# Your First Airbnb — Guide + Profit Calculator

## Launch legally and profitably — and run your real numbers first

Most first-time hosts start with linens and photos. The ones who profit start with what you can't see from the setup screen: the local law that decides if you're even allowed to list, the 15.5% fee most guides still get wrong, and the behaviors that outrank hosts charging less. 34 sourced pages, every claim cited in the margin, current to the late-2025 fee change older guides describe wrong.

Inside — the eight gates:

• The legal gate first, not the decor (NYC listings fell ~70% after Local Law 18)

• The fee stack you actually keep — net runs ~25–35% of payout

• Ranking that rewards behavior, not a lower price

• Smart Pricing's conflict of interest (it can underprice you 15–30%)

• Superhost as four numbers — 4.750 keeps the badge, 4.749 loses it

• Cancellation, AirCover, and the 14-day review clock

You get: the full 34-page guide (PDF) + the profit calculator (Excel) — plug in your nightly rate, occupancy, fees, and cleaning to see your true net before you list, instead of finding out after. Instant download, yours forever.

Read the eight gates before your first guest checks in.