All Forum Posts by: Laura Yelin

Hi Laura, STR owner in the Joshua Tree area and realtor that does a lot of business in the area too. Regarding anti-STR sentiment leading to anti-STR regulation, this is untrue. San Bernardino county has some of friendliest STR regulations in Southern California. There is a small group of locals who are anti-STR but the good majority are pro-STR due the the fact that STRs bring a ton of revenue for local businesses and jobs for locals.

Regarding summers, the temperature is the hottest in August and can get up to 100 degrees so STRs with pools do better in the summer. Palm Springs can get up to 120 degrees so it is cooler than the low desert. However, the Perseid meteor shower hits the Joshua Tree area in August and this brings a lot of stargazers to the area in August because you can see TONS of shooting stars in August.

Regarding saturation, you want to avoid buying a property in a residential neighborhood and opt for something on acreage with good separation from neighbors and ideally south of Highway 62. The greatest saturation is found with STR in residential neighborhoods.

Summertime in Borrego Springs is similar to Joshua Tree in terms of temperatures and you need to be careful about floods in Borrengo Springs as the majority of the town is in a flood zone.  This is why you see most homes in the area surrounded by high walls to protect against flooding. The adobe-style homes with pools in Borrego Springs in acreage do well. Borrego Springs had an incredible super bloom this spring.

The Salton Sea area has an air pollution problem from chemical spraying from nearby farms and the town surrounding the sea is very run down. There is an effort to desalinate the sea but that won’t happen anytime soon. The area is popular for off-roading but these people bring their own RVs. I would avoid for STRs and even mid-term.

Let me know what other questions you have that I can help answer for you in terms of STRs in Southern California!

 Have you been to ABSP (Borrego Springs) in the summer?   It is empty.  

I have not looked into it, but have you looked into furnished rental near Salton sea?  The reason I ask is that the mining of battery minerals is big there.    The workers need lodging.  Question is for how long?

Joshua tree, due to significantly higher elevation, does a little better in summer (but I have not been there in summer in my last 20 trips). However, Joshua tree area has lots of STRs and has become anti-STR. I was last out there just over a year ago (I usually go every February but missed this year). Near the visitor center was anti STR signage. I would avoid areas that are becoming anti STR even if it did not have a lot of STRs already. Once an area becomes anti STR, it is usually followed by anti STR regulations. I see this as highly likely in the Joshua tree area. The LTR rents are pathetic compared to current values, but maybe if STRs get banned the prices would fall. This could be a double whammy if you purchased to have an STR. I seldom sell, but if I had a Joshua tree property, I would consider selling it.

Good luck