This summer, I received a call from a realtor I had recently connected with. At first, I was curious, and a little nervous, to see what she had in mind. As it turned out, she had just sold a home, with a closing date set 45 days away.
Here’s the interesting part: she had furnished the property with her own furniture, making it essentially Airbnb-ready. Her question was simple: “Could we list the property on Airbnb for the short time before closing, just to cover the mortgage and expenses?”
I didn’t hesitate. I knew this was an unusual request, but also a brilliant opportunity.
From Idea to Live Listing in Under 5 Hours
Within two hours, we were meeting at the property—a beautifully renovated duplex with both a front and back unit, fully furnished and move-in ready. After a quick walk-through, we ironed out some house rules (like keeping the brand-new washer and dryer off-limits) and identified the missing essentials: internet, basic toiletries, and a few touches of hospitality like coffee and tea.
Normally, I work with clients on a minimum six-month contract. But since this was a trusted realtor I wanted to build a relationship with, I decided to take it on without a contract and at a reduced rate.
Thanks to professional photos already being available, I drafted the listing description and published it that very night. From that initial phone call to having the listing live on Airbnb, the entire process took less than five hours.
Results That Surprised Us Both
We priced the property affordably, and with its stunning photos, the listing became an immediate hit. Within two weeks, the 45-day window was nearly fully booked, generating close to $3,000 in income—a record return for such a short period. The realtor and I were both thrilled with the results.
Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The cleaner originally recommended lacked Airbnb experience, which led to some 3–4 star reviews (not ideal, but acceptable given the short timeline). Toward the end, we also received some complaints from neighbors in the quiet residential area—a reminder of how important guest screening and neighborhood fit can be in short-term rentals.
Why This Matters
This experience opened my eyes to a unique, underutilized use case for Airbnb:
Listing properties between sale and closing as a way to generate income, offset carrying costs, and maximize return.
For sellers, this strategy can help bridge the financial gap between offer acceptance and closing. For realtors, it adds tremendous value to their service offering, showing clients creative ways to ease the stress of transition.
Final Thoughts
While this isn’t the typical way we run short-term rentals, it was a fascinating experiment that worked remarkably well. It just goes to show how versatile Airbnb can be when approached with the right systems, creativity, and collaboration.
If you’re a homeowner or realtor looking for short-term rental property management solutions, our team at CoHostsCircle can help. We specialize in maximizing returns through professionally managed Airbnb and short-term rental setups, all while saving you the stress of day-to-day hosting.