AvantStay Property Management Review: Is AvantStay Worth It?

Many investors have made lots of money in the vacation rental industry. Others, meanwhile, are hesitant to enter this exciting and profitable business because they don’t have the time to buy and manage short term rental properties. If you belong to the second group, you might be considering property management.

So, is AvantStay worth it? Yes. AvantStay is worth it for hosts that have large properties with high revenue that want an attentive property management company.

On our list of the best Airbnb property management companies we ranked Awning above AvantStay for its better pricing, more complete service offering, and nationwide footprint.

AvantStay Vacation Rental Property Management

AvantStay offers short term rental property management. They manage both vacation homes bought through them and those purchased through other channels. At the moment they manage 600+ properties which is not a lot considering that this is the core of their business.

The company states that they offer the “first completely hands-off approach” for vacation rental owners and hosts. They focus on creating unique experiences for group travelers which is in line with Airbnb’s recent shift towards experiences as well. However, unlike Airbnb, AvantStay actively works with property owners and on behalf of investors to accommodate the vacation home for a one-of-a-kind experience.

To qualify as an owner, you should be renting out an entire property with a minimum of 4 bedrooms in one of the markets listed above. This is in order to be able to cater to the needs of group travelers and vacationers which is what AvantStay strives to do. So, if you own a smaller property or would like to list a room or two, you have to look a different short-term rental property management company.

Here are the services which AvantStay vacation rental property management includes:

• ‍Furnishing Vacation Rental Homes: If you own a non-furnished Airbnb rental property, the AvantStay team will help you invest in furniture, design, and Airbnb improvements which boost your vacation rental occupancy rate and increase your home’s equity. They work with professional interior designers to style a property and make sure it provides the unique experience promised to guests. The company website lists the interior design service as complimentary. In addition, all managed houses are turned into smart and secure homes. The company installs smart technology devices like digital locks, noise sensors, and security cameras at no additional cost.
• ‍Maximizing Financials: AvantStay aims to optimize the financial gains for their investors. They focus on maximizing the rental income. The company commits to helping vacation rental owners earn 20% more revenue on qualified homes.
• ‍Protecting Short Term Rental Properties: AvantStay does everything necessary to protect investment properties while providing the ultimate experience for guests. In this regard, they complement your landlord insurance with their own liability coverage. Moreover, they carefully vet all guests and do not allow parties on managed properties. The smart technology installed in homes helps monitor compliance and alerts their team in case of any breaches.
• ‍Listings Properties and Managing Guests: When vacation rental investors work with AvantStay, they benefit from professional rental property marketing. Properties are listed on 50+ distribution channels including the main short term rental platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and others.

AvantStay Terms and Requirements

As an Airbnb host, you can choose whether to commit to working with AvantStay for a single year or multiple years. Your home needs to meet certain requirements in order to qualify. In addition to being a specific size (5+ bedrooms), your home will also need to meet revenue projection requirements that AvantStay sets on a per market basis.

AvantStay Pricing

The company website does not specify how much it costs to have your vacation rental property managed by them. This lack of transparency is an important drawback. Openness and transparency are key when you decide to whom to entrust the management of your investment property. According to former hosts that have worked with AvantStay their pricing starts at 20% of revenue and goes up from there.

AvantStay Reviews

Before making a decision whether to work with a company, savvy investors need to study and consider the customer reviews available online. AvantStay reviews are present on a few major review websites.

AvantStay has an outstanding average TrustScore of 4.7 based on 492 customer reviews. This ranks the company as excellent on the TrustPilot website. However, as an investor, you should keep in mind that most of these reviews have been provided by guests and not hosts.

Overall, guest reviews are overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the quality of the homes, the likeness between what is advertised and what is delivered, and the quick responses from the property management team.

AvantStay has an average rating of 4.5 based on 131 reviews on Yelp. Once again most reviews are provided by guests and share a positive experience.

Last but not least, AvantStay has scored an average customer review rating of 4.61 on the BBB website, based on 283 reviews. While most AvantStay reviews are provided by guests and share positive experiences, there are some complaints.

AvantStay vs Airbnb

Many investors and short term rental hosts think of AvantStay as an Airbnb alternative when they first hear about the services which the company offers.

AvantStay aspires to be a one-stop-shop for those interested in investing in short term rentals without having much knowledge of the industry and without spending time on buying, preparing, and managing their property. For the listing service, AvantStay integrates with the top-performing vacation rental platforms including Airbnb as well as Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, HomeAway, and others. In this sense, AvantStay is not a direct Airbnb competitor but rather a complementary service provider.

Another major difference between Airbnb vs AvantStay is that Airbnb covers all global markets, while AvantStay focuses on 70+ locations in 11 US states and Mexico. The US markets where the company operates include tourist destinations in:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Hawaii
• New York
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah

Importantly, it is the mission of AvantStay to provide the ultimate group travel experience, whether for a family retreat, celebrating an occasion with friends, or a company gathering, as stated on their website. To ensure this, there are specific requirements for homes and hosts to qualify. Meanwhile, Airbnb accepts all types of small and big houses in addition to unusual properties like tiny homes, earth homes, castles, and others to be listed on their platform.

Takeaway

Our AvantStay review shows that the company succeeds in providing the one-stop-shop that it aims to offer to vacation rental investors.