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Category: Getting Started
By: Brittany Simmons
Reply by Maria Gonzales:
I've furnished 4 properties from scratch. Here's my system: **Shopping priority order:** 1. Mattresses + bed frames (guests notice these most) 2. Sofa (second most important for comfort) 3. Dining table + chairs 4. Linens (sheets, towels, pillows) 5. Kitchen essentials 6. Decor + everything else **Where I shop:** - **Facebook Marketplace** for big furniture (sofa, dining table, dressers) — 50-70% off retail - **Amazon** for linens, kitchen items, organizers - **IKEA** for bed frames (MALM, HEMNES are bulletproof) - **Costco** for towels (best value-to-quality ratio) - **HomeGoods/TJMaxx** for decor, throw pillows, wall art **Products that survive STR:** - IKEA FRIHETEN sofa (legendary durability) - Amazon Basics white towels (bleach-friendly) - CGK Unlimited sheets on Amazon (1800-thread-count, cheap, hold up well) $5K for 2BR is tight but doable. I'd allocate: $1,200 mattresses/frames, $800 sofa, $500 dining, $600 linens/towels, $500 kitchen, $400 decor, $500 miscellaneous, $500 buffer. For more detailed furnishing guides by style, check out the furnishing articles on STR Specialist — like this one for modern Denver setups: https://strspecialist.com/minimalist-airbnb-in-denver
Reply by David Okafor:
Timeline tip: give yourself 2-3 weeks minimum from "keys in hand" to "first guest." Furniture delivery takes time, you'll make multiple Target/HomeGoods runs, and you need a buffer for the unexpected. I tried to speed-run it in 5 days and was assembling a bookshelf at midnight the night before my first guest. Don't be like me.