Kathy Corby, owner of Lilac House in Saugerties, has a spreadsheet of 31 contractors that she depends on, including appliance repair people and folks who assemble furniture. So keep a list of reliable pros in place and have a couple of backups for every electrician, plumber, and handyman, he advises. Stuff happens: “Fuses are going to blow, drains are going to get clogged, something’s going to break at some point,” says Austin Urban, Airbnb host of the Barn at Copake Lake, as well as an apartment in Hudson. Photo courtesy of Derek Walker Photography …Then get your team in place A neighbor can also lend a hand by stopping by to check if something needs attention when you can’t get there, says Tina Roth Eisenberg, who rents out a cabin in Red Hook and has a person she can count on. If you’re from out of town and your place needs sprucing up, introduce yourself to your neighbors and tap into their network of local contractors, Wolpe says. Since that takes time, “it’s important to begin three or more months before your desired start date,” she adds.

Most of that ire is directed at absentee investors, but at the very least you’ll probably have to fill out an application to register the home as a short-term rental and then answer any questions from the planning board as well as submit to inspections, notes Catherine Wolpe, host of Long Pond Cottage in Rhinebeck. Many of the towns in the Hudson Valley have started to explore putting strict policies in place,” advises Stephen Beck, who rents out Willow Vale House in Pine Plains. “Know the area and whether short-term rentals are a risk for regulation. Then get the lowdown on how to be successful from these savvy Valley-based superhosts: Look into your town’s rules If you’re mulling over renting out a home to offset the mortgage, get a sense of how much you can charge by going on (or from Airbnb itself).

locations for new hosts? And that was just in the first six months of 2021. But did you know the area scored ninth on Airbnb’s Top 10 list of the most profitable U.S. You already knew the Hudson Valley was a magnet for travelers. | Photo courtesy of The Hunter Houses Thinking of jumping into the short-term rental market in the Hudson Valley? Get expert advice from these Airbnb hosting pros.

The Cabin by the Hunter Houses in Maplecrest.

Becoming an airbnb host