Host Tools

With great pleasure we like to inform Houfy is now connected to Pricelabs.

When syncing with Houfy, PriceLabs can update daily rates and minimum stay requirements for dates up to one year from today (for more information on extending the pricing calendar for your listings, see PriceLabs article here), along with check-in and check-out restrictions. Existing last minute, and weekly and monthly discounts set in Houfy will continue to apply once PriceLabs is connected, but all seasonal and calendar rates will be overwritten by PriceLabs each time an update happens. 

Connecting to Houfy

Step 1.

To import your Houfy listings into PriceLabs, simply fetch your API key from your Houfy settings by clicking "Show" and copying the key (Menu > Privacy & Settings)

Step 2.

Head over to your PriceLabs account and click the "Add your listings" button, select Houfy from the drop down, paste in your API key, then click "Connect."

That's it! You should now see your Houfy listings on your PriceLabs dashboard. Head over to the Pricelabs onboarding guide or join one of our PriceLabs 101 webinars to get an overview of the system and all available customizations. When you're ready to sync, toggle on the sync switch for your listing and wait for our regular nightly sync, or click the "Sync now!" button to update rates on Houfy immediately.

Once a successful sync has happened, you can find your PriceLabs rates and minimum stay settings in two places on Houfy. First by going to the calendar on the pubic listing page and hovering over a date to see the rate and min-stay 

Or, you can see the rate and min-stay for each date by going to the individual listing calendar by clicking "Manage Listings" from the main Houfy menu when logged in as a host. 

Notes for syncing to Houfy and other channels from PriceLabs

Please note that if you are syncing to Houfy and other channels, like Vrbo and Airbnb, from PriceLabs, PriceLabs will not coordinate calendars between listings. You must create an iCal connection between each channel in order to make sure reservations booked on one platform appear as blocked dates on the other.

You can also map your listings together so that you are not double invoiced for the same property, please read through our guide to mapping listings between channels for instructions on how to do that. Once listings are mapped, you can use the pricing offset customization to account for the difference in commissions between channels. Please remember to set a base price for the parent listing if you are still using the PriceLabs estimated base price.

Estimated base prices do not copy from parent to child listing. 
When syncing to multiple channels from PriceLabs, set your pricing offset customization
at the account level from the Customizations Page so your customization settings will apply to all listings at once! 

To get API access token follow below procedure:

• Right menu/Profile Picture > Settings & Privacy
• Go to the section "API access token"
• Generate a new token or view existing token
• Copy API access token

Did you map your child listing to the parent listing in PriceLabs?

You'll want to do that for billing, especially. Then there is a setting that says to copy everything from the parent to the child. (Aside: You can make adjustments on the child or parent as a pricing offset if you like as well.) PriceLabs should have some good help articles as well once you are in your account. Love having my prices syncing and dynamic with PriceLab's service!

For more information, please review this url.

1. Disconnect or remove OwnerRez

• Right menu > Manage listings > API connections

2. Clear pricing:

• Edit listing > calendar > Clear pricing

3. Remove listing(optional)

• Edit listing > overview
• Click Remove

Visit our channel Manager page which you can find here: Right menu -> Manage Listings -> Connections. Click on connect with OwnerRez to continue.

You will need to enter an OwnerRez account id to continue. Enter a valid OwnerRez account id and click to continue.

Select your settings for sync for each listing.

• Listing basic information: Overview about property, room details, location, amenities, suitability, activities, etc.
• Listing rates: Pricing import from OwnerRez to Houfy
• Listing availability: Listing availability import from OwnerRez to Houfy

Once all settings are completed, click on pull data to import data for the first time.

We are very much still working on a perfect integration with OwnerRez which will take some time.. (Discounts etc)

Important notes:

• Payment options will be hidden for OwnerRez connected listings on Houfy and the guest can send you an inquiry message through Houfy.
• OwnerRez connected owners can communicate with the guest and handle the booking.
• On connecting or importing the listings from ownerrez, listing data, rates and availability will be imported based on selected options.
• Listing data(except photos), rates, and availability will be imported every 3 hours from OwnerRez API.

If you add new listing at OR and want it to be imported also at Houfy, please follow these steps below.

1. Right menu -> Manage Listings -> Connections

2. Click on "Did you add more listings at the channel manager? Pull into Houfy".

Once you click pull into Houfy, you can see you Ownerrez account id, click continue.

3. Once you continue, you newly added listings gets imported, but you still need to do mapping of listings for them, by creating a new listing.

Select create a new listing option and click Create a new listing

4. Select your sync settings for each listing.

• a. Listing basic information: Overview about property, room details, location, amenities, suitability, activities, etc.
• b. Listing rates: Pricing import from OwnerRez to Houfy
• c. Listing availability: Listing availability import from OwnerRez to Houfy

If you have more questions, please join our facebook member group

1. Log in and click on right menu
2. Select Manage Listings
3. Select Connections
4. Remove this connection.

Houfy is NOT directly API connected to Airbnb or VRBO. Members can import listings data excluding pricing from Airbnb and pull in reviews from both Airbnb and VRBO.

Houfy is currently connected with:

• Hosttools.com
• Ownerrez.com
• Pricelabs.com

We have received numerous requests to connect Houfy to different channel managers the last few months and unfortuately we do not have enough programmers to take care of this at this time.

Each API connection between Houfy and a channel manager or price optimization tool can take between 1 and 2 weeks for a programmer to program.

You can find and download your receipt(s) at: https://www.houfy.com/houfypay

1. Click on Menu
2. Privacy an Settings
3. Select Houfy Pay

We are still working at promtions and this is currently only available for individual listings. Once we programmed for more than one listing we will inform in our facebook group.

For more information about promotions click on the link below:

Introducing HOUFY Promotions

We created a program to showcase your listing at multiple areas on our site in the form of a promotion. Currently this is only available for Last Minute Specials & Featured Listings. You will need to have verified and completed listings to proceed.

https://www.houfy.com

Ads give your listing a greater visibility and higher chances to get last minute bookings.

Log in > Click on + > Select Ad Creator > Last minute Special

Where will my promotion be visible?

• Your promotion will show on our homepage: https://www.houfy.com

• Your ad will show as one of the first listings at your state search: https://www.houfy.com/vacation-rentals/South-Carolina--United-States

• Your ad will show as one of the first listings at your city search: https://www.houfy.com/vacation-rentals/Hilton-Head-Island--SC--United-States

• Your ad will show as one of the first listings at "nearby listings" on all listings from your city:

• Your ad will show as in howfeed for all members

Pricing:

Depending on city/location and demand we will increase/decrease pricing in the future(programmatically). Currently the price is set for 1.29$ a day with a minimum duration of 30 days.

We are always open for any suggestions you might have - please let us know in our Say Yes to Houfy Facebook Group

• Go to website builder and click Manage on the website you wanted to delete.
• Select Preferences from the left menu and scroll down to Remove this website
• Click Remove this website and confirm to remove the website.

• Go to website builder and click Manage on the website you wanted to add a dropdown menu
• Select Navigation from the left menu and click Main menu to add a dropdown to main menu list
• Edit existing menu item or Add menu item, select dropdown to Yes
• Add child menu to the dropdown, enter name of child menu, select page, and select link target. Click Save to save the changes.

To create a website powered by Houfy please follow the below instructions:

1. Click plus menu > Website builder
2. Click on single/multi vacation rental website based on your need.

3. Enter the business name or website name and click continue.

4. Select listing(s) associated with the website and click continue.

Done. Your website will be created within a few seconds.

Now you can do below things:

• Select the template for the website
• Connect your domain to the website
• Edit pages or sections
• Edit colors or font

Website builder provides different layout changes to start building your website.

Currently, there are 5 templates:

Houfy template (Default template): This template has a similar view as a single page view listing.

Template 1: Search in the middle of the slider or mage image. This is a multi-page template.

Template 2: Search at the bottom of the slider or mage image. This is a multi-page template.

Template 3: Menus below the logo on the separate line. Search at the bottom of the slide or main image. This is a multi-page template.

Template 4: Slider or main image is full screen with search in the middle. This is a multi-page template.

To choose a different template:

1. Go to website builder -> Manage
2. On the left, you can see a list of the available templates. Click "Install" to choose the template.

To edit overview(listing summary)

• Go to website builder and select the website to manage.
• Select pages from the left menu

• Select the page you want to edit and click Edit
• Click on the section to edit

• Click the edit button and edit the content of the section.

To change the default listing on your website please follow below steps.

• Plus menu > Manage website
• Go to pages > Click on settings of any page
• Go to listing data > Change default listing

To change the color of your website business name:

• Manage website > Pages
• Edit any page
• Click on design settings > Colors > Business name
• Change color > Save

Start creating a website by logging in and clicking on the + icon.

Once a template has been selected click on "Pages" on the left menu

Click on Home and edit

Click on Header

Scroll down and click on Design Settings

Click on Font or Colors and save changes..

• Go to website builder and select the website you want to edit.
• Click on pages from left navigation and Click on Edit for the page which has slideshow in it.
• Click on slideshow to open slides.
• Select slideshow image which you want to delete, click Remove this slide to remove the slideshow image.

No coding skills or prior experience are needed with our user-friendly interface. Houfy makes building a website easier than ever; you can get up and running in mere minutes. Our professionally designed templates offer an array of customizable options, allowing you to create a unique website tailored to reflect your rental brand’s style and flair. With Houfy, you get all the features necessary to design the perfect website.

How does this work?

Log in > Click on + > Select Website Builder (For completed and verified Houfy listings only!)

We have created a system where any update you make on your Houfy listing(s), including pricing/calendar/pictures/text/guides, will instantly update your Houfy connected website XYZ-rentals.com.

Sample for one property: https://www.tinytikiretrohideaway.com

TINY TIKI RETRO HIDEAWAY

With a combination of spectacular view and luxury camping, the "Tiny Tiki Retro Hideaway" is a unique glamping experience. Relax and retreat on a sandstone mesa, where nobody will find you at this extraordinary get away. Our 1954 vintage retro-tiny-house-on-wheels, furnished patio, and a shady gazebo offer an unforgettable highlight of your travels.

https://www.tinytikiretrohideaway.com

Sample for Multiple properties: https://www.bed.ninja

bed.ninja

Home

https://www.bed.ninja

You have the option to stay the owner of the domain if you chose so and we can link our program to your domain. - for more info.

Pricing: this will be reasonable and decided sometime in 2023.

Thanks T & S

We are taking an example of Google tag manager here.

1. Insert script:

• Copy the script code(section 1) snippet as instructed in the install Tag Manager box.
• Go to website preferences > Javsascript code
• Click "Add Javascript"
• Past the code as "Inline javascript"
• Remove script tags at the start and end as it's inline script. The final code should be something like the below screenshot.

2. Insert the NoScript tag into the body:

• Copy the script code(section 2) snippet as instructed in the install Tag Manager box.
• Go to website preferences > Custom HTML
• Past the code

Congratulations, you have added Google Tag Manager to your website.

• Go to website builder and select the website you want to edit.
• Click on domains from the left navigation and Click on the Trash icon for the domain that you want to remove.
• Click on "Remove" to confirm the removal of the domain.

Additionally, you can remove/change the A record of your domain at your domain provider to remove it completely.

To submit your website created by Houfy website builder, please follow the below steps:

1. Go to Google search console and click add property
2. Choose the URL prefix method and enter the www version of your website. For ex. www.test.com

3. Choose the HTML tag method and copy the HTML tag.

4. Go to website builder on Houfy, select your website, and go to website preferences. Enter copied meta tag in the meta tags section.

5. Once done click on verify in the Google search console. This property gets added to your Google account and submitted to Google.

Houfy generates robots.txt and sitemaps for all connected domains automatically.

You can find it at www.yourdomainname.com/robots.txt

To add created page to the website menu, please follow the below steps:

• Manage website > Navigation
• Select navigation from the left menu
• Click add a new item, type the menu name, select the associated page, and click save.

1. Select your website you want to edit
2. Select preferences on the left menu
3. Go to listings associated with this website and add or remove the listings

If you have more questions, please join our facebook member group

You can create posts and collections on Houfy and add them to your website's page.

To add a post or collection to the "Blog post" section

• Manage website > Edit the page you have added a section "Blog posts"
• Click add story/Collection
• Select the story or collection and click add

• Manage website > Pages
• Edit the page
• Click on the section > Change setting to hide long text with read more button

Log in and click on the +, select website builder

Select the website you would like to edit

Select pages in the menu and select the page you want to change

Select one of the items on the left menu you would like to remove

Click remove

Or: to add a section: Scroll down in the left menu and select "add section"

Select a section you would like to add:

Click add:

• Click on plus on desktop(Right menu > Plus on mobile) and select website builder
• Go to Pages and select the page to edit
• Select the section
• Click "Delete section" and confirm delete

To connect your domain to Houfy website builder you will need to follow the guide below. In the example below, we are taking your-domain.com as a test domain you wanted to connect. You need to make changes as per your domain name

Before you begin

You need to have the following information

• Your login information for your third-party domain provider account(e.g Godaddy, Google domains, Amazon Route53, etc)
• The Houfy IP address 52.38.84.108

Step 1: Change your DNS records in your third-party domain provider account

1. On your domain provider’s website, log in to your account.
2. Find the DNS settings or domain management area.
3. Change the following records:
1. Point the A record to the Houfy IP address 52.38.84.108
2. Point the CNAME record with the name www to your-domain.com
4. Save your changes

You can have only one A record associated with a domain. If your domain is already associated with an A record, make changes to it and point to Houfy IP address 52.38.84.108

Note: Domain changes may take time from few minutes to 24hours depending on your registar. Lowering the Time to Live (TTL) value of your domain can help your domain update faster. Contact your third-party domain provider for suggestions and instructions on how to change your TTL.

Step 2: Connect your domain to Houfy on the website builder

1. Edit your website and select domains from the left navigation
2. Click Connect existing domain.
3. Enter your domain, such as your-domain.com, and then click Next
4. To confirm that your domain is connected to your Houfy website, click Verify connection.

Your domain connection will get verified if your domain DNS changes are correct. Once all is done it will show as connected and your domain is live and ready to use.

Example DNS record modification at your domain provider:

Below are the example DNS records that you need to modify at your DNS provider. In this example we have made DNS record for the domain hou4y.com, you should use your own domain instead.

1. A record:

Name - hou4y.com

Value - 52.38.84.108

2. CNAME record:

Name - www.hou4y.com

Value - hou4y.com

Note: Please use your own domain name.

To make your website searchable on google you need to submit it to Google search console. Please review the steps below explaining the process to submit your website to Google search console.

1. Visit Google Search Console - https://search.google.com/search-console and click on the add property button.

Once you click on Add property, it will show the popup in the picture below.

2. Choose the URL prefix method for the domain verification. Enter the complete URL of your Houfy website or the custom domain. (incl. https)

3. Click the continue button to proceed to verify ownership(see pic below). Choose first method HTML tag as the method for the verification.

4. Copy the meta tags for the popup. Go to website builder on Houfy. Preferences -> Meta tags -> Enter the copied tag.

5. Once meta tags are saved, click on verify at Google Search Console.

1. Click plus -> Manage website
2. Preferences
3. Javascript code
4. Add your javascript code along with script tags.

Example:

1. Select the page you want to add a youtube video.
2. Click add section -> Select custom html
3. In the custom HTML add the code of your youtube embed

Note: Your youtube embed source(src) is different from your youtube video url

To get a youtube embed source: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ + "video id"

1. Click on plus to open the menu. Scroll down and select Rental Agreement.
2. Choose Houfy's default template or create your own. With Houfy's default template it will bring some predefined sections for you to start with your rental agreement. You can always edit all those sections.
3. Choose the listing for which you want to create a rental agreement.
4. On clicking "Get Started" it will create a rental agreement.
5. You can re-arrange or modify the agreement sections.

Guest can send the rental agreement at 2 different steps:

A) While sending the booking request.

1. When the guest sends you the booking request, they have an option to view the rental agreement and send it to you.

2. On clicking rental agreement they can view it, print or submit to you.

3. On clicking submit, it will send you and the guest an email with the pdf of the signed rental agreement.

B) After sending the inquiry or the booking.

1) Once the guest sends the inquiry or the booking request. They will see an option at the message page to submit the rental agreement.

2) On clicking the rental agreement, the guest can view, download or submit the rental agreement to you.

1. Go to Create a quote
2. Select the dates and pricing will show up. You can edit pricing, add or remove discounts and fees.

Quote screen

3. Click on create request to create a quote and send out email to them.

4. Quote email is is sent to their email address. Your guest has received an email in below format.

5. Host sees quote page as below. You can also copy the link from the Houfy message and share it with your guest on Facebook, etc.

6. Once the guest clicks the link, they will see the quote displayed below.

7. Once your guest completes this basic information, they will be directed to the booking page.

If you see 'Not registered' on the quote page, your guest has not filled in the basic details required to continue booking or making an inquiry.

Edit listing > Calendar

• Click on a date
• Select the date range
• Add discount percentage.
• Click save.

Click on take payments through Houfy & assign Guest.

Step 2: Edit the quote or scroll down.. (You can add discounts/remove fees etc)

Step 3: Enter the e-mail address of your guest and click continue.

Houfy will search for the e-mail and check if the guest is already in the database.

The guest will be required to log in or sign up and will be forwarded to a url where the guest can pay for the reservation.

Thanks T & S

1. Log in and click on menu
2. Select Reservations
3. Select Quotes in the first dropdown - Change Houfy to Quotes.

1. Click on the +
2. Select "Create a quote"
3. Select dates and edit your rates.
4. Add a message, e-mail and name
5. Click create request.

• Select the Quote you want to delete -> Click plus -> Quote -> View quotes -> Click on the quote to delete
• Go to the reservation details section. Click "Delete this quote"
• Confirm to delete the quote

• Create a new quote (Plus menu -> Quote)
• Select the dates you want to send a quote.
• Click Edit to modify prices, discounts, fees, security deposit etc.

Quote - Edit mode before sending

• Once modified, click Continue
• Fill the guest name, email address and message.
• Click create request to send the quote to your guest

• Select the Quote you want to delete -> Click plus -> Quote -> View quotes -> Click on the quote to delete
• Go to the reservation details section. Click "Delete this quote"
• Confirm to delete the quote

To find the code for the multiple properties quote widget go to:

1. Log in and select manage listings
2. Select one of your live listings and click on edit
3. Go to Pricing > Rates & Fees
4. Click on quote tool on the right side of your screen.
5. A pop up will appear and scroll down to "More Settings".
6. Check show all my listings.

1. Pricing/Quote/Booking widget
2. All listings widget
3. Multicalendar widget
4. Calendar widget
5. Photos widget
6. Reviews widget
7. Room details widget
8. Amenities widget
9. Activities widget
10. Overview widget
11. Listing short info widget
12. Seasonal pricing widget
13. Policies widget

To use the Houfy widget you just need to include 2 lines of code in your website.

a. HTML code:

Insert this HTML code into your website where you want to add the widget.

b. Script code:

The script tag should be inserted before the body close or at the bottom of the website page. Insert this code only once per page.

Pricing/Quote/Booking widget:

We have added some easy widgets for you to embed Houfy data to your own site.

Pictures:

• code <iframe style="overflow:hidden;display:block;margin:0 auto;width:100%;min-height:442px;border:none" src="https://www.houfy.com/embed/Listing Number/photos" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Calendar:

• 3 Month: <iframe style="overflow:hidden;display:block;margin:0 auto;width:100%;min-height:442px;border:none" src="https://www.houfy.com/embed/Listing Number/calendar" frameborder="0"></iframe>

• 12 Month: <iframe style="overflow:hidden;display:block;margin:0 auto;width:100%;min-height:1321px;border:none" src="https://www.houfy.com/embed/Listing Number/calendar?view=year" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Option: Select Current month

Pricing:

• Rate calculator

<iframe style="overflow:hidden;display:block;margin:0 auto;width:100%;max-width:400px;min-height:600px;border:none" src="https://www.houfy.com/embed/Listing Number/pricing" frameborder="0"></iframe>

• Multiple Properties Rate calculator

<iframe style="overflow:hidden;display:block;margin:0 auto;width:100%;max-width:400px;min-height:600px;border:none" src="https://www.houfy.com/embed/Listing Number/pricing?type=alllistings" frameborder="0"></iframe>

• Seasonal Pricing

<iframe style="overflow:hidden;display:block;margin:0 auto;width:100%;min-height:600px;border:none" src="https://www.houfy.com/embed/Listing Number/seasonalpricing" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Reviews:

<iframe style="overflow:hidden;display:block;margin:0 auto;width:100%;max-width:400px;min-height:600px;border:none" src="https://www.houfy.com/embed/Listing Number/reviews" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Guidebooks:

Click on the Share (Top right) > Embed Icon

<iframe style="overflow:hidden;display:block;margin:0 auto;width:100%;min-height:600px;border:none" src="https://www.houfy.com/houfyinc/home/all-about-houfy-guidebooks?catid=XXXX&isembed=yes" frameborder="0"></iframe>

For all Guidebooks: Click on the "embed Icon" at the bottom of all guidebooks:

Profile > View Profile > Guidebooks

<iframe width="100%" style="overflow:hidden;min-width:100%;min-height:1808px" src="https://www.houfy.com/XXXXUSER/guides" frameborder="0"></iframe>

We really do not know what these Houfy guys are doing, but this is just fantastic! We're starting to understand what they mean with a "market-network".

To find the code for the quote widget go to:

1. Log in and select Manage listings
2. Select the listing you wish to use and click on edit
3. Go to Pricing > Rates & Fees
4. Scroll down to the Widgets section and click on the Quote tool.
5. The following screen will open. Copy the code to your website as mentioned,

Add payment through Stripe and Square and get paid instantly!

Other Embed tools:

Houfy and embed codes: for Calendar/Reviews/Pricing and Guides

We have added some easy codes for you to embed Houfy data to your own site.

https://www.houfy.com

Since the property listings were online, my wife wanted me to see about the capabilities of writing stories since we had already been blogging on our own website and sharing those posts on LinkedIn, Facebook property pages, and others.

Full Houfy Listing Embedded Under Website Header

Embed Codes: This is when I discovered embed code snippets that allows you to integrate Houfy features into your own website (i.e. calendar, reviews, pricing, seasonal pricing, and guides). I initially embedded each of these features into my website to get familiar with the capabilities.

However, I'm a little tired of maintaining a lot of different widgets and pieces for all of my different properties. I really liked the look of the Houfy listing in its entirety, so I decided what if I just embedded the whole thing into my website?

Why Embed the Full Houfy Listing?: I saw many advantages to integrating the entire Houfy listing I want to share with you:

1. The listing looks nice on desktop and mobile devices. - This is no small issue since many property management systems look dated and don't function well on mobile devices. Over 40% of my visitors are on mobile devices.
2. Simplification of website page management. - Embedding the whole listing means that I only need one page per property on my website instead of managing multiple calendars, maps, review pages, seasonal pricing, photo galleries, or many embed code snippets.

No need for a web guru. - If you presently rely on a website designer, embedding your whole Houfy listing means that making a change to your content can be done within editing your listing Houfy.

Stop & Think: If you add a review, change a photo, update pricing, all you have to do is change it in your listing and the changes are visible within your website. So you can save money from having to request changes that can cost you.

1. Saves You Money. - I have discontinued my property management system because of Houfy. The cloud-based solution was quickly becoming dated and it was costing me over $49.99 per month. I canceled my Authorize.NET payment gateway for another $35 per month in savings. I'm using Square with Houfy. Some solutions are even more costly. You may be able to realize even more savings.

Enough Talk Already...What does it look like? You should see it in action, so I'm embedding a link to an example property listing. You should also take a look at it on a smartphone. There is room for refinement with the look on some devices, but these things are a continual work in progress.

Desktop View: Everything below "PROPERTY LISTING DETAILS" is the Houfy listing displaying content that can be edited within My Listings in Houfy. Everything above it is content driven part of my website such as the logo, navigation, and header graphics.

Mobile View: I've chosen to hide some page elements in order to show listing content sooner.

Coast Awhile Vacation Rentals | Seahorse Retreat, Navarre, FL

The Seahorse Retreat is a home that can sleep up to 16 people in a tropical setting that is perfect for family reunions or get-togethers with friends.

https://www.coastawhilevacations.com

Full Listing Embed Code Instructions:

Here is a simple two-step process to follow if you have a website with Wix. If you are using WordPress, hopefully you can follow along.

Step 1: Add > More > Embed a Site

Step 2: You will draw a box representing the listing that will be displayed on your site. You can adjust the size later. Click on "Enter Website Address" button. Enter your listing address in the provided box as follows:

https://www.houfy.com/embed/xxxx/listing
(Note: 'xxxx' should be replaced with your Houfy listing number.)

Click on Apply.

"Powered by Houfy" Considerations:

There are Houfy features that I feared could cause confusion on the part of my users as well as navigate them away from my website. So additional adjustments I made are made in the spirit of helping visitors and not any effort to hide the fact I'm using Houfy. See my story on "How to Promote Houfy with a Moving Slideshow."

Houfy Header: The Houfy header has a property search box when I want my user to focus on my property listing already being shown. I have simply hidden the header behind the page graphic that appears in front over it.

More Places to Stay: There is another element under the property map that users can click on that will take them away from your listing ; "More places to stay...". In this particular case, I created a rectangular shape that has a white color fill that is placed over this line hiding it from selection.

Houfy Page Footer: The last block of material that can send visitors away from the listing is the Houfy page footer content. Once again, I created rectangular shape with a white fill to cover this part and to display my own website footer.

Property Listing Sizing: Property listings are quite long. The window that displays the listing we have dragged vertically until there is no vertical slider visible. This ensures the listing displays properly.

Mobile Page Design: It is important to ensure you are designing for mobile devices. We have spent a great deal of time ensuring the listing pages look good on desktop as well as mobile. You cannot assume that if it looks good on a desktop it will look correct on a mobile device. We can assure you it most definitely will not without making adjustments.

Book Now Buttons: We wanted to ensure that visitors were encouraged to take action. So we dragged "Book Now" buttons to the top and bottom of the property listing. Clicking on these buttons take visitors to a page with the Houfy Rate Calculator. Each listing has its own Book Now button that navigates to a Houfy Rate Calculator page for the respective property.

If you liked this "How To" story drop us a note in Comments below. And if you would like to view more "How To" stories we have written about marketing property with Houfy, please see the guide below:

Vacation Property Marketing Tips

This guide provides a number of different posts related to leveraging technology inexpensively to achieve your vacation property marketing...

https://www.houfy.com

In the very near future, we will be able to offer you options to create your own map. This could be interesting for Facebook Group administrators or just for your property management company.

All completed & verified Houfy listings will show on our main Houfy map:

Say YES to Houfy Vacation Rental Listings Map

Join Houfy to get on the map! Backup your listing from Airbnb & VRBO in seconds. Houfy is FREE and being developed to promote DIRECT bookings and communication.

https://www.maps.houfy.com

Houfy Partners:

In order to grow the Houfy inventory we are/will be partnering with "niche" sites/"destination" sites and with anyone who wishes to promote the direct booking movement. (Facebook admins or others)

Other Maps created by our members:

Eric Karla has created a Google Map: The free #BookDirect Map is growing rapidly. The map has close to 600 properties listed around the world and the pins appearing on the Map will direct the traveler to your site OR your Houfy listing. The map has more than 10,000 views and is just a few months old!. Some direct bookings were made as a result of the Map.

For more information: Please join Eric's Facebook Group:

How do Houfy maps work?

Any updates (pictures/pricing/calendar etc) you make on your Houfy listing will show up on the maps or partner marketplaces as the data comes from the Houfy database. (Listings will need to be fully completed in the future to show on the maps)

FREE versus PAID?

All Houfy tools are free. The partner sites have their own pricing schedules. Houfy does not receive any funds for providing services to the partners. The reason is quite simple as we are testing and developing. The partners are/will be marketing their sites and your properties. We will do our best to find the right partners who truly believe in their missions and who are aligned with Houfy and our plans.

We are very aware some owners might not choose to join some or any of our partners. All will have different models, niches, destinations etc. and all with have their own pricing schedules.

These sites are starting out and need your help just like Houfy needs your help. We suggest you ask clearly how they plan to market their sites and what stats they can provide you if any.

Can I create my own map for my Facebook Group?

Yes! Please request a map at the menu of the Houfy Map:

Keep in mind, we are testing!!

Once approved you will receive an e-mail from Houfy and see "My Maps" at your settings.

In Map edit mode you will be able to:

• Add title
• Add description
• Add Logo
• Choose color
• Zoom in/out to certain area

Test case: Mike Hailston - Isle of Wight -

https://www.maps.houfy.com/b&b-association-in-shanklin

We are sure you will have many questions and we'll edit this article as we go forward.

Thanks T & S

Documentation: https://docs.houfy.com/ has option to select Houfy production API

Accounts: You can sign up to https://www.houfy.com/ with email address & password and import your airbnb listing to start working with our API.

Token: Menu > Privacy & Settings > API Access Token