Ready To List!

Last week, I finally had the RV on its pad at Waco Creekside, and the initial stage of the move was finished. This week was dedicated to the next phase: getting the unit actually ready for a guest.

Deep Cleaning

The RV has not been used in a little while and so it was kind of dirty when we got it, mostly dusty. Because of this, we started the week on Monday with a deep clean of the interior and exterior. My mother and younger sisters came over to help me vacuum, mop, scrub and dust everything in the RV while I attacked the thick layer of pollen on the outside. It took about half a day to get everything nice and clean, but thanks to my mother and sisters the work went much faster.

Furnishing the Unit

Once the cleaning was finished, the next step was stocking the kitchen and getting the linens and decor. We went that very afternoon to go get all of the furnishings to stock the RV for a tenant. That meant all linens, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and whatever else a house needed.

The dynamic worked out well—I was mainly telling them what we needed and looking for good quality at a good price, while they were looking more at the design, colors, and the overall "look" of the interior. We were able to get most of our supplies from those stores, though we ended up buying a couch cover and a few other small things on Amazon. When you see the original couch, you might see why I want a cover for it.

One important thing I learned in the process of buying all of this stuff is the importance of keeping all expenses for a business under a business account. Getting a business card, and tracking all of the expenses and profits are vital for keeping a clean account for the business which will help you see how the business is doing health-wise. (I learned this after using the wrong card to buy half of the furnishings, until my dad told me about this logic and helped me get a business card.)

Listing Photos

By Friday, the RV was staged and ready, so I headed over during the "golden hour" to take the listing photos. I managed to get some really neat pictures, but this part of the process was a bit frustrating. Just as I was heading over to the park to get the shots, it started raining. This left the concrete pad looking patchy and wet in the photos, which wasn't exactly the look I was going for.

I also found that taking indoor photos in an RV is quite difficult due to the tight spaces and lighting. Every time I tried to get a whole room, the picture looked fisheyed and the lighting diffracted in the lens. We used a normal cell phone camera and that might have cause some of the issues. Thankfully, the pictures I got are good enough and will work for now, but it was definitely a much bigger challenge than I expected.

Moving Forward

With the cleaning, stocking, and photography finished, the physical preparation of the RV is complete. My next step is to build out the actual listings on Airbnb and FurnishedFinder. I also need to double down on getting that second AC unit as the summer draws nearer, so I'm going to double down on that this week.

Also, my family is going out of town this week for 7-8 days which will put a small delay to the RV being rented, and so, because this next week will likely be less eventful, I am planning on doing a study on the importance and opportunity which lies in negotiation, which many people either avoid or don't understand how to do. So if that interests you at all, make sure you read my next post!

Thanks for reading!

— Hunter Hafiz