Great Dwellings

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What's Great Dwellings?

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Great Dwellings is a Property Management service for vacation rentals. We currently provide remote services worldwide and in-person services in Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Punta Cana (DR), Playa Del Carmen (MX) and Cabo San Lucas (MX). We are growing fast and would be happy to discuss your needs.

We offer support to property owners who want to rent out their homes. In practice, this means that we provide an array of services related to the short-term rental of homes, including key exchange*, home cleaning, and creating an ad with professional photos. Through our services, we provide significant time savings and expertise for the short-term rental of your home as you take advantage of this attractive option for additional income.

What is Great Dwellings response to Covid-19?

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Great Dwellings has established an industry-leading cleaning protocol to keep your home and guests safe.  Our cleaning teams sanitize the homes in accordance with CDC guidelines.  Taking care of our guests and employees is of the utmost importance to our team.  Additionally, we are donating free and discounted stays to nearby hospitals and healthcare facilities.  Click here to see more: https://www.guesty.com/blog/shelter-frontline-workers-covid-19/

Who can benefit from the services provided by Great Dwellings?

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Great Dwellings services select homes for owners who want to earn more money from their home rental. Briefly renting your furnished home can bring significantly more revenue compared to traditional rental agreements. Great Dwellings takes all the work and manages all the details with a whole professional team, so you don’t need to worry about anything else.

Service & Support

How can Great Dwellings help me?

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We have a variety of options to assist the owner and host. On request, we take over the complete management and marketing of your home. We can create a professional and multilingual ad for you, which we support online on multiple platforms. We also take care of the home cleaning and help coordinate most repairs.

What is a  short term rental?

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Platforms such as Airbnb, Expedia, HomeAway, VRBO, Booking.com, and many others make it possible to put a furnished home or a part thereof up for rent for a short period. This type of rental is ideal for corporate housing in major cities and metropolitan areas since the rental income can be significantly higher than the conventional rental kind, which offers more earning potential for you.

How much does Great Dwellings charge?

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Our fee is 25% after taxes and cleanings. Through our percentage-based option, we don’t get paid unless you do.

What requirements must my home meet?

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While numerous factors have to be considered, the location and size of the furnished home is the most significant factor. In addition, the type and quality of furniture are also crucial: Is there a full kitchen? Does the house have a washing machine or a dryer? Are there any other special features, such as a garden, balcony, or anything else?

If you are interested in the services provided by Great Dwellings to assist you in listing your home, contact us via our registration form on the website. We provide comprehensive advice and work with you to get started and ensure a more significant potential for success.

Where is Great Dwellings available?

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Our remote service is available worldwide. Our in-person response team currently serves Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Punta Cana (DR), Playa Del Carmen (MX) and Cabo San Lucas (MX). We are growing fast and would be happy to discuss your needs.

What should I do if I’m interested?

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If you are interested in any services by Great Dwellings, or if you’d like to learn more about the short-term rental of your home, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via our earnings calculator form. Our team will contact you as soon as possible.

How and when can I contact the customer service for Great Dwellings?

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Feel free to call or text the Great Dwellings customer service team +1 (202) 751-2100, 24×7 . We communicate with your guests directly - they generally message us through the Airbnb website or app but can also reach us via phone or text.

Should I already have a listing on Airbnb, HomeAway, or a similar platform?

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No, this is not necessary. If we take on the management and marketing of your home, our experts will create a professional ad for your home. So you need not worry about anything!

Who should contact Great Dwellings?

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Great Dwellings is excellent for landlords of (currently or soon to be) furnished homes. We can work with you whether the house is for an indefinite period or only used for a limited time. Even if you’re considering renting out your home or furnished basement, feel free to contact us, and we’ll be happy to discuss the options and potential earnings with you.

What happens to my home?

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Great Dwellings offers your home to guests looking for temporary accommodation through Airbnb. Your home is then marketed using a professionally designed ad on sites such as Airbnb. Our team then monitors your Airbnb page to update the availability, prices, and minimum constantly. Our team then takes care of all your guests’ requests to ensure they have the best possible stay while in your home.

We’ll also help you create an ad that reflects your house rules and any other restrictions such as non-smoking, etc.

Who rents the home?

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We rent your home to visitors and travelers seeking ( generally between 5 and 7 nights) accommodations for a short time. We analyze potential guests reliably and select them according to strict criteria. Among other things, we also look for good reviews from other landlords so that you can trust your home is in good hands.

What is the process in the short-term rental?

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After you have asked us to rent your home, we initially create the basis of your information through a professional and informative ad. If necessary, we also take more professional photos of your property. After a maximum lead time of 2 weeks, we also manage and market the listing parallel to the online platforms. Our team then reacts quickly to booking requests and adjusts the prices to seasonal conditions. Once your home is booked, we take over the complete communication and engagement with guests.

How will the ‘guests’ gain access to my home?

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The Great Dwellings team can handle the key exchange* or share with you other ways that we’ve been able to allow guests access to your home securely. We can even personally greet every guest for an additional cost.

Do I have to provide anything?

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We ask that you furnish the home to our standards - a proprietary list that we will provide to you if your home qualifies. This generally includes all of the furniture and amenities to offer a 5-star guest experience. We also require that you install a WIFI-enabled keyless entry system to your home or the house.

I have a cleaning person. Do you have to clean the home?

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The Great Dwellings only uses a specific professional cleaning team vetted and approved through our company. Our vetting process guarantees that the cleaning of our guests’ homes is consistent and thorough. Because we know when guests are in the house, the appointment with the respective cleaning company is inevitably created through our process.

Do I have to worry about anything myself?

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After you have once asked us to rent your home, you don’t have to worry about anything else! You only need to keep the lights on.

What happens in case of damage?

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Most hosting channels such as Airbnb offer an insurance on your home during a guest stay. However, if the platform does not offer insurance, we collect a deposit from each guest. We focus on the price of accommodation for your specific home to ensure the proper deposit is collected. Between different guests, we check the house for any damage. Should there be damage, we take care to ensure a quick settlement. If the damage is caused during the home cleaning, the cleaners are fully insured for your protection.

What measures are being taken to ensure the safety of my property?

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To ensure that your property is always protected, we thoroughly vet all guests. We use tested evaluation criteria to pre-screen guests and provide peace of mind to you.

Why is an in-person meeting necessary?

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A personal interview is not always necessary. The review of your home is essential to ensure that it meets the Great Dwellings standards and allows us to answer questions from guests. However, the benefit of a personal interview is that our team can answer all inquiries directly, and we get a more accurate impression of your home. Moreover, our team can take professional photos of your property after the interview date.

Can I use my own home photos?

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Yes, however, the photos are an essential component of making your home stand out from the rest. Professional photos enhance the listing and get your home noticed by more people. We consider new professional pictures a necessary cost. We are also entitled to the exclusive use of rights to the photos. If you are unsure whether your images are suitable, send this via email. Then we call the shots and let you know if we can use your photos.

How do I start with the full range of services at Great Dwellings?

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Just click on “Calculate Earnings” and leave us your name and phone number. If you already have an existing ad on a platform, please send the link to it. We will contact you as soon as possible to talk through the details.

What is the ‘25-percent model’?

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This model also assumes Great Dwellings the complete support and marketing of your home. Here Great Dwellings receives a commission of 25% of gross rental income. Our accounting team will then pay the revenue monthly. To achieve optimum revenues, our team provides professional support and marketing. On request, we make an appointment for a free consultation and analyze the potential of your home.

How much money do I get for my home?

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The potential amount earned depends on many factors, such as the size and location of the home. The home’s features such as amenities, number of bedrooms, and the immediate neighborhood are essential factors. Please complete the earnings calculator for a free consultation.

Who is Great Dwellings?

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The Great Dwellings team takes care of the management and marketing of your home. We create a professional ad on Airbnb, HomeAway, and other platforms. Then our finds guests and takes terrific care of them and your home. We inspect the home before each guests’ arrival and after their departure to ensure the perfect cleanliness of the home. The Great Dwellings team gives guests the keys to the house, answered questions, and offers valuable tips about the surrounding area.

What services do Great Dwellings provide?

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Great Dwellings offers a long list of different benefits to ensure optimum support in the short-term rental of homes: Great Dwellings accepts the keys and the home cleaning. Great Dwellings also markets the ad on three platforms simultaneously. The different packages are all part of our full-service offer for owners and landlords of furnished homes. So we offer you, as a homeowner, a worry-free rental of your home on platforms such as Airbnb, HomeAway, or Booking.com. You can look forward to solid rental income without having to invest in the time for it. Even for those who rent out your home, Great Dwellings is there and creates a new ad including professional photos.

What makes the ‘Great Dwellings team’?

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The Great Dwellings team supervises and manages your listing on one or more online platforms (Airbnb, HomeAway, Expedia). Through parallel marketing, we ensure better utilization, and you can look forward to higher rental income. When managing and marketing your fully furnished home, we adapt to your individual preferences.

When selecting, the guests’ personal preferences have the highest priority, and we take them into account.  But due to a variety of interesting other events, many tourists like to stay in private homes. To prevent double occupancy of your home, we take care of the availability calendar on the Airbnb platforms, HomeAway, or Expedia and synchronize them. In addition, we will match the price of your home per day according to match demand, such as conventions and other events.

What are the advantages to my guests?

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Guests also benefit from this service in many ways. In emergencies and dangerous situations, guests can reach us via our 24-hour chat or phone at any time for guests. If, for example, a guest gets inadvertently locked out, we coordinate assistance. We also provide guests important information, such as a map, public transport plan, or our special insider tips to optimize their trip.

What makes Great Dwellings a great choice?

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Our team selects 'great' homes to provide 'great' guest experiences. We generate maximum income on those properties through a proprietary revenue management approach that balance occupancy rate and average nightly rate with key market data.
Additionally, we know that a clean home is an essential requirement in the short-term rental on Airbnb, HomeAway, or Expedia. Great Dwellings ensures this work is complete for you before the arrival of guests or after their departure. We provide an immaculate home. Then your furnished home is prepared as soon as possible again for new guests, which leads to better utilization. For landlords and owners, better utilization means higher rental income and profits! At the same time, we provide a noticeable time saving because you do not have to worry about anything yourself.

How does Great Dwellings create a great ad?

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Do you want to offer your home on platforms such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and Expedia but do not know how? We will create a professional listing. We visit each home and introduce ourselves in person. When creating your ad, you decide! Therefore, we take your house rules and personal preferences to create an ad that accurately represents you. We also make professional recordings from your home, leave a responsive text in multiple languages, and make your ad online. This ad allows you to easily book your home rent briefly and look forward to higher rental income and saving at the same time.

Can I rent my home via Great Dwellings?

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Great Dwellings supports you in renting your furnished home as a short-term rental. Though we offer direct booking options, we pride ourselves on providing their best homes for short periods for rent on platforms such as Airbnb.

What is the process for creating a new ad?

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Firstly, our team will professionally photograph your home. We want to make sure that the contacts you receive on your ad are from guests who are ready to book without hesitation! We also discuss how your ad will look so it meaningfully reflects its benefits, draws more attention, and gets more bookings.

Does Great Dwellings decorate my home?

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Yes, we can help—our team partners with some of the industry’s best interior decorators and designers. The Great Dwellings team works with them to ensure that everything is clean and inviting. Through professional photos, your home stands out on platforms such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and Expedia. Additionally, on request, we can give specific advice through a one-on-one personal conversation.

Why should I have to take pictures for Great Dwellings?

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You don’t have to take the photos. Please leave that to us. We know that to get as many bookings in the short-term rental of your home, creating professional and beautiful images is an essential factor. On platforms such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and Booking.com count, an attractive description and quality photos are ensured by Great Dwellings to set the stage for success.

What exactly happens with the listing?

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Great Dwellings publishes the listing of your home showcasing it's features along side the home photos on platforms such as Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, Booking.com etc. We place great emphasis on professionalism and also can formulate bilingual texts for interested guests. Our 24x7 guest support team is then standing by to ensure that any prospective guest has their questions answered, get properly vetted, and is encouraged to book

For how long can guests book my home?

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On platforms Airbnb, HomeAway, or Expedia, guests can specify individually defined periods in which they want to use your furnished city home. These vary from a few days to several weeks. Great Dwellings ensures that you always get the best rental income for your home. We set the prices hourly with our special price algorithm, whereby landlords and owners can achieve significantly higher rental income.

How does the marketing of the ad work?

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The Great Dwellings team takes care of the listing to allow a higher occupancy rate and thus higher rental income. We respond quickly to requests from guests and answer questions competently and reliably. In addition, the Great Dwellings team ensures that the listing is well placed and adjusts prices every day. The optimal marketing steered by Great Dwellings can increase your rental income significantly.

Can I hire my own cleaning team?

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We only recommend using our thoroughly vetted professional cleaning team, who know our process for safety and quality reasons. We have found this to be the only way to guarantee that the cleaning of your home is also carried out professionally.

What distinguishes the Great Dwellings housekeeper from other cleaning companies?

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The Great Dwellings housekeepers specialize in vacation rentals. They understand which areas require additional attention. Plus, they know the unpredictable schedule that comes with a vacation rental and the small window available to them between guests.

Do you offer an à la carte service?

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No. we offer either a  full-service management solution or  remote management solution i
Unlike an à la carte system, we truly believe that our management solutions are the only way to guarantee quality across the board. By getting to know your property inside and out, we’re able to handle all issues that may arise during your rentals.