Awhile back I discussed how a number of Airbnb’s and VRBO’s are available in our area for folks to rent and enjoy. And why not? We have what folks want to get away to and enjoy for a couple or more days. There is a reason we are called the land of pleasant living. (OK, are you, as I am, wondering who first came up with that description of our Maryland area? Well, some people say a beer is the reason:
But back to the rental business. I started out trying to research just how many such places we have here in the County but gave up because it’s all over the place – literally. First off, not all rentals fall under the Arbnb/VRBO umbrella whereby the owners of such rentals pay to be members of those organizations. There are numerous “independents” who rent out rooms, cottages and houses for folks to stay during their get aways. As for how many such rental operations we have, let’s leave it at “A lot.”
As for a great example of the Airbnb dynamic, my friend Ty Tydings owns and rents out in St. Mary’s City Historic Rosecroft (above.) Here is a recent review written by someone who enjoyed her stay there:
However, over lunch one afternoon, Ty told me about how labor intensive and time consuming it is to run such an operation. Him saying that reminded me of someone once telling me “There may be good money in running a bar, but you earn every cent.” Ty noted that the short term rental business is a constant demand of his time, attention and work. Maintenance matters, property upkeep, folks checking in and checking out constantly can all be very demanding and a real pain. (I know a couple of folks in South County who tried renting out their places for awhile, but ultimately had to give it up because it was all too much to manage.)
Too, in addition to the people/maintenance side of the house, there are the powers-that-be to deal with. St. Mary’s County has not had this issue (yet) but some localities are starting to take a hard look at and tightening up on their regulations over operations such as Airbnb’s (click here.) As always, I am fairly certain that it has something to do with money. Either the short term rental folks are starting to take too much away from the big boy hotels or the local government wants a piece of the action. As is usually the case, it’s money that matters.
Having said that though, in some cities and neighborhoods there is also the issue of the neighbors complaining about the short term renters being a nuisance and a problem. So maybe it’s not all about the greenbacks.
However, in keeping with the “it’s money that matters” theme, owning a business like Buzzy’s Country Store, I am of course, all in on supporting the Airbnb/VRBO folks as much as we can. Anything that brings folks to our land of pleasant living is a good thing. Did someone say “I want cold beer?”