Have you ever had a guest stay so long you thought to yourself, “I need to start charging them rent!”? I have to wonder if this is how the concept of Airbnb came about. Or maybe it all came from the movie called The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. In the 2006 movie, the two characters swapped houses for the same 2 weeks. I remember thinking what a great idea that was but wondering how you line up the switcharoo. Then enters Airbnb 2 years later in 2008!

Wiki says; A‌i‌r‌b‌n‌b‌,‌ ‌I‌n‌c‌.‌ is a company based in San Francisco that operates an online marketplace and hospitality service for people to lease or rent short-term lodging including holiday cottages, apartments, homestays, hostel beds, or hotel rooms, to participate in or facilitate in experiences related to walking tours, and to make reservations at restaurants. The company does not own any real estate or conduct tours; it is a broker that receives percentage service fees in conjunction with every booking. The company has over 5 million lodging listings in 81,000 cities and 191 countries and has facilitated over 300 million check-ins. 

We purchased our first historical building in downtown De Pere near St. Norbert College with rentals of the 2 upstairs apartments in mind. Unfortunately, one was a very smoky bachelor pad and the other had been stripped of a kitchen and bathroom. When I say stripped, I mean, the bathroom didn’t have a floor. You could see down and into the 80 year old barber shop in the story below! 

Because we would need to start from scratch, or in some rooms take things down to “scratch” I began to think about building to suit and renting each 2-bedroom unit out to a professor rather than students. With this in mind, I started planning how to make it the nicest apartment in De Pere to attract a higher paying renter. 

Then my husband, Shawn, came to me last September and said, “I went to Steve and told him I want to have the bachelor pad unit redone by the end of the month (it was September 2nd) since there are no hotels left for our two Pastor friends who are coming into town for the Packer game.” The problem wasn’t the time frame. That was completely in our wheelhouse. The issue was that Shawn was directing the design and I knew it would either cost us a fortune to do what he envisioned or it would turn out looking a little like…I don’t need to finish this thought!

So I intercepted Steve, our facility manager, and found out Shawn’s call on stripping the 125 year old hardwood and refinishing was in process, so the right call. But I still took it from there and Shawn was wonderful to let me. We finished the apartment by September 27th and used it immediately because to my surprise, the day I listed it on Airbnb, it rented for the next weekend. And then the next. And then the next!

We just completed the “from scratch” apartment this September in 2 weeks total. Three days of prep, bids, and purchases, eight days for builders, plumber, electrician, and three days for me to decorate and fluff and for Steve to hang and install finishing touches. I listed the apartment on day twelve before it was officially done and it rented for an October weekend within hours of listing it!

So the moral of this story...don’t be afraid! You could make back what you put into getting your place ready in no time, especially if you time it well in the (920) for Packer season! We completed the first four games into the 2017 season and the week of the first regular game of the 2018 season. If Rodgers stays healthy and Packers are winning, we should be booked at a steep rate for all home games. Go Pack Go! 

- Sonny Hennessy 

The Exchange Brand Principal Partner & Designer 

About Sonny
Sonny, as a designer, loves the challenge of satisfying rich tastes on low budgets. She realizes that necessity is the mother of innovation on every project she completes. Sonny focuses on innovating existing structures, or even uncovers raw material, which lead to new innovative designs.She has over 10 years of experience in all forms of design including managing design teams and marketing teams. She worked as the Marketing Director at IKEA Detroit. Something that started out as a hobby for Sonny, has turned into a culture changing lifestyle brand. 

Sonny is known for making decisions and progress quickly and effectively and bringing joy to all contractors and clients she works with. She is a designer that constantly stays current with the newest trends while keeping true to her love for historical beauty through simple elegance. Her eye to detail and ability to collaborate an array of styles has allowed Sonny to develop some of the most breathtaking designs – both residential and commercial. She is also well-rehearsed in blueprints, often consulting or serving as general foreman on entire buildings.