Airbnb can be a bear to navigate when it is time to consider where you are going to stay during your travels. With endless properties to dig into, costs to consider, reviews to read, and room types/amenities to select, it can and will demand a great deal of your time.
There are many Airbnb tips and tricks that you will learn as you get used to the website. Experience does pay in this case. We have used Airbnb for years now, and we still find new ways to score great deals in the process. I uncovered a good Airbnb Search Tip while we were in Lisbon, Portugal, doing The Lisbon Hustle. It’s worth considering for the next search you make on Airbnb.
We had already spent one full day in Lisbon at our original Airbnb that we booked about a month prior. Based on what we were seeing in Lisbon, we knew we wanted to extend the trip and stay longer. Our current property was already booked out, and we would have to leave within the next two days. Lisbon in June is crazy (which we didn’t find out until later that week), so it was extremely difficult to find a good last-minute option.
We checked the hotels and hostels with no success. We revisited Airbnb multiple times, but the results kept bringing back high-priced properties in the neighborhoods we were targeting. Our nightly budget was $30-40 US, so we were looking at private room options (where you have your own space in the home, but the owner is there as well), and the prices were in the $60-70 US range. I kept tweaking my searches in the hopes that one would pop through.
After about another hour of digging, a unique property popped up. It was in our budget at $35 a night, and it was in one of the neighborhoods we were targeting. And it was an ENTIRE HOME listing which meant we would have the place to ourselves for the 2 weeks we were considering. It only had four photos, and they were all pretty bad.
Besides the bad photos, the other curveball was that there were no reviews. In the past, this has been a show-stopper for us. We need at least one solid review on a property in a city the size of Lisbon. We will take a risk in smaller towns that might not be as established with Airbnb, but Lisbon has a ton of properties to select from. That said, I stuck with this property and kept digging.
And there it was……the Airbnb Search Tip that I had been hoping to see. After clicking on the owner to understand more about him and this property, it showed that he had over 700 reviews at other properties. And almost all were fantastic reviews! So why didn’t this property have any reviews?
I knew there had to be a good answer, so I reached out to him on the CONTACT HOST button to let him know that I was in town already and to ask if I could come by and see the place because “I am 2 meters tall and not sure if I will fit into the bed”. I use this excuse at times to see rooms that we are considering so we can get an idea of what the hostel or room looks like. Find your own excuse and stick with it.
Samuel was quick to reply and agreed to walk us through the property later that day.
It was an easy yes once we had a chance to check it out and understand the reason why it was priced so low – he had just flipped the property, and it wouldn’t be ready until Tuesday (perfect for us). We were going to be the first customers he had. Nikki and I both liked the owner and trusted him. The 700+ reviews helped 😉
Here is a walkthrough video of the awesome apartment!
So there you go…….the Airbnb Search Tip that many people do not use when they see ZERO REVIEWS on a property. Look deeper into the owners of the properties on Airbnb. With the opportunities globally that the platform is providing, many property owners are duplicating their success with new investments and building out a portfolio of properties on the site. You, too, can find a great deal out there and spend your money on the fun things that the city has to offer. And maybe you can even create your own Lisbon Hustle opportunity…
And if you do book and it is your first time, please use our Airbnb Sign Up Link and get a few bucks off, as well as help us on our next stay.
Good luck!