Frequently Asked Questions

Staytrade is a curated marketplace that connects talented creators (developers, designers, marketers) with premium property owners. Creators get free stays in exchange for building businesses, landing pages, or running ads for the property owner. It's a trade of talent for accommodation.

Airbnb is a rental marketplace — you pay money for a stay. Staytrade is an exchange marketplace — you trade your skills for a stay. Property owners get valuable work done, creators get free accommodation and a chance to earn equity in new ventures.

Staytrading is our term for the act of trading your skills for a stay. When you're working from a property in exchange for your creative work, you're Staytrading. It's become the verb of our community — 'I'm Staytrading in Austin this month.'

Click 'Apply as Creator' and submit your portfolio, past work, and the skills you offer. Our team personally reviews every application. We look for proven ability to ship — whether that's websites, apps, ads, content, or design. If accepted, you'll be able to browse and apply to properties.

It varies by property and project. Common deliverables include landing pages, MVP applications, ad campaigns, brand identity, content creation, and marketing strategy. Each listing specifies what the owner is looking for.

Yes. For any business that generates revenue from work you contributed to during your Staytrade, you receive 10% of net revenue. This is tracked and distributed quarterly through the platform. It's real equity in real businesses.

Every Staytrade requires you to document your stay with at least 5 social media posts and 1 property tour video. This content must tag Staytrade and the property. It helps grow the platform and increases the property's visibility.

Either party can end a Staytrade with 48 hours notice. If there's a dispute, we offer mediation. Equity is prorated based on work completed. We encourage a 72-hour match call before booking to ensure good fit.

Accommodation (a comfortable place to stay), the ad budget you've committed to in your listing, and clear communication about your business idea and goals. You're essentially trading empty nights at your property for high-value work.

Every creator on Staytrade is pre-vetted by our team. You can also review their portfolio, past Staytrades, ratings, and specific proposal for your project. We recommend a 72-hour video call before confirming any booking.

Our standard agreement includes clear deliverables and check-in milestones. If a creator fails to deliver, you can terminate the Staytrade and they'll receive a negative review affecting their future opportunities. We also offer dispute mediation.

Yes. Some property owners just want content documentation of their property for marketing purposes. You can specify 'Content-Only Stay' in your listing, which requires less commitment from both sides.

You commit to an ad budget in your listing (e.g., $2,500/month). This money is used by the creator to run ads for whatever you're building together. It's your investment in validating the business idea. You control the accounts and can see exactly how it's spent.

This split balances value fairly. The creator gets 10% for their expertise and execution. The platform gets 10% to fund growth, support, and promotion. The owner gets 80% for providing housing, ad budget, and the business opportunity. It's simple, fair, and standardized.

Quarterly. Property owners report revenue through the platform, and payments are automatically calculated and distributed. We provide transparent tracking so everyone can see how businesses are performing.

Net revenue from the business after expenses like ad spend, software costs, and transaction fees. This is clearly defined in the Staytrade Agreement signed before each stay.