How to price an apartment in Trebinje, season by season

How to price an apartment in Trebinje is one of the first questions every owner asks, and there is no single right number. A good price isn’t a guess, and it isn’t copied from the neighbour. It is built from three things: what one night really costs you, what a guest can get in town for the same money, and the time of year. This article walks through all three steps and shows how to set your price by season.

The short answer: start from what the town already offers

On Trebistan, at the time of writing, an apartment in Trebinje starts at BAM 45 a night, and most cost between BAM 70 and BAM 100 a night. That isn’t a price list. It’s a starting point. Where your apartment sits in that range depends on its location, equipment, size and the season. You can see the listings and current prices on the accommodation in Trebinje page.

Step one: work out what one night costs you

Before you look at other people’s prices, work out your floor. That is the amount below which renting out stops making sense. It includes:

• Cleaning and laundry. You pay these per guest, not per night, and they are the easiest cost to overlook.
• Utilities. Electricity, water, internet, and the heating or air conditioning the guest uses.
• Consumables. Everything a guest uses up, from soap to toilet paper.
• Wear and small repairs. An apartment with a steady change of guests wears faster.
• Commission. On Trebistan it is 10%, and only on a successful booking.

Here is an example. A guest stays 3 nights at BAM 100, which comes to BAM 300. The commission is BAM 30, which leaves you BAM 270. From that you pay for one clean and the utilities. Had the same guest stayed one night, the clean would cost the same and the income would be a third. That is why a single night can look good on paper and bring in very little.

Step two: compare yourself with your real competitors

A two-bedroom apartment in the centre and a studio on the edge of town are not the same offer. Compare yourself only with apartments your guest would really consider: the same number of guests, a similar part of town and similar amenities. If you are near the centre, look at apartments in Trebinje city centre.

One small check helps too. Search dates a few weeks ahead, then the same kind of dates in the season. You will see which apartments are still free, and at what price. A price on a listing doesn’t tell you on its own whether anyone has actually booked at it.

Then take an honest look at your own apartment. These push the price up:

• a location near the centre, or something special such as a view, a yard or quiet,
• parking, air conditioning and a pool, because guests filter their search by exactly these,
• a tidy, modern interior and good equipment,
• photos that show all of this.

Older furniture, a weaker location without parking and poor photos pull it down. If you are at the top of the range, the apartment has to show it. Guests choose with their eyes and compare you with the rest in seconds.

Step three: set your prices by season

One price for the whole year is the most expensive mistake in renting out. The apartment ends up too cheap in summer and too dear in winter. Our advice is to start with three levels:

• Main season, June to September. This is when Trebinje has the most guests, and when your price should be highest.
• Holidays and bigger events in town. These are short periods when demand jumps outside the summer too. Keep track of them and enter them separately.
• The rest of the year. This is your base price: lower, but still above the floor from step one.

In TrebiStay this is simple. The base price applies when no season covers a date, and for each season you enter a name, dates and a nightly price. For dates inside a season, its price replaces the base price.

When you do it matters too. Enter your seasonal prices early, before summer requests start to arrive. If the calendar stays open at the winter price, you can end up with a July booking at a November price.

How much more should you charge in summer?

There is no ready-made percentage, and don’t trust anyone who offers you one without having seen the apartment. The difference depends on how much your apartment stands out. Start from the summer prices of similar apartments, watch how your calendar fills, then adjust. We explain how to read it below.

What about winter?

When there are fewer guests, lowering the price isn’t the only answer. If the apartment is good, you can let it by the month in winter and go back to nightly stays in summer. We describe that combination in detail in short-term or long-term rental.

Guests and short stays: three settings that pay off

The nightly price isn’t your only lever. In TrebiStay you can set three more things alongside it:

• A price by number of guests. Four guests use more than two, and the price can reflect that.
• A short-stay rule. It covers the cost of cleaning for a one-night stay, because the price for such a stay is set separately.
• A minimum stay. At the peak of the season you can ask for two nights or more, so a short booking doesn’t take a good slot.

Be careful with the minimum stay. Some guests visit Trebinje in passing, for one night on the way to the sea. If your apartment suits them, a short-stay rule is often a better choice than turning them away.

How to tell your price is wrong

Your calendar tells you everything you need to know, as long as you look at it regularly.

• Your price is probably too low if the main season fills up long before similar apartments in town. Raise the price for the dates that are left.
• Your price is probably too high if similar apartments are taken and yours is still free, especially as the dates get close.
• The problem may not be the price if you get neither requests nor questions from guests. Check your photos and description first.

Change one thing at a time and give it time. In the season, looking at the calendar every week or two is enough. If you change the price, the description and the photos on the same day, you won’t know what helped.

The mistakes that cost the most

• Copying the neighbour’s price. Their apartment isn’t yours, and their price may not be working for them either.
• Counting without costs. A price looks very different once you take off commission, cleaning and utilities.
• Dropping the price in a panic. One empty week is no reason to change everything. First look at what similar apartments are doing.
• A high price with weak photos. Guests can’t pay for what they can’t see. Good photos often cost less than a lower price, and our apartment photography can help.
• Forgotten seasonal prices. Set them once a year, in advance, and you don’t have to think about them every day.

What Trebistan adds to the price

Listing an apartment on Trebistan is free, so there is no fixed cost to cover before your first booking:

• Nightly stays: you pay 10% only on a successful booking.
• Monthly rentals: you pay the first month’s rent once, when a tenant who came through Trebistan moves in. The tenant pays Trebistan nothing.

Guests pay no booking fee, and they pay you in cash on arrival. You run your listing yourself in TrebiStay: calendar, prices, bookings and messages. If you would rather not deal with prices and guests, apartment management is an optional extra, not an obligation.

Our advice: start sensibly, then watch the calendar

A price isn’t a decision you make once. Work out your floor, place the apartment among similar ones in town, enter your seasons early, and then let the calendar tell you what to do next. When you are ready, list your apartment for free.

Not sure what to charge for your apartment? Call us on +387 66 111 909 or write to info@trebistan.com, and we will gladly look at your case.