The Furnished BNB - Introduction to our Blog and Services

Hi there!

We are so happy to *finally* be writing this post. It feels like we’ve been dreaming about this site for years.. and at last it’s here! So who are we? As your one-stop shop Airbnb furnishing service, we are a small team of passionate designers on a mission to make furnishing short-term rentals easy. You may have a lot of questions: how to furnish an Airbnb, how much does it cost to furnish an Airbnb, what is the time commitment involved? We are here to hopefully answer all of your questions and guide you along the way.

As a team of short term rental owners, we found a few tricks along the way when it came to furnishing short term rentals. Between an engineer, a financial advisor, a nurse and a data scientist, we somehow found ourselves immersed in the interior design world. Our team certainly started in an unusual way, but we couldn’t be happier.

We pride ourselves on creating the ultimate experience for our clients, and in turn, your guests. From designing the space, to the sourcing of items, to the build out and furnishing, we are a one stop shop for those furnishing Airbnbs. As STR property owners, we understand the significant upfront cost associated with a buildout, so we are always on the hunt for a good bargain.

So, how much to furnish an Airbnb? This depends greatly on the size of the project and the type of sourcing you would like. We have found the following average prices based on our experience:

· Studio and one bedroom apartments: $3,500 - $7,000

· Two bedroom apartments/small homes or townhomes: $6,000 - $10,000

· Larger homes with at least three bedrooms: $8,000 - $14,000

· Four/five/six bedroom homes with several living spaces: $15,000 - $22,000

Like I mentioned, these are all estimates based on our past experience. We have done exhaustive research on sourcing materials to determine the best quality for the price. For one project, we ordered 9 different sets of towels before finding something that passed our “soft décor test.”

How does the Furnished BNB work? The Furnished BNB is an Airbnb furnishing service, here to help from start to finish. Typically, our projects runs anywhere from 2-4 weeks, depending on the size and detail needed to complete the project. We are available in all 50 states, ready to buildout any property for our clients. We are happy to customize any level of service package but Here is a rough guideline of our process for full service once we are working with a client:

· Confirm a budget: 1 day

We work directly with our clients to build a reasonable budget. Our hope is always to come in under budget, but we will rarely exceed a budget that is set. We believe everyone could benefit from our services, not just the 6,000 sq foot + crowd. After all, the easiest way to get to owning luxury properties is to start small and begin building your portfolio.

· Review the space: 1-3 days

We kindly ask for floor plans, measurements, and any photos of the listing currently available in order to get a sense of the space prior to sourcing or designing. This way, we can ensure everything will flow and fit snugly in place. Don’t get me started on buying items “thinking they will fit” with no real measurements or research. We learned the hard way on this one!

· Build our mood boards: 2-4 days

We work with the client to implement any themes or design elements they want to incorporate, and then get to work creating our mood boards! (see here for our discussion on mood boards) After confirming our themes and designs with the client, it is time to begin sourcing!

· Sourcing furnishings and décor: 5-12 days

We purchase most items online so shipping times can vary, but on average we have found 12 days to be the longest wait time. We can either source directly to the property or to our office, depending on the needs of the client

· Onsite build: 4-8 days

Our final step of the process is the buildout is onsite, making our vision come to life. This can be anything from replacing light fixtures, to building furniture, and painting rooms. We are there until the space is ready to rent, creating even the small details like the Wi-Fi sign and guestbook.

We work for a flat rate fee, which is decided upon by the size of the project and the estimated time spent. We also have two financing options for sourcing; either utilizing the client’s credit directly, or a 30 day project loan with 3% fee for simplicity. That way, we can purchase the items on our credit and the client isn’t required to share their personal credit information with us. We believe that most furnishing companies are here to not only charge a flat fee, but also charge a significant margin on the items they select for you. Since we do not hold inventory, we are purchasing at the market price, with the guarantee of no mark-ups from us.

If you are looking to complete your STR furnishing yourself, we have a free Airbnb furnishing list PDF available for download here! We don’t gatekeep here! Find more educational resources on our blog! We believe there is room for everyone in the space, and everyone should build their passive income streams. This list gives you an idea of all of the items needed, including those smaller items like fire extinguishers and extra makeup towels.

Still need more help? Try our extended Airbnb furnishing list, which includes the expected budget of each item, as well as places to purchase these items. This extended list can be purchased here (Coming Soon!) for $9.99, and comes in excel format so the user can add/remove as necessary and mark things off as they are completed. We would be nowhere without our spreadsheets!

Hopefully this gives you a sense of the cost to furnish Airbnb’s and the time involved in the process. It is definitely possible for anyone, but it does involve a significant amount of time and effort. Often, STR owners tend to stick within their metro area, simply for the ease of furnishing and sourcing. Let TheFurnishedBNB do it for you, and watch your dream property come to life on time and under budget!