Linda's Story
Linda's Story
Healdsburg, CA
" ...Hosting is how I pay my living expenses. After 30+ years in the airline industry, my company went out of business."
I host for the money. There, I said it. But bottom line, Hosting is how I pay my living expenses. After 30+ years in the airline industry, my company went out of business. My “retirement benefit” is $812/month. I’m not yet eligible for Social Security or Medicare but I wasn’t anxious to find a new job in my 50’s. Nor did I want to continue in an industry that required me to be on the road 60% of the time. I wanted to have a dog and a garden.
And I am lucky. My parents always taught my brother and I to recognize the value of rental real estate and we grew up as small-time landlords. We spent weekends learning how to caulk windows and repair drywall. Total do-it-yourselfers. When my parents died, I inherited a rental house from them. But It wasn’t close to where I live and managing the tenants became a problem.
So I decided to exchange my inherited property for a different small home located closer to me. I purchased a property that had been vacant for years and on the market for months. A fixer-upper. My rental is located in an area that has traditionally been summer-homes, close to wonderful wine country. It has AMAZING views from two big decks. And, when I bought it - no insulation, dingy green shag carpet, an impassable driveway and a 60 year-old heating system (happily these are all things of the past)
After lots of research and calculations, renting the entire home on a short-term basis made the most sense for me. The amount I could earn was a bit higher than a full-time rental could generate *and* I had the time and inclination to manage the property myself. I have been careful to respect and listen to input from my neighbors and I carefully screen my tenants so they do the same. I’m part of my community too! To folks who claim that whole house rentals pull properties from rental housing stock I respectfully disagree -- (a) my neighborhood is primarily weekend cabins (65% second homes) and (b) my property was uninhabited and uninhabitable when I bought it.
What I love most about hosting is meeting folks from all over the world. I’ve hosted families from India, wine executives from Australia, restaurant owners from the midwest and lots (lots!) of “girls” weekends and wedding guests. I correspond with and meet all of my guests so although I don’t live on site I *do* feel a connection with the people who stay at my home. My hands-down favorite tenants are multi-generational families who rent the home as a gathering spot that’s large enough to accommodate all. Many young adults in the Bay Area don’t have spare rooms to host their visiting parents and siblings and instead opt to gather and celebrate their family in wine country. I’ve had one family that’s come to stay 3 times in the past 4 years -- each time adding another grandchild to the mix. Makes my heart happy to be able to help them connect.
Linda
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9374970
And I am lucky. My parents always taught my brother and I to recognize the value of rental real estate and we grew up as small-time landlords. We spent weekends learning how to caulk windows and repair drywall. Total do-it-yourselfers. When my parents died, I inherited a rental house from them. But It wasn’t close to where I live and managing the tenants became a problem.
So I decided to exchange my inherited property for a different small home located closer to me. I purchased a property that had been vacant for years and on the market for months. A fixer-upper. My rental is located in an area that has traditionally been summer-homes, close to wonderful wine country. It has AMAZING views from two big decks. And, when I bought it - no insulation, dingy green shag carpet, an impassable driveway and a 60 year-old heating system (happily these are all things of the past)
After lots of research and calculations, renting the entire home on a short-term basis made the most sense for me. The amount I could earn was a bit higher than a full-time rental could generate *and* I had the time and inclination to manage the property myself. I have been careful to respect and listen to input from my neighbors and I carefully screen my tenants so they do the same. I’m part of my community too! To folks who claim that whole house rentals pull properties from rental housing stock I respectfully disagree -- (a) my neighborhood is primarily weekend cabins (65% second homes) and (b) my property was uninhabited and uninhabitable when I bought it.
What I love most about hosting is meeting folks from all over the world. I’ve hosted families from India, wine executives from Australia, restaurant owners from the midwest and lots (lots!) of “girls” weekends and wedding guests. I correspond with and meet all of my guests so although I don’t live on site I *do* feel a connection with the people who stay at my home. My hands-down favorite tenants are multi-generational families who rent the home as a gathering spot that’s large enough to accommodate all. Many young adults in the Bay Area don’t have spare rooms to host their visiting parents and siblings and instead opt to gather and celebrate their family in wine country. I’ve had one family that’s come to stay 3 times in the past 4 years -- each time adding another grandchild to the mix. Makes my heart happy to be able to help them connect.
Linda
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9374970
