AirBnB is Transformational
I watched the PandoMonthly interview with Marc Andreessen the other night. One thing that caught my attention was when Marc said the following:
AirBnB is transformational for real estate.
Read that carefully.
Real estate.
Not travel.
It begs the question. What opportunity is AirBnB going after? The entire travel experience, or the real estate scenario? The “real estate” where you lay your head at night is the constant in both. Whether you are in a city for 2 days, or moving somewhere for 6 months – everyone needs to sleep, every single night.
The relationship with a local is a huge reason I love AirBnB. Social context is a huge component to finding a rental, at least for me. All other things equal, I would MUCH rather have a landlord I share something in common with. People already use AirBnB to find places to sublet. It’s not a stretch that AirBnB could let people rent places for longer periods of time – 1 or 2 years – using their site.
There is certainly more money in the rentals space than there is in the local guides/advice/content space. And I’m sure AirBnB realizes that.
Zillow, Trulia, and Move should make sure they don’t get blindsided in the rentals space a few years from now.
[Graphic via http://www.theonehourstartup.com/]
Bryn Kaufman
Posted at 17:32h, 10 OctoberWe need airbnb here in Hawaii. The MLS does not really cover rentals, which leaves Craigslist, and Craigslist has way to much fraud going on.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 17:33h, 10 OctoberAirBnB is almost everywhere. Do a search…i’m sure you’ll find some sweet places nearby
Bryn Kaufman
Posted at 17:44h, 10 OctoberSorry, what I meant was for long term rental. It is here for vacation rentals, but I do not see a way to search for a long term rental. At least not yet.
Ben
Posted at 17:54h, 10 OctoberAs a landlord, I have mixed feelings about this. Airbnb is great for short visits, getting into the local culture, etc. Renting, though, is a different ballgame – wise people have often said, “never rent to friends or family.”
Jeff Manson
Posted at 14:12h, 11 OctoberGreat interview. He is definitely a huge thinker!!
Ronei Kolesny Pogorzelski
Posted at 08:30h, 15 OctoberVery good interview, congrats Drew.