So, we did a thing. We are (un)officially the owners of a short term rental. I say unofficially because while we are under contract, we have not closed. 
My husband & I have a handful of residential rentals and have always toyed around with the idea of doing AirBNB/VRBO but for a million little reasons, we always go back to long term rentals. Except for now!
Why did we finally make the plunge? Well, this little house is right by the lake. RIGHT by the lake. One of the best Marinas around here (think live music, resturant on a dock, all the things) is landlocked with campgrounds. Basically 98% of the land in this area is leased out for people to park their campers at. We actually lease out a spot! It's great- the campers are permantely parked, you have utilites hooked up, permanent decks built on to them, golf carts, it's great. BUT it's slim pickins' to get a new spot- they stay full. Also, if you don't have a year long lease rental, you're not staying out here. None of the campgrounds allow you to lease out your spot (which I totally get why, btw) so it's literally impossible to travel in and stay on the lake for the weekend. Until now!!
In the 2% of land that is not campgrounds, you can find single family homes. We bought a 2 bedroom house (actually, single wide trailer) that is basically a time capsule- all the original elements from the 70s when it was brought there. Prior to the auction the house was full of potential buyers looking around and I joked that this was probably the first time shoes were worn inside. It also has a great lot (not waterview but literally less than a 10 minute walk to the marina), plenty of parking to pull in a boat/jet skis, huge wrap around porch, it's basically just perfect.
Our plan is to spruce up the interior- tear out carpet, lay LVP, paint EVERYTHING, and then decorate it with all the lovely thrifted things I already love buying.
I've scoured the internet and Pinterest on blogs about starting an AirBNB/VRBO and found there are so few blogs that covered the actual process. I'm not renting out my furnished home, I'm starting from scratch- I need help! So, I've decided to document our process so that we can hopefully help someone else considering the same thing.
While we wait to close I'm working on my list of everything we need to buy so that I can start picking things up on my normal thrift trips. I've always said if you have enough time, you can literally find whatever you want secondhand. In this case, time is money so once we close on the house the clock starts ticking. I'll want to quickly pull things together so we can start renting out for the summer so anything I can pick up now will be something less that I have to potentially buy new.
If you've stayed in a short term rental, AirBNB or VRBO, I'd love to know your feedback on what was supplied that you loved, what you didn't like, or what little things really made a great impression with you. Drop a comment below!