Renting Homes for Ad: Becks Harvey, a 46-year-old British expat living in Brooklyn, New York, has turned renting out her house for photo shoots into a six-figure income. She never expected to host celebrities like Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Coolidge, and CJ Wallace, the son of The Notorious B.I.G.
Harvey and her husband have been renting out their building—a converted car shop divided into three apartments, including one they live in—for five years. During this time, they’ve hosted numerous photo and video shoots for ads, documentaries, and magazine covers.
Their bookings come primarily through Peerspace, Splacer, and traditional agencies that work directly with clients.
It is possible to make a lot of money hosting. Harvey claims that in 2021 and 2022, they made over $200,000 from a single unit. Currently, handling reservations is practically her full-time job.
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Although New York City is particularly well-suited for high-profile production projects, thus her scenario might be exceptionally lucrative, hosts across the country typically charge $50, $100, or even $250 per hour. Since many shots take place over several days, the annual revenue is sufficient to cover a portion of a mortgage.
Naturally, the companies charge a commission for reservations. Additionally, letting your property be used for business purposes comes with hazards. A fair amount of logistical management is mentioned by hosts, along with dents in the wall and scrapes on the floor—especially considering that reservations are sometimes made with less than two weeks’ notice.
Owners need to be ready to handle their properties as though they were businesses in order to safeguard them. However, a lot of people think it’s worth it; according to Peerspace, their website has over 40,000 bookable spots globally.
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It only takes a minute or two to list a space on Peerspace or Splacer for free and quickly. Hosts set their hourly rates and write about the size, features, and parking of their space in a biography. Like Airbnb, people who want to rent can sort by price, area, number of beds, and more.
No information is needed ahead of time. Alexis Hammond, a 42-year-old doctor from Baltimore who was in a book group to learn about money, came up with the idea in 2020. After putting her house on Peerspace, Hammond made enough in a month to pay off her debt. She then bought the house next door to rent out, even though her income was always changing.
“Financially, it’s definitely been beneficial,” she says according to Money Talks News, adding that she estimates she earns up to $20,000 per year between the properties. “I found it hard to say no to anyone because I was just very excited and kind of stunned that it was so successful.”
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When scouting venues, what do individuals seek for? According to Seattle-based freelance production manager Jessica Yager, it depends on the customer. A house can fit well even if it isn’t extremely ornate. (In fact, several firms avoid using rooms that appear too opulent for their intended consumer base.)
Being roomy is usually necessary because crews often consist of 15 to 30 people who require space to work and move around. Another benefit is natural light.
Yager usually starts his day early, usually before seven in the morning. The homeowner could be there or not; some just give her the go-ahead to enter without using a keypad. She enters the house with the crew, and they take pictures of every crevice so they can reconstruct the house later.
After that, moving blankets and other tools were put down to help protect the walls and floors. Sometimes, they repaint a room after taking all the furniture out.
By morning, the house is usually full of photographers, digital technicians, clothes stylists, hair and makeup artists, and production managers, each with their own helpers. Then there are people like singers and models. The owner shows up to do a walk-through after the shoot to make sure everything is good
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Local guests should be aware of the risks that could happen. Sarah Dupuis, a real estate agent from Seattle with almost ten years of experience, rents out three homes, one of which is her own. A client took all the kitchen tools away during a rental, leaving dents in the floors. This taught her a hard lesson.
Despite this, Dupuis kept presenting, but she raised the bar. To lower the risk of damage, she now makes clients sign a specific contract before shooting in private homes and doesn’t allow rolling equipment or dollies.
“We’ve learned some tricks,” she says. “It’s knowing what the production is for, what company is behind it, if it’s going to be video and so on.”
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Having a backup home is very important when you have tenants. Sarah Dupuis, 46, rents out her main house about six times a year. This means that her five-person family has to move items, keep valuables safe, and make changes to their daily lives. During shoots, they usually stay at one of their other homes, but if they have to stay at home, they hide in the basement.
For hosts like Alexis Hammond, the benefits go beyond making money. She feels fulfilled when her homes are featured in ads and pregnancy photos on social media. Similarly, Becks Harvey enjoys knowing that celebrities are having a great time in her homes, even though she’s usually too shy to meet them.
“I don’t trust myself around famous people,” she says. “I just know that I would say something and regret it forever.”
