THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE “HOME”

While there is an abundance of homes in the Tahoe area, a recent study found that 65% of the them in the Tahoe basin are sitting vacant. When many of these homes are occupied, it’s for short-term or vacation rentals. Homeowners offset the carrying costs of their vacation homes via short term rentals, which don’t preclude them from enjoying their property, as well. Airbnb and other short term rental sites report booming business in our area.

But what about those who wish to live and work here? Shockingly, the average cost of living in the Tahoe region is 10 times higher than the national average. A brief look on Craigslist or Facebook and other social sites will demonstrate a serious lack of rentals for either full-time or seasonal employees. The affordable housing complexes all report zero vacancies and waiting times ranging from six months to two years. And single family homes are priced out of reach for many. The lowest priced single family home in the Tahoe basin at the time of this writing, is a 738sf 1BR/1BA cabin, priced at $250,000. Many have opted to live in Reno, while still working here.

Our area runs the risk of pricing itself out of reach for full-time residents, who work in the businesses that keep our tourist driven economy going. Recognizing these issues, the Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee (CCTT), hosted a housing conversation, moving local leaders to fund and plan a housing needs study. The study brought together data from Truckee, Placer County, and Nevada County to paint a broad picture of the issues.

On January 10^th, the Truckee Chamber of Commerce will host the “Good Morning, Truckee” monthly meeting, focusing on these issues. Stacy Caldwell of the Community Foundation will present the survey results.

Also on hand will be an executive from Airbnb to provide an overview of what Airbnb does, the growth in the company and industry, Airbnb’s role in the growing shared economy, an overview of their corporate philosophy, some things they are doing in communities that are concerned about the impact short term rentals are having on housing availability, and where the industry and Airbnb are headed.

Additionally, Ulrik Binzer, CEO and Founder of Host Compliance, the leading provider of short-term rental compliance monitoring and enforcement solutions to local governments, will be featured to speak about Host Compliance, what they do, what they have discovered in Truckee and compare it to other communities they are working with.

“Good Morning, Truckee” is a community forum to provide timely and relevant information on a variety of topics and create a networking opportunity and is open to the public – everyone is invited. It is held the second Tuesday of every month at Truckee Tahoe Airport from 7:00-8:30am. Ticket price for general public is $12; Truckee Chamber members $10 and includes a continental breakfast and raffle ticket.

Online registration is available.