That’s certainly an issue here. But its also an issue with the over priced houses, and has been for a long time. The bigger change right now, is that instead of houses being bought up as summer rentals. Places that will be vacant or rented at cut rates during the year, and then rented for the summers in 4-6 month blocks at much higher (unlivable) rates to make a profit. With air b&b they’re getting rented at even higher rates for just a few weekends a year. Pack a house with 10 people at $700 a night and you make the same money you would renting all year at reasonable rents with just weeks of occupancy. And critically, far lower expenses and effort.
That’s not a solution in anyway. That’s been one of the major problems in our housing for decades. For one these spaces. Illegal housing, and unlicensed rental houses are often rented out in the same way as seasonal tourist housing. Or at the same exorbitant, tourism inflated rates as anything else. The other thing that happens with them is they typically get turned into basically tenements for migrant farm laborers and impoverished immigrants. Large number of people packed in, nothing to code, no maintenance. There have been an increasing number of fires and a number of deaths the last two years.
Meanwhile we have pretty strict zoning regulations here. If and when multi-unit complexes are built they’re often (or can be) heavily restricted in terms of how they can be rented. Effectively barred from the tourist market. Provided they aren’t built as “for sale” apartments or as condos (the “affordable” condo for “young people” is a big thing here. $600k for 400 square feet and a $1k per month maintenance fee will solve our housing crisis!). More over half the issue with the rising rents and housing costs here (and most places) is down to a limited market. Geographically and in certain other ways we’ve got restricted space. Building is limited largely to high priced single family homes in pre-existing neighborhoods or on lots that already had smaller houses on them. They seldom add housing in terms of numbers of living spaces. And though there are many rental houses, they are outnumbered by owned houses. Often that sit vacant. Some sort of multi-unit housing would increase the overall supply of rental housing, which over time will push rents down, particularly if they’re of the sort we restrict from the tourist market.
Like I said its something that’s actively being fought and has been for decades including by me. We can’t exactly go and restrict voting rights for part time residents. That would be both wrong, and violation of federal and state law (people have tried!). The solution is in re-shifting the economy away from service/tourism model and towards something more stable, while creating an evironment where people can actually live here year round and raise their kids here. And that’s happening. State law changes mean our wineries can finally start selling their wine outside the state (Thanks Hillary!), though its taken them so long to realize they need to it might not work out. Breweries, boat building, and green energy (thanks Obama!) companies are starting to crop up all over. Our small plot size for farming is a natural fit for all sorts of high end pastured, rotation heavy, sustainable shit. And shellfish farming is a growing concern here (and one that’s basically going to save our wet lands if it hasn’t already).
But its fits and starts. Team NIMBY is currently doing everything it can to kill Aquaculture here. It apparently destroys the character of the region to keep multi-generation fishing families out of bankruptcy, clean our bays and marshes, and actually produce something of value to sell.
But it’s an investment! Real Estate never drops in value! We’ll sell for a profit before the mortgage ever becomes due!
I should move to Chicago. Or shit I never should of left Philly.
