In July of 2019 we took a leap. We moved to out of state to finish a degree, and listed our Chico home for the first time on Airbnb. For years we traveled using Airbnb’s for work and pleasure. And then we thought… could we do that? Short-term renting made perfect sense for us – we’d always have a place to stay when returning home – and a place to offer friends and family! For the majority of the year we could offer it to Guests and earn passive income. The best of both worlds. With the help of friends and a few housekeeper referrals, we strung together our first year in the Vacation Rental market. We learned a lot of lessons about remote Vacation Rental management. The challenges were many — absent cleaners, weekend maintenance requests — but still the overall experience of hosting new people every day was extremely rewarding!
When the Covid-19 crisis began we both lost our jobs in the span of a week. It was then that we decided to go all in on Airbnb. We never again wanted to be dependent on someone else for income. We figured that building a business would be the best use of the lockdown, and why not begin a home addition and remodel? We turned our duplex into a four-plex. We invested in high-end finishes that made the space feel luxurious. Yes, we were nervous at first. Would anyone book? Would guests like the space? And more importantly, do people really want to stay in Chico?
The answer to all these questions was a resounding “YES!” We received our first booking within 45 minutes — and lots of bookings soon after. Not only did guests love what we had done, but neighbors did as well. They started using our Airbnbs for their visiting family members, and a few asked us to manage short term rentals of their own. We remembered the difficulties we found when remotely managing our own home from out of state, and occasionally out of the country. Who was going to clean the space between reservations while we were busy traveling for our real jobs? Was it being priced correctly? And who’s going to answer guest messages about how to use a thermostat at 1am?!
It was then that we took another leap. We founded Blixa Vacation Rental Management. Since inception we’ve grown tremendously, thanks to happy homeowner referrals. Within just over a year we had grown to 20 units. We specialize in homes with a story – properties that offer unique opportunities for guests to experience the best of the Northstate. We are an on-the-ground team of hospitality experts.
Since our inception, we’ve curated a portfolio of luxury properties that meet the wants and needs of a very specific traveler. We specialize in homes with a story and properties that offer unique ways for guests to experience the best of the Sacramento Valley.
Chelsea is a Chico native with a background in the Arts and Real Estate Investing. In her free time, Chelsea hikes the plentiful trailers in Upper Bidwell park with her Pomeranian, Moggie.
Lance comes from a little mountain town called Forrest Ranch, nestled in the foothills just above Chico. He spent his teen years building the family homestead. Now he works as a California Licensed Contractor and Real Estate Investor. Lance spends his free time in the kitchen creating meals from the weekly Farmers Market and riding his mountain bike over the mountains and foothills surrounding Chico.
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