The Economy

Gotta love the inability to make up one's mind.

If Americans do nothing, they get hammered for being too sedentary. Now Americans are picking up pickleball and people want to complain about that, too.

 

It just boils down to humanity's skill to b_tch about something, about everything.

When we drink soda, we're told to drink water. When we drink water, some idiot cranks out a study telling us that water is bad for us.

And when all is said and done, Ragu's word - meaningless - is the one that comes to mind.

 

Pigs get fed; hogs get slaughtered. And AirBNB has been a hog for a minute now.

 

Ain't nobody going to Dollywood no mo?

 

Wonder how much of that is cities passing new laws to restrict those kinds of short-term rentals? I know several of them have.

 

Who was buying up property to market to tourists in fucking Salisbury, Maryland?

 

Who needs Airbnb? When I'm near Dollywood, I always stay here. Last one we stayed at had a heart-shaped jacuzzi inside, another jacuzzi outside, a Ms. Pac-Man and a pool table.

Pigeon Forge Cabins - Love Nest

Heritage Cabin Rentals | Cabins in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg TN

 

That’s revenue per listing that is being mentioned.

AirBNB used to be the go to for our extended family vacations, especially now that we’ve ballooned to a party of 12. But prices have gotten so outrageous that it was cheaper for us to do three suites at the Doubletree for next week than a rental house. I’ve started noticing similar economics on solo trips.

Plus so many houses have been bought up by investors for use as AirBNB properties that it is constricting the residential markets, both owners and rentals. In Nashville especially that’s been a huge issue.

 

While being mindful of potential effects on the economy, hopefully this trend can take the edge off some of the hotter housing markets and get folks some relief. (In reality, Blackrock will wind up buying up inventory at discount rates.)

 

I knew that was part of it. New Orleans and Key West were two big tourist cities, IIRC, where they were trying to pass laws because of that. Too many properties were being turned into short-term rentals and no one was actually living there. It was causing problems both with the local economy and the quality of life.

It's a slightly different scale — we're hardly a tourist mecca — but I see something similar happening in our neighborhood as well. Our subdivision has probably 50 or 60 houses that are mostly two-bedroom starter homes. Every time one is sold, it's gobbled up by a rental company. The houses are rented for six months or a year, then they go vacant for a few months, then someone else moves in for six months, etc. We've had people move in next door to us that I never even realized lived there until I saw them moving back out.