Is the Airbnb Dream Dead?
Short-term rentals are going strong, but being a host has become much harder than it used to be.
Joan and Mark Robertson at their home in South Bloomington, Minnesota.
Photographer: Andrea Ellen Reed for Bloomberg Businessweek
This story is part of Businessweek’s Out of Office Special. Read more from the package here.
Last summer, Joan Robertson and her husband, Mark, finally realized their yearslong goal of buying a second home in the Sun Belt to escape the brutal winters of Minnesota. Persuaded by one of their sons who loves amusement parks, they homed in on Kissimmee, Florida, just south of Orlando, and bought a three-bedroom townhouse in a gated community with resort access for $295,000. To help pay off the mortgage, they planned to operate the home as a short-term rental.