STR in San Bernardino mountains

[Eric Mcginn]

Hey everyone, I recently got a fantastic little mountain chalet in Rimforest, Lake Arrowhead CA 

We mostly got it as a personal get away and long term flip/sweat equity builder, but are interested in doing Airbnb. I found out today that the county charges $600 for two years. That’s quite a few rented weekends just to make that back. Pretty disappointed. 

Anyone up in big bear or lake arrowhead area have any suggestions for short term rentals? 

I wish there was a 1 month LTR fully furnished option. I see there is a shortage of LTRs in the area, but we would like to use it too. 

[Julie McCoy]

What's the county charging you for?  A permit, I assume?  That's a little steep for a permit, I suppose, but as a cost of doing business, it's nothing.  You say it will take "quite a few" weekends to make that back - are you planning to rent it for less than $100/night?  And there's 104 weekends in two years... why give up 100 because it might cost you 4?

What suggestions are you looking for?  Some other property isn't going to be a less expensive permit - why on earth would you look for something else in the same area if you aren't willing to spend a measly $600 on the one you already own?

I just paid $3000 in quarterly hospitality taxes for my rental in Tulare County... and happy to do it, because if I owed that much in taxes, think about how much went in my bank account.  

Short-term rentals are not a strategy for $0 up front.  You've got to invest money in creating a place people will be happy to stay in, invest money in permits and taxes to do it legally, and invest time to create a good guest experience.  The returns are enormous, but they're not free.