Giant inflatable rats are so passe

My sympathy for the union only extends so far but you can't honestly be suggesting that the fact the union is able to buy an inflatable bedbug with $25/week dues is the same as someone being able to afford a condo or townhouse in the area for the purposes of supplemental rental income.

AirBNB dedicated rentals are a way for the rich to park their money while still earning cash. It's not the way for someone with a small bank account to earn a living.

As the unregulated hotel rooms flood the market more people are camping on sidewalks all across america.

So lets assume there are no AirBNB laws. You can put any unit you want to AirBNB.

So you decide to buy this condo in Roxbury (selected at random) at asking price of $590,000.

You put 20% down ($118,000) to get a good mortgage. We'll assume you have the $118k in the bank collecting dust. You get a mortgage for $472,000 @ 3% so your monthly payment is about $2,000/month.

But you also need to account for insurance and taxes, so your monthly payment is $3,000 or about $100/night. PLUS, you also need to pay for utilities + internet. And you have a few thousand a year for improvements and upkeep. So let's say your real monthly cost is $3500 which is around $120/night.

AirBNB takes what, 25%? So in order to break even just for rent and upkeep you need to list the unit for about $170/night. You still haven't paid yourself, you're just covering basic costs.

You can get hotel rooms cheaper than that in Boston.

So maybe you list it at $400/night so you actually make some money. But you no longer have that $118,000 in the bank and you're probably not going to be renting it every single night.

See, That's is the reason why "normal" people don't invest in AirBNB units. It makes no sense unless you're already wealthy.

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Now let's say you're already the landlord of a 3 unit building. Your mortgage from 2005 is 1/2 paid off and the two other units cover all the costs. Suddenly renting the 3rd unit for $300/night is easy money. But you own a 3-family building so you probably are already wealthy. The only thing you've done is removed a possible rental unit from the market.

Once again, that's how AirBNB mostly helps people who are already rich.

BONUS: If you can rent a place for $2000 and put a few rooms on AirBNB that's a way to make some money but the building owner is going to be wisen to this and will probably evict you for violating a standard clause in the lease.