Furnish with Amazon (small items)
Amazon is a great place to buy all the small items you will need for your home. I remember trying to furnish our home in Drax Hall and having lists and lists for each room of the house. It was overwhelming, especially when I thought about all the things you need for a kitchen! The spatulas, pots, pans, wine bottle opener, colander, and the list goes on…
This is why I started an Amazon store that features all the items you need to furnish your new home!! Yes, I mean everything…down to the toilet paper! I recommend using this list to buy the small items and either ship them down in a barrel or bring with you in your checked bags. When we bought our home in Drax Hall we shipped 5 barrels and 2 TV’s. This allowed us to buy items that fit our style and get a great price!
Using my Amazon store, you can literally buy all the small items you will need in under an hour! You simply select the room and a list of recommended items will show. You then select the quantity and add to your cart. Easy, right?!
I’ve found some of the items, especially linens in Jamaica are not very modern and do not fit my taste. It was nice to have a touch of home in our home away from home!
Pro Tip: When you are furnishing your home for Airbnb make sure you buy all white linens so they can be bleached and easily replaced. I typically have to replace sheets, towels and wash clothes on a monthly basis! For this reason, I would suggest buying a few backups of each of these items to keep in one cabinet or drawer at the house.
Ring Cameras for Security and Peace of Mind
I spoke about this in last week’s newsletter, but in case you missed it…
I highly recommend installing Ring Cameras with solar panels at your home. The cameras run on Wi-Fi and there is never the need to charge them if you purchase the solar panel. We have been using Ring for 7 years and have never had an issue. Their customer service is exceptional and you can monitor your home(s) from your mobile phone.
I will add, I was a bit skeptical as to how well the solar panels would work. We first installed them at our house in Drax Hall Manor and they seemed to work very well. We then installed a Ring system at our home in New York. We have many cloudy and snowy days in New York and I figured the solar panel would not work as well. I was wrong! The cameras have never run out of charge, even when we’ve had snow for 2 weeks or more. It really is a great investment.
Cost: The Ring Spotlight Cam is $199.99. The Solar Panel is $99.99. I recommend buying one set for each exterior door and the sides of the home. Depending on the size and configuration of your home this would typically be 4 sets of cameras. The cost for 4 Ring Spotlight Cams and Solar Panels is $1,199.92.
Create a Self Check-in with Igloohome lockboxes
Igloohome lockboxes are ideal for creating a self check-in Airbnb. I found this especially useful during COVID. This ensures guests are able to enter the home immediately upon arrival and not have to wait for a co-host/house manager to bring them the key.
Igloohome products link directly to Airbnb and automatically send the lockbox code to each new guest 24 hours before their arrival. The code is active during the guest’s stay and becomes deactivated at the time of check-out. This helps to ensure the home stays secure and guests cannot send another party to retrieve keys after their departure.
The lockbox is also very useful to provide keys to repairmen and house cleaners. As the owner of the lockbox, you can set temporary codes to activate and expire as you choose. This allows repairmen and housekeepers to access keys for a pre-determined time period.
Pro tip: I highly suggest positioning your lockbox in view of you Ring Camera. This will help you monitor who is accessing keys and when. If your home does not allow for a lockbox, Igloohome also has a Keyless Entry Pad that can link to Airbnb as well.
Cost: The Igloohome lockbox costs $179.99 on Amazon. It is easy to setup and use from abroad!
Ecosense A/C Sensors
These are a must have for any Airbnb in Jamaica! This is the only way we have been able to control our JPS bills and ensure our Airbnb is profitable. Mr. Oral Bennett is the licensed distributor and installer for Ecosense in Jamaica. He does great work and is very personable and reliable.
Cost: The Ecosense A/C Sensors are $28,000 JMD per sensor and $8,000 JMD per installation (a traveling cost also applies based on your location). If you have a two bedroom house, you likely have 3 A/C units, so the cost would be $36,000 JMD for each sensor and installation x 3 = $108,000 JMD, plus traveling cost). If interested, you can contact Mr. Oral Bennett via phone or WhatsApp at 876-579-7628.
Insider Info: Before we installed the sensors we would pay over $100,000 per month for JPS. Since we have installed the sensors we have paid no more than $40,000 per month on JPS bills. That is a $60,000 savings per month! This means the sensors pay for themselves in less than 3 months and also save wear and tear on the A/C which prolongs the life of the unit. It’s a no-brainer!
Furniture and Appliance Store Recommendations
If you are planning to buy your furniture and appliances in Jamaica, I recommend the below stores. When we bought our house in Ocho Rios we got various pieces at each store.
- We bought our dining table at Singer, because that was the only place I could find a glass dining table. The dining room in our home is not huge and I didn’t want a “heavy” dining table that would make the space look smaller.
- Singer: https://www.singer.com.jm/+1-876-974-1249
- We bought our living room furniture including entertainment center at Spaces. Their furniture is very high quality and super comfortable, but it is expensive!
- Spaces: https://www.spacesjamaica.com/+1-876-926-4013
- We bought our washer and dryer at Courts. Note: I had to replace the washer after about 2 years. When I purchased the second washer I got it from Appliance & TV Depot.
- Courts: https://www.shopcourts.com/jamaica +1-866-447-2474
- We bought the bedroom furniture at Appliance & TV Depot in Kingston.
- Appliance & TV Depot: https://www.instagram.com/appliancetvdepot/?hl=en +1-876-318-4000
- I highly recommend buying as much furniture and appliances at the Appliance & TV Depot in Kingston as you can. They have very good quality items and the prices are much better than the big chain stores. They deliver to any part of the island for a very reasonable price. Always make sure to use cash when you buy here. We were able to negotiate great deals on our furniture by paying with USD cash!
- Please keep in mind, you may not want to furnish your home with too high end furnishings if your primary use of the home will be Airbnb guests. You want the home to be comfortable and inviting, but remember, the furniture and appliances will get a lot of wear and tear. Make sure you are comfortable with having to replace everything in the home after 7-10 years.
- For example, my husband and I are planning to replace all the mattresses in our home and the living room furniture once we stop renting our home on Airbnb and it is only for our personal use. We may also need to replace other items such as a washer and dryer.
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