AirBnB in Los Angeles
The internet has certainly changed the way people live and do business. One way that is causing some issues within the publishing, entertainment, travel and, now, rental industries is the increase in “sharing” items that used to be purchased outright.
First it was music, then it was photos, then it was an app you could use to grab a ride anywhere in the city. Why buy anything anymore? You can just borrow or rent it.
One area that is causing more than a little controversy is a new service provided by San Francisco company AirBnB. The company runs a site where those that own second and third homes in major markets can connect with business travelers and rent out their unused homes for a night, a week or even a month.
And if the numbers are not lying, there is a strong demand. AirBnB started 2012 with just 120,000 listings. They more than doubled that to over 300,000 listings today. Those 300,000 listings are in over 34,000 and 192 countries across the world.
Yes, there is a demand for people that are willing to rent their second homes out to business travelers.
There’s so much demand that major cities are beginning to take notice, and they aren’t happy. Large cities like San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and New York are crying foul. They are upset that local hotels are losing business to private homeowners, and as a result, the cities are not able to collect those high tourism taxes.
Of course, AirBnB counters that their service brings in travelers who spend money – often more money than the average tourist.
Los Angeles is the ideal market for the AirBnB service. There are many unoccupied or seasonally occupied homes throughout Los Angeles County, there are a variety of industries that bring business travelers in year round and many of LA’s hotels are, to be frank, overpriced.
If you already own multiple homes in the Los Angeles area or are interested in rental properties in Los Angeles, AirBnB is a service you want to look into. AirBnB is not Craigslist or the classifieds. It’s a service for luxury homeowners that want to rent their homes out to reputable travelers.
To learn more about AirBnB and read the whole article, click here.
Susan Andrews | Estates Director
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Susan Andrews is your ultimate real estate source for Los Angeles, California and surrounding communities.
Photo courtesy of AirBnB.com