From what little I can see of the view thru the doors and windows you home looks like exactly the kind of place people would be looking for - a woodsie retreat in a forrested setting. Not sure I would do much to it other than paring down some of the accessories.

I'd rent that place in a heartbeat! Leave it alone and adjust your pricing if the newer places are commanding a higher rent. I don't agree that you have to change the furniture. It's charming and works with the cabin. If you wanted to do some sprucing up with a few new pieces or strategic uses of paint, go for more color.

Portola Valley Artist Haven · More Info

Portola Valley Artist Haven · More Info

Decide if you want to keep the comfortable family friendly country look or go for the competitive upscale white linens and Perrier market.

Buy new white bedding for each room and fluffy quick-dry white towels for the bathrooms.

Put some paper towels under the sink in each bathroom and in the garage area for cleanups.

Replace older fabric-upholstered furniture when you are ready for the expense.

Hire a top-rated stager who will recommend new accessories and get things ready for new photos.

Then hire a new professional photographer.

Besides all of the above, have a list of contacts for your renters to call and book a massage, personal chef, tour guide, Tarot Card reader lol thought I would throw in something fun!

I'd like to see what he thinks he's competing against.

If you look at the listing, you can see some of the others in the area in the price range he is charging. Some modern/updated, others not.

These are all pics from three different competitors. One is priced $40 more per night but the rest are priced lower than yours - one is $120 per night less than yours. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your home. There is only something wrong with the price.

It makes nothing when it is sitting empty. There has to be a market for people who want to stay in the area but cannot afford what the newer homes cost. Yours is going to appeal to them and perhaps stay filled more often at a lower price.

Read all the reviews and it seem like the bedding and dishes/silverware are the things you could upgrade. Nothing worse, for me, than to find bedding unacceptable. Have double or triple replacements for sheets, duvet covers, pillows, and MATTRESS PADS. Even better have a professional laundry business come in and change/replace bedding and towels.

Elcieg, I think this way: young single men have a different standard for bedding and kitchen equipment. Women often have another standard. It's hard for the former to appreciate what others are looking for, or find acceptable.

Jack, I think you need to find someone who specializes in equipping vacation rentals. It doesn't have to cost a fortune, but it may cost more than you would spend on yourself.

You need to have several changes of high quality linens. Everything, including the mattress pads and bedspreads, needs to be washed between guests. Linens need to be replaced fairly frequently.

You need sharp, decent quality knives in the kitchen. You need undamaged nonstick pans. China needs to match and have no chips or cracks. Baking supplies are a plus.

Good advice already - just a note to say there are decorators who specialize in air bnb’s - a friend did this: the decorator flew in, analyzed the other offerrings, made a detailed list of minor improvements and did a lot of the work herself - that visit has already paid for itself x10 with their increased bookings and lots of great reviews

I agree with previous poster that he is looking for free advertisement for his rental. Please flag this as spam.

After looking at the competing homes in Kendrah's pictures, I have to say that I would rent those instead if the price and amentities were comparable. Your dark wood kitchen with the dated cabinet faces would not be my first pick. So, perhaps update the kitchen cabinet faces (slab face cabinets) and try to look less like a Bass Pro shop.

I want to start by saying thank you to those who replied with the advise I asked for. I do want to be clear that THIS IS NOT CLICKBAIT to get to my listing. so shoutout to those that wanted to help.

if you'll notice my bookings plumbited recently. May for example is normally a 9-10k month and i had no rentals. not one. while everyone on my street was booked solid. made no sense. that aside..

I was considering going all white inside to update with darker stain on the wood beams and an almost black finish on the floors, new cabinet doors in kitchen, and some new living room furniture.

living room- the fireplace sticks out so far from the wall and the mantle is very high. is it too tall to mount the TV there? also the shape of the living room limits the way the furniture can be placed. was thinking sectional however I feel like it might close off the room too much? then colors? wtf color scheme do I go with.

as for budget.. idk like 15-20 for all the main conected rooms? im going to be borrowing it so what is a reasonable starting point?

this is a big project that depends on a lot of variables (pricing, all the other options in the area, target audience/renter etc) - find a few air bnb decorators, interview them and get proposals and go from there - I don’t think this is a crowd-source projct. Have you found all the amazing online communicities for airbnb owners?

Print out the photos of the competing units. Mix them in with photos of your unit. Which ones attract your eye and look more inviting?

What does the copy say about your unit? What does the copy say about the competing units? Are the others highlighting features that you don't have or do have but are not promoting?

Are the competing units using real estate agents or others to promote their unit? Perhaps they are also listing their units on other websites? Have you tried emailing previous customers to promote your unit? Are you sure that everyone else is rented except you? Perhaps they are using the time for repairs or family parties?

Are there any big universities around your area? At graduation time, people are looking for places for the family to stay. What about bridal shops? Wedding parties or places for the bridal party to stay. Think about other places to advertise.

I'm thinking this is related to the listing sites and search position. Have a friend whose IP address is not known to the listing sites search for a unit in your area. If you have poor reviews, their algorithm is likely pushing you down so people aren't seeing your listing. They make money when people book, so they favor properties with higher reviews.

You need to address things that are causing negative reviews. I doubt that painting the place white is the answer. Taking out a loan at today's interest rates is risky. I would lower your price to generate bookings for now. Use that cash to address the bed linens and kitchenware.

Why don't you lower your price, as mentioned above? Some income is better than zero income.

Lowered my pricing. it turns out when I was running promos that it was actually adding to the cost of my rental making me far more expensive than some of the nicest properties in the area. I’ve reached out to Airbnb. fortunately they have fixed that glitch but it did cost me two months almost of rentals, which is a huge hit . I genuinely appreciate everyone’s feedback. I’ll post pictures in the upcoming weeks of what I’ve decided to do starting with the living room, then kitchen and dining. going to update the furniture first.
P.s everything that has been mentioned in the listing reviews.. as in bedding and or kitchenware etc., has been addressed and was addressed immediately once brought to my attention.

Thanks again everyone!

"...was addressed immediately once brought to my attention...."

Why didn't you notice these thing first? Before any guests arrived. Or before any guests left bad reviews. Sorry but you gotta be on the ball...I ran our family's vacation rental (for a while) and the hospitality business can be tough.

Search Airbnb here on Houzz Discussions on how other Hosts are fixing up and marketing their rentals...they are extremely helpful and inventive on design features that photograph well, how they use social media, accessories guests expect, etc. You have a good start now.

Any mountain home like this in Europe would have a thermal suite. Typically a good sauna (about 10x10x10 for larger groups like this), steam bath / laconium and in-ground cold plunge. It'd cost a bit but could be a unique selling point given your competition.

Good resources: Trumpkin's Notes and 'Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design'

I don't think you have to do a lot other than decorative changes. It reads all brown so add in some white to lighten things up. Sounds like you've addressed the bedding. Long shower curtains hung high look so much better than the standard 72" length and don't cost that much more. I'd lose the rugs in the bathroom except for one for the shower. Bathroom rugs make the space look cheap.

New white countertops with an area rug. Remove the things on top of the cabinets and add some greenery.

Get rid of the rustic light fixture and hang a chandelier that's woodsy but with a modern touch. I'd suggest moving it directly over the table so it doesn't have to have the swag in the chain.

It's a beautiful house and location, so I hope these little tips help. Good luck.