The Most Amazing And Absurd Places For Rent

Morgan Brennan, Forbes Staff

From: http://www.forbes.com/

I cover real estate, writing about everything from trends in the housing markets to ultra high-end luxury property listings to quantitative lists of the best and worst cities across America. Real estate is in my blood thanks to a broker for a mom and a property developer/landlord for a dad. I have had a front row seat for the real estate market's inflation and subsequent crash over the past decade, these days watching my dad struggle to find tenants and my mom struggle to sell underwater homes. I have been both a homeowner and a renter in the New York area and can't decide which one I prefer. You can also catch me debating economic topics and throwing out stock picks as a regular guest on the 'Forbes on Fox' show on Fox News every Saturday morning. Before taking on the real estate beat, I worked as an Anchor/Reporter in Forbes Video, interviewing everyone from the Jonas Brothers to new IMF chief Christine Lagarde to eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar. These days I shoot videos of crazy homes. I graduated from New York University in 2009 with a BA in Anthropology and prior to that I worked in the other end of media as a recording artist with Sony. If you have tips, story ideas or listings to submit for consideration, email me at mbrennan@forbes.com.

You could shack up in a dank apartment or chain hotel room when your job or your family vacation beckons you abroad. But if money is no object, you might consider a more adventurous choice of lodging like, say, an old Boeing 727. In Manuel Antonio, Cost Rica you can rent one for $400 per night or $11,872 per month through Airbnb.com, a San Francisco, CA-based online vacation home rental site.

What does a two bedroom suite carved out of a commercial jetliner entail? For starters an ocean view from a plane balanced on a 50 foot pedestal that’s accessible by a case of spiraling rock staircase. Interiors are paneled in teak wood and both air-conditioned bedrooms boast private baths. A wood deck sits on top of the plane’s right wing, offering views of the local birds and the monkeys.

Move up Move down

Manuel Antonio’s Boeing-turned-apartment is one of many amazing, unusual and strange abodes for rent right now. Airbnb.com, known for its assortment of daily and weekly travel rentals, recently added a “sublet” section to their smorgasbord of listings, which represent vacation housing options in 19,000 cities across 190 countries. The sublet section represents rooms, apartments and homes available for 30–day or longer stays. We asked the company to round up the funkiest, quirkiest places for rent on their site.

Europe has a smattering of centuries-old citadels up for grabs, including a 14-bedroom medieval castle nestled in the hills of Umbria in Italy. The stone stronghold with its vaulted ceilings and hand-painted frescoes, could be your knightly domain for $2,057 (after Airbnb tacks on its processing fees) and up to $61,058 – roughly the price of a posh three bedroom condo rental in New York City – per month.

“People have gotten really creative with what they post…we’re seeing tree houses, castles, water villas in Malaysia” says Joe Gebbia, the co-founder and chief product officer of Airbnb.com, comparing the site’s real estate-centered open marketplace model to that of goods-centered eBay’s. “We actually have so many igloos on the site right now that we had to create an ‘igloos’ category and there are so many boats on the site that we had to create a category for that too.”

One such igloo complex tunnels under the grounds of a ski resort in Krvavec, Slovenia. The Igloo Village Krvavec is built and rebuilt from snow every year. Furniture is adorned in cushy animal furs, which are needed given the chilly 32 degrees to 40 degrees Fahrenheit range inside the icy digs. A night here will cost up to $189 and if you feel so inclined to tough out a month of without heat, $5,610.

Airbnb enables property owners to freely post their listings on the site, extracting a fee when that listing successfully rents out. Renters book properties online with a credit card. If it’s a sublet, that rental payment is extracted and held by the tech startup until the tenant officially moves in. The credit card is automatically charged on the first of every month for the duration of a sublet agreement. It’s strictly up to the landlord and the prospective renter to decide whether they trust each other enough to do business together. Gebbia says Airbnb is trying to make that vetting process easier with user profiles, a reference section (like eBay’s “feedback” reviews section), and new around-the-clock concierge service, tools newly beefed up after the online rental company came under fire for its handling of a user whose home was ransacked this summer by a renter found through the website.

Despite the recent negative attention, Airbnb, founded in 2008, is valued at over $1 billion thanks to hundreds of millions in venture capital funding and Gebbia says the company grew over 800% in 2010. He expects sublets to become an even bigger piece of the company, noting that rapidly growing organic demand on the site for monthly rentals was the catalyst for launching the new sublet section. Igloos and airplanes are just a few of the different types of properties fueling the growth. So far the longest rental through Airbnb is scheduled for 10 months and the most expensive is a Paris, France home fetching $46,000 a month.

Airbnb is not the only company peddling properties for short-term rent. Homeaway, a publicly traded company based in Austin, TX, boasts more than 260,000 vacation rentals on its website, available for one night stays, weeks and in some cases monthly sublets. The company proffers some zany homes for rent as well, like a conch seashell-shaped house in Isla Mujeres, Mexico and a converted railway car in Montana.

Even fashion e-commerce site Gilt Group created a spinoff travel site called Jetsetter. Jetsetter predominantly offers hotel deals but recently it launched a “homes” section to the site. The section offers Groupon-esque flash sales for vacation home rentals. It also presents celebrity homes available for short-term rent like the $2,600 per night Palm Springs, CA home custom built for Frank Sinatra in 1947.

Hubway - Bike Sharing Comes to Boston on July 28!

Hubway, Boston's new bike sharing public transportation program targeted to launch at 11am on July 28 at City Hall Plaza, lets members ride free for the first 30 minutes.  Sign up to be a member for a day, 3 days, or a year, swipe your card to get a bike, and go!

Hubway will provide 610 silver bicycles at 61 bike sharing stations scattered around the city.  This initiall rollout will put bikes in areas with the most tourists, workers, and residents, including Downtown Boston, Back Bay, Fenway, the South End, South Boston Waterfront, and other neighborhoods. 

This bike-share station is in Paris - but in July, Hubway will bring similar bike sharing to Boston

 

Each 41-foot station will have a bicycle rack with slots for 15 bikes, and a solar-powered kiosk where you'll swipe your card - similar to Zipcar.  You can pick up a bike at one station and return it to another.
The number of bikes at each station will depend on the location's expected popularity, with South Station getting the most - 47 bikes.  Many stations are located about 200-400 yards from each other, as other cities with bike sharing programs find this distance ideal for encouraging usage.

The bike share system's rental rates encourage short-term cycle usage.  You can ride free for the first half hour and cheaply for another hour or so - but after that, rates climb steeply, topping out at $100/day.
If you want to explore the city by bike for several hours or a full day, check Boston bike tours and rentals to get cheaper rates. 

More about Hubway rates

Boston visitors and other infrequent users can choose 24-hour or 3-day "Casual" rates.  For residents who plan to use the bikes on an on-going basis, the "Registered" annual membership is a bargain at $85, especially since you also get a 25% discount on rental fees - a sweet deal.

Through the end of July, save even more when you sign up for an annual membership for only $60.

Hubway Rental and Cost Information

Membership types and rates: 

• Casual 24-hour - $5 - sign up at kiosk
• Casual 3-day - $12 - sign up at kiosk
• Registered Annual - must sign up for service on-line - $85  (also gives you a 25% discount on rental fees)

Hubway rental fees (samples):

• First 30 minutes or less:  Free for both Casual and Registered
• 30 - 59 minutes:  $2  ($1.50 Registered members)
• 60 - 89 minutes:   $6  ($4.50 Registered)
• 90 - 119 minutes:  $14  ($10.50 Registered)
• 2 - 2.5 hours:  $22  ($16.50 Registered))
• 5 - 5.5 hours:  $70  ($52.50 Registered))
• 7 - 24 hours:  $100 ($75 Registered))

Check availability at pick-up locations:  Use the smart-phone app   (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android); if the station where you want to return your bike is full, you get an extra 15 minutes of free usage to get to the next station.

Become a member and check locations:  Register at Hubway website
 
Helmets:  Check the Hubway website for a list of locations where you can buy inexpensive helmets. 

Even though Hubway targets short-term bicycle usage to fill gaps in the Boston MBTA public transportation system, tourists and other city visitors can use these bikes to travel from attraction to attraction faster than on foot or by T - for example, from Fenway Park to the Museum of Fine Arts. 

Boston's Hubway bike share program will operate for 3 seasons, and the bikes and kiosks will be removed and stored during winter months. 

Bike share systems have been wildly successful in other cities such as Washington DC, Montreal, and Paris - so now Boston gets its turn, with Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline to follow in Phase 2 starting in 2012.  Ultimately, look for as many as 5,000 bikes and 300 stations throughout the Boston area.

Hubway is part of Mayor Tom Menino's Boston Bikes Program, designed to move the city from being arguably the worst cycling city in the country to one of the best in the world.

First year goals for Hubway are 4,000 members and 100,000 rides - probably far too modest, considering that Washington DC achieved Year 1 results of 11,000 members and 300,000 rides.  Surely Boston can beat DC!

Hubway bike station locations for 2011

Likely locations for Hubway's 61 stations are creating lots of buzz, as public and private discussions to finalize plans continue.  Latest target locations include:

• Downtown - 8 locations
• Beacon Hill - 2 locations
• North End - 2 locations
• West End / Government Center - 4 locations
• South Boston Waterfront / Seaport - 3 locations
• Back Bay - 9 locations
• Bay Village / Park Square - 1 location
• Fenway - 8 locations
• Longwood Medical Area - 5 locations
• South End - 6 locations
• Allston - 8 locations
• Brighton - 1 location
• Roxbury - 2, with more coming soon
• Cambridge - coming soon
• Somerville - coming soon

For more details, check Hubway's Station Map.

Would You Rent Your Car Out While Not Driving It? Car Sharing Explained

• Susan Johnston
• From: http://www.mint.com/

Sponsored by:

(photo: richardmasoner)

Since its launch in 2000, Zipcar has shaken up the car rental market and grown to include more than 550,000 members in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Its main selling points? The ability to reserve vehicles by the hour instead of by the day and the convenience of pickup locations all over major metropolitan areas. Similar services now include the nonprofits CityCarShare, I-Go Carsharing, and e-Go Carshare.
Now, new services are taking this model a step further. Instead of using a fleet of Zipcars, RelayRides, WhipCar, Spride Share, and Getaround allow car owners to rent out their vehicles to their neighbors when they’re not in use.

“Economically, it makes a ton of sense for both sides,” says Shelby Clark, the chief executive officer of RelayRides, which currently operates in Boston and San Francisco. “People underestimate how much it costs to own and maintain a vehicle.” AAA’s 2010 “Your Driving Costs” study revealed that that the owners of average-sized sedans spend more than $8,000 a year to own and operate their vehicle. Minivan owners spend more than $9,000 a year!

These sites allow car owners to offset some of these costs through rental fees. Owners get pricing guidelines based on their car’s year, condition, location, and other factors, but they ultimately set the hourly rate themselves.

For car renters, those rates can sometimes be lower than services like Zipcar. Tom Wright, cofounder of the UK-based WhipCar, says borrowers are motivated by cost and environmental factors. “Since they can use cars that are affordable and close to them, it doesn’t require extra cars and allows them to make better use of existing assets,” he says.

Many borrowers also appreciate that their money is going to a neighbor instead of a company, says Clark. Many of RelayRides’ car owners also offer special features like GPS, bike racks, CD collections, or even homemade cookies left in their vehicles.

But do the savings outweigh the safety and insurance risks?

As you can imagine, screening drivers and vehicles is a high priority for all of these sites. Wright says WhipCar conducts three-way conference calls with driving applicants and the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the UK equivalent of the RMV) to ensure that the person has a spotless driving record. WhipCar also requires that vehicles be no older than eight years and checks if the vehicle has been stolen or involved in accident. Other sites have similar policies, and some allow the owner and the driver to rate the experience afterwards based on the caliber of the vehicle and the driver.

Like Zipcar, peer-to-peer car sharing sites bear the cost of gas and auto insurance. In the case of RelayRides, drivers over the age of 21 are insured by RelayRides’ $1 million liability insurance policy but are liable for a $500 deductible (Clark says this ensures that they treat vehicles as their own). Drivers are also responsible for paying any parking or traffic tickets issued during their rental period. Getaround has very similar insurance policies.

Though car owners are not liable for accidents that occur while their car is being rented, some auto insurance companies are squeamish about personal car sharing. But state legislatures are, in some cases, taking the side of the consumer: California recently passed a bill on car sharing that makes it illegal for auto insurance companies to void the policies of car owners who rent out their vehicles. The state of Oregon is considering a similar bill.
Car owners outside of California and Oregon would be wise to check their auto insurance policy before renting out their vehicle. However, with growing environmental and cost concerns associated with cars, other states may pass car sharing legislation in the future.

Clark sees this as just one example of the sharing economy. “Society is increasing rejecting traditional forms for ownership,” he says, pointing to Netflix as an example. “In the nineties, everyone had these giant bookcases of VHS tapes. But at the end of the day, I didn’t really want to own all these movies, I just wanted to watch them. It makes sense to access that movie whenever you need it. The global economic crisis has forced people to take a step back, and realize that ownership might not make sense.”

Is It Better to Buy or Rent? (Interactive Graphic)

nytimes.com — Whether renting is better than buying depends on many factors, including how fast prices rise and how long you will stay in your home. Compare the costs of buying and renting equivalent homes.

Click here for the Interactive Graphic:  Is It Better to Buy or Rent?
 

Find a Sweet Stoner Housemate on 420 Room Search

By Ashley Harrell

Apparent dilemma: Where can San Franciscans find other pot smokers?

​Are you tired of being surrounded by clear-headed people? Do you resent the fact that only every other Craigslist roommate posting includes the phrase "420 friendly"?

Now there's a better place for all you reality-resistant folks to congregate! 420 Room Search will help you "find people you actually want to live with," the Web site explains. "Low key land lords and easy going roommates."

We found 420 Room Search advertised on its competition, Craigslist.org, in a Bernal Heights Housing ad entitled, "alternative roommates situations." Gotta say, it would be more alternative to find a place to live in San Francisco where nobody smoked weed.

Sun Harbour Apartments: 60 Days Notice Required Before Dying

By Ben Popken

When Consumerist reader Eric Zissen's brother died in his Florida apartment, he made a big mistake. He failed to give the landlord 60 days advance notice he was going to die.

Or so it would seem judging from the fact that the Sun Harbour apartment complex jacked his security deposit and charged his estate rent for the remaining three months of the lease contract.

Sun Harbour says they are "just following the letter of the lease."

Since the video was shot, the family took the case to court and won. But then the landlord appealed and now they're waiting for a decision from the judge in the appellate court. "A $2000 bill is now costing in court costs and lawyers fees 17k," says Eric. Luckily, the family was awarded attorney fees in the first case and if they win the appeal, they will go for attorney fees as well. The entire estate is on hold until the case is resolved.