All Forum Posts by: John D.

I agree with everyone else.  Find someone local, or do it yourself.

Oh and with regards to where to find furniture and furnishings, Misty's and the Estate Sale Company are the go-tos.  I've spent close to $100k in those two shops over the last 7 years on furnishing our short-term rentals.    Consign Design (formerly Cargo Consignments) is worth stopping into as well.  FB marketplace in the area is productive as well.

The style for furnishing in J-tree is very specific.  A place coming furnished could mean gold or garbage.  If you are considering a short-term rental in Joshua Tree the design style and aesthetics are super important, if you aren't into the local interior design trends you might consider partnering with someone that is.  Joshua Tree is far from a commodity market and nailing the furniture, furnishings, finishes, etc. is make or break, especially as the area's short-term rentals saturate.

For those considering the greater Palm Springs area, all of the owners I know are down significantly compared to last year or the year before.  And rates for rentals were much lower this Coachella.  If you are using revenue numbers from the last couple of years to guide you, you will likely be disappointed.....seems like we are back to a new normal where the rental numbers were 3 or 4 years ago.  Not unexpected but something to take note of.

There are 5 bedrooms near the Polo Grounds that would be great deals at that price, even with the additional monthly.  And 5 bedroom properties that would be poor buys there.  Devils in the specific details.

In Joshua Tree, 5 photo backdrops and a giant boulder hot tub will DRASTICALLY outperform a kitchen remodel.

Joshua Tree visitation is not a strong reflection of the short-term rental market. Most people visiting the park do not rent a STR for that trip. Most people renting do not visit the park (during that particular stay). I would not use the national park visitor numbers to guide you.

A local insurance broker is the best person to walk you through your options.

In Joshua Tree, they are already seeing the impact of way more supply (lots of new STRs) and a decrease in demand -- not really due to fuel prices, or a recession, but due to the fact that the last couple years were anomalies due to the pandemic -- as people return to what more historically normal travel and vacation.  Don't expect demand to be as strong as it was a year or two ago.  And definitely expect more competition than there was a year or two ago.

As far as a recession though, given Joshua Tree is primarily a drive-to market, and less expensive than most LA visitors other vacation options, I wouldn't think that would have as large of an impact as the above.  These drive-to markets that provide reasonably priced vacations (compared to the popular alternatives) tend to hold up pretty well.

Agreed there are lots of facebook groups local to that area that are very helpful