Plum Guide is a high-end property listing service that prides itself on vetting both homes and renters, providing listing services and photography for you.
Expected pay: You set it
Husl$core: $$$
Commissions & fees: 3% and $400 from the first booking
Where: Select cities worldwide
Requirements: Homeowners apply to list with a link to another site where their home is listed for rent. The site checks out the listing and will notify you if your house qualifies.
Plum Guide Review
Plum Guide is a high-end property rental service that differentiates itself from Airbnb by offering only expensive, screened listings. Unlike Airbnb or VRBO, homeowners do not create the listings themselves. They apply to list their homes and then a member of Plum Guide’s staff contacts the homeowner to determine whether the home meets the site’s standards.
If it does, Plum Guide will fill out the listing, taking the photographs and writing the copy. It also has a unique fee structure that proposes to charge just 3% on bookings, plus a one-time $400 fee that pays for the staff to write up your listing. The site’s fees to consumers are folded into the listing price, so there are no surprises.
Positives
Because these are all high-end homes that have been vetted to ensure a good stay, you are not competing with bargain-priced homes. Many houses — even small houses — are listed for multiple thousands per night. You may not get a lot of renters at these rates. But, you do get a renter, it will be worth your while.
Plum Guide also encourages long stays and advocates providing a discount for multiple-night bookings.
On the other hand…
You are expected to maintain an up-to-date calendar that assures renters that you’ll say “yes,” when they ask to book a date that’s free. If you turn renters down more than three times, you run afoul of the site’s terms. The result? Plum Guide can bump you from the site.
Moreover, while the site charges homeowners the same commission as Airbnb, it also takes a $400 fee from the first booking. You’ll need to earn a lot on that first stay to make paying that fee worthwhile.
This is probably not a good choice for people who only want to rent a room or house occasionally as a side hustle.
Recommendations
If you have a high-end home that you’re willing to rent out regularly, this could be a better alternative to Airbnb and VRBO. The other sites would certainly draw more renters. But this one is likely to bring a better clientele. If you want to rent your house for months at a time, also consider SabbaticalHomes.
Want to try Plum Guide?
Here’s a direct link to the Plum Guide site.
Reviewed 9/22/2021
Suggested Options.
Blogging as a side hustle
Larry Ludwig may well be the poster child for why people recommend blogging as a side hustle. He…
Side hustle success stories: Selling on Etsy
Helen Spallas has worn many hats--investigator, janitor, tax preparer --but she didn't make six…
Great holiday gift experiences
Want to give someone something unique this holiday season? Consider holiday gift experiences.
Jobs for military spouses
The typical military family moves every two or three years. And with all that moving around, jobs…
3 Best tutoring sites
The best places to find a tutor are also the sites that are the best places for freelancers to…
Holiday hustles
One-quarter of Americans are looking for a holiday hustle to help defray the high cost of seasonal…
Learn to teach for free
Have a skill? You can make money teaching it online. And this month two of the best teaching…
5 New hustles — good, promising and pretty bad
We've reviewed 5 new hustles this week, which provide good opportunities for designers, notaries…
Strategies to survive inflation
Basic strategies to survive inflation involve spending (or saving) less or earning more. Or, if…
No college? No problem
No college? No problem. A wide array of jobs -- many of them well-paid -- don't require a degree.…