Phot Credit - Airbnb
The topic of short-term rentals, such as Airbnb, has been a hot topic in Two Rivers.
Some have been quite vocal on social media about their disdain for short-term rentals, calling them businesses located within residential neighborhoods.
Another issue some have with them is that some are owned by people living outside of the city, leading to what one woman called the creation of a “tourism season” and an “abandonment season.”
Kris Remiker from Century 21 Aspire Real Estate Group spoke on the topic during this week’s “Welcome Home” program on WOMT and WCUB, where she noted the positive side of the SRT debate.
“The east side of Two Rivers is…the oldest, and a lot of those neighborhoods have really become rundown,” she explained. “These people coming in, fixing these homes up, is helping the whole area’s value improve.”
Remiker also noted that there are some economic benefits.
“They’re putting money into our economy,” she told host Brandon Bartow of Bartow Builders. “They’re hiring you to come and do their builds. They’re eating at our restaurants. They’re buying groceries…They’re bringing people into our community, and it just seems like they’re getting such a bad rap.”
The topic has come up at several City Council meetings, but City Manager Kyle Kordell tells us the only changes that have been made has the increase of the annual fee for short-term rentals from $150 to $175.
