UPSCALE LIVING IN HAYMARKET & GAINESVILLE
Haymarket Homeowner HaymarketHomeowner.com
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
g Market Watch: A Shift in the Market as Supply Grows Neighborhood Market Watch: Lake Manassas Things to Do This Summer (without traveling too far) Community Spotlight: Beitzell Fence Tips & Advice: Five Easy Summer Projects That Add Appeal to Outdoor Space May 2015 Real Estate Summary Published by
BRYAN GARCIA
"Haymarket Real Estate Guy" Associate Broker
EXIT Heritage Realty Haymarket, VA www.EXITgarcia.com 703-517-2574
Real Estate & Community News from Bryan Garcia, "Haymarket Real Estate Guy" 703-517-2574
May | June 2015
The emerging sharing economy
T
here is an emerging trend of online businesses that are creating what is being defined as a sharing economy— or peer economy—in which a service is offered or owners rent out something they are not using, such as a car, house or bicycle using peer-to-peer portals. Some of the pioneers of the share economy include RelayRides for car sharing, TaskRabbit for help with tasks like moving or shopping, Fon for WiFi sharing and DogVacay for pet sitting. I recently tuned in to an interview with CEO and cofounder Brian Chesky of Airbnb, a growing peer-to-peer business that allows users to rent spaces from hosts all over the world. What started as an idea after popping up an air bed for guests coming to town, turned into an explosive new phenomenon for home and room sharing. Airbnb differs from vacation rental websites like HomeAway in that owners (or hosts), can rent just a room, a floor or a whole house. Furthermore, the rental periods can be flexible, short term or long term. Hosts may be away or they may actually be living in the home. Airbnb has built a platform that promotes a trusted service as all hosts and guests must have Verified IDs. Payments are made supporting many currencies and are done securely through Airbnb. Trust and
FEATURED HOMES
COMMUNITY
reputation are built through reviews about the experiences of both the guests and the hosts. Therefore, each develops a profile. I didn’t know too much about Airbnb so I went online to check it out. As it turns out, there are a couple of hosts right in our area including one offering a bedroom suite in Lake Manassas. It all sounded a little strange to me at first, but it got me thinking. While Gainesville and Haymarket aren’t necessarily popular vacation destinations, there are many uses for room or house rentals. For a host, it can help supplement income, keep your home occupied while you are away or simply put extra space to good use. I can also think of several reasons why people may want to temporarily rent a room or a house in our area. They may be relocating to the area and searching for homes, building a new home that isn’t ready yet or undergoing major renovations in their own home. Other reasons would be an overflow of guests from out of town, students on internships, travelers passing though, or folks visiting our many nearby attractions like wineries, golf tournaments, hunt country and Skyline Drive. I don’t have any affiliation with Airbnb, nor do I endorse any of the homes that are listed, I just think it’s a neat idea and may prove to be helpful in certain circumstances.
TIPS & ADVICE
g