We have indeed benefited from wonderful new members who originally rented on Airbnb or VRBO.  We honor and appreciate their presence.  But in the last 10 years, 63 houses were sold publicly, and more privately – and only 8 went to former Airbnb/VRBO renters.  Local realtors keep a waiting list of people who currently want to buy a place here.

Airbnb-type rentals are not about finding new buyers for our homes. They are lucrative businesses supported by internet platforms that book renters whom cabin owners never have to meet in person.  

Airbnb-type rentals have the potential to change the community.  We are described in internet ads as a destination-type vacation place with “million-dollar views” of the Bay, a private beach with a boat ramp, hiking trails, tennis courts, a large pool, and wooded forests.   

So, yes: we have gained some great new members.  But if an infusion of “new blood” is the goal, then we should allow everyone to rent out their cabins on Airbnb.  And that would kill the very qualities that make this place special.