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Home away from home

Area families offer short-term rentals

RANDOLPH — The guest book at T&T Rustic Loft reads a little like poetry.

One entry starts, “Sitting on the front porch with a cup of coffee watching the golds and pinks of dawn spread across the sky ... “ and that’s a standard experience for those who stay at the rural Randolph property owned by Steve and Deb Thies.

There’s no extra charge for the amazing sunsets and sunrises.

“I’m going to reward my family and my customers with the beauty of it,” Thies said. “The sunsets are amazing. I had someone say, ‘This is a dream to be out here versus a hotel. It’s peace and quiet.’ “

The loft is available for shortterm rental on Airbnb, an online marketplace for lodging, primarily home stays for vacation rentals, and tourism activities.

Thies joins others in the area and across the country tapping into a growing market.

More than 52,000 units were added to Airbnb or Vrbo - Vacation Rentals By Owner, the other leading vacation rental marketplace - in the first five months of 2021 alone, and the listings count is expected to increase by 20 percent next year.

They got into the short-stay rental business by accident, Thies said.

He built a shed on his property and put in a water line so he could easily wash vehicles.

Deb said it’d be nice to have a bathroom so Steve added one.

Then, she said it’d be nice to have a shower.....and so on.

The first room that was finished was a kitchen area with the intent to use the space during the canning season.

In 2017, their son got married and wanted the upstairs storage area of the shed turned into a bedroom for his wedding night.

He never thought about renting out the space until summer 2019 when construction workers came in from Omaha to work at his church, St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Randolph.

“They were charging us $2,000 for hotels and I thought they can come out here and stay for free, save the church some money,” Thies said.

He officially listed the property on Airbnb about three years ago.

Since that time, numerous improvements have been made including a family and game room complete with a pool table and foosball. Just last week, Thies finished putting up the railing for an outside upper deck, overlooking the corn field with an expansive view for miles.

They used refurbished wood and steel from old buildings throughout the spaces, giving the loft a rustic feel. Deb’s knack for decorating with antiques pulls the whole look together with the goal of highlighting Nebraska’s unique and beautiful qualities.

“I want a home feel for my customers,” he said. “I would not have this loft to rent out if it wasn’t for my wife helping out in every facet of this business. She does a lot behind the scenes and keeps me grounded.”

His next projects include building a gazebo, and adding a hot tub and barbecue area for his family and guests.

From travelers to workers, the loft has been a home away from home for many people. It stays booked about 85 percent of the time, he said.

When people are desperate for a place to stay, he’ll even offer his camper.

He’s met so many different people from all over.

“If they want to talk, I’ll share my history and they share their history. There’s a lot of similarities on things. I love serving people and meeting people,” he said, turning strangers into friends.

One guest from New York has been coming to the area to pheasant hunt for two decades and most recently started bringing his son and staying at the loft. Now the two men talk frequently and send family pictures back and forth.

O t h e r memorable guests have included an Omaha author, traveling to nearby Hartington to write about the new brewery there.

An Air Force officer also spent the night at the loft.

Two women from Florida took a run through his cornfield as part of their stay.

“She said, ‘Do you mind if I run through the corn field?’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And she said, ‘It’s on my bucket list - running through a cornfield.’ I said, ‘You go right ahead. If you get lost, go to the end of the row and you’ll find our road there.’ She loved it — it was the best thing ever,” Thies said.

All of the people he’s met along the way reminds him that it’s a small world full of good people.

“There are good, salt of the Earth people. We’re not doomed yet. There’s a chance,” Thies said with a smile. “It’s been amazing and it’s just been a great adventure.”

Ruth Wiebelhaus invites you to be her guest. And please, make yourself at

And please, make yourself at home. Her house is your house whether its a for a few nights or a few months.

Tom and Ruth Wiebelhaus own Ruthie’s Retreat in Fordyce - a 4-bed and 2-bath home in the southeast part of town that has been in the Wiebelhaus family for a long time. Tom’s grandmother first owned the house and his mother grew up there. Tom and Ruth lived there also for 15 years.

When they had the opportunity to move to the country, the Fordyce home was rented for three months to a family member needing a place to stay. When they vacated, Ruth’s daughter suggested looking into listing the home for rent on Airbnb. Now, it’s booked about 80

Now, it’s booked about 80 percent of the time.

Some come for reunions, some for funerals while others are just passing through. They come from all over the United States and even from overseas.

“Some people come back every year or for a getaway,” Wiebelhaus said. “It’s a chance to get away from the city. You can work from anywhere now - you just need Internet and a place to sleep.”

It’s helpful that Cedar County is a top destination for recreation from fishing to archery with the river close by.

Some are looking for things to do while others come for the sole purpose to get away from it all.

“A monk (from Schuyler) came up and he couldn’t fly during COVID and wanted a little retreat by himself. He stayed for almost a month,” she said.

Wiebelhaus said she’s looking into investing in another property to list for short-term rental.

“I never thought I’d be a landlord. I kind of fell into it. I can make way more income renting it by the week or the weekend that I could by the year,” she said. “I didn’t think it would go over like this.”

Those looking for a little peace and quiet don’t have to look any further than the sunporch and wide open spaces at FarmHouse Inn near Bow Valley.

The home has been in the Martin and Linda Kleinschmit family for nearly 75 years as Martin was raised there and then raised his own family there.

The couple moved off the farm and into Hartington in 2016 and decided at that time to make the home into a vacation rental.

“He lived the majority of his life there and it was hard to move to town. We’ve got a shop there and still work there and spend time there yet,” Linda Kleinschmit said. “We didn’t want it (the house) to sit empty.”

While they wanted to keep the home accessible for their own family they also realized they needed some income to help pay the taxes. And in retirement she didn’t want to sit idle, either.

 

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