Congratulations on your decision to use your property as a short term rental! Whether this is your vacation home that produces extra income, or simply an investment property, short term rentals are a great way to increase your return on investment. Knowing how to furnish an AirBnB can be completely overwhelming, though, so I want to break it down for you step by step.

It’s okay if you haven’t found your unit yet! My advice: look for amenities, and location! You can change anything you want about the unit itself, but you can’t change where it is or what is around it.

Step 1: Come up with a list of EVERYTHING you need.

Go room by room, and make a list of everything- big and small. The furniture, the rugs, the décor, knick knacks, comfort items, anything your guests might need and anything you might want to make your unit special. If you need help with this, check out this Free Download: How To Furnish an AirBnB.

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It’s wise to begin with the end in mind so you have an idea of what you want your final product to look like. Browse AirBnB listings and check out Pinterest for inspiration.

Step 2: Make sure you have a reasonable budget going into this.

And stick to it! If you are okay with buying some things used, you can likely furnish and decorate a two-bedroom house for $8,000-10,000. Plan for $12,000 if everything has to be new. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t have forever to furnish. Every week or month that you wait for that perfect sectional is lost income, and those HOA fees, taxes and insurance add up when your property is sitting vacant.

Step 3: Figure out your theme.

You can either decide on a style of décor or get much more specific, with an inspired theme.

It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, this just allows you to have an idea in your head of what style you want to go with once you start shopping. If you don’t do this, you may end up with a complete hodge-podge of furniture that does not work well together or just have a really difficult time making decisions on what to purchase.

This is a condo we own on the beach in Florida. We like the warm colors and beachy Florida feel of the décor!

How to Furnish an AirBnB

Step 4: Shop for the big things.

Check the large furniture items off your list first. Couches should come before accent chairs, beds before night stands, etc. The big purchases can be painful (decision-wise and also on your checkbook), so be prepared for this.

Step 5: Fill in the details.

Now that you have the large furniture picked out, you can start to fill in the details. Work on the end tables, coffee tables, accent chairs, and barstools. Then look for the décor, knick knacks and accents that will make your unit comfortable. Don’t go overboard, though. Sometimes, less is more! People want to feel comfortable and most won’t appreciate clutter! Your cleaner will not, either!

Step 6: Set Your Unit Apart.

So the whole house is furnished and decorated, but you’re not done yet! If you want to minimize vacancies and reach super host status, you need to do a few things to set your unit apart. Maybe you have a killer reading space, or an amazing outdoor kitchen. It could be as simple as hanging hammocks outside, or a welcome packet that sets your guests up with all your favorite things to do! Make sure the photos look fab, because that is all guests will see before booking. Check out the download below for more tips on this!

And please share your photos and your listings! I would love to see what you’ve done!

Check out my Real Estate Investor Course and become a Real Estate Investor this month!