I write this while gazing out at a fog-enshrouded Silver Lake. The trees are moderately colorful. The silence is palpable. If this column is lousy, it’s all my fault. The writing environment is perfect.
The houses around me are all homes — none are motel rooms populated by short-term renters. I know the people in those homes. Some are owners, some are renters, and they are all part of a neighborhood. I don’t want to be maudlin about it, but in a nation and a world best defined by its divisions and conflicts, neighbors with a shared sense of community make lives far more pleasant.
You talk about choices people make about where to live. But people who choose to live in Mt. Washington Valley KNOW they are living in a popular tourist area. Tourism is what drives the local economy. All of these short-term visitors pay for the schools, the highways, the restaurants, the hotels, and everything in-between. So if you choose to live in a vacation area, then you are going to get vacation-homeowners and short-term rentals. I would suggest that if this offends you, move to an area in which tourism is not the number one industry.
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Unregulated STRs drive up housing costs by reducing permanent home inventories. Greed by out of towers and out of staters ruins neighborhoods.
You talk about choices people make about where to live. But people who choose to live in Mt. Washington Valley KNOW they are living in a popular tourist area. Tourism is what drives the local economy. All of these short-term visitors pay for the schools, the highways, the restaurants, the hotels, and everything in-between. So if you choose to live in a vacation area, then you are going to get vacation-homeowners and short-term rentals. I would suggest that if this offends you, move to an area in which tourism is not the number one industry.
Where are you getting your statistics for percent of housing stock? They are inaccurate.
Also, read these to understand the effect of STRs on housing.
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/10/06/business/short-term-rentals-arent-culprit-maine-housing-crisis-joam40zk0w/
https://hbr.org/2021/11/research-restricting-airbnb-rentals-reduces-development
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