DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ This $6 million Las Vegas bunker is still looking for a buyer. It's 26 feet underground, decorated like the 1970s, and owned by a foundation that wants to freeze humans for science.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Dan Latu | Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Las Vegas house with a 15,000-square-foot underground bunker is for sale for $5.9 million. Built in 1978, the bunker is outfitted in furniture and decor to match the original time period. A Las Vegas property that fits the bill, initially listed in 2019 for $18 million, is still looking for a buyer — now for just $5.9 million. To build a comparative property, LaForge estimates it could take up to eight times the current asking price. The property is currently owned by the Stasis Foundation, which bought the site in 2015 for $1.15 million as part of a bank auction.

☆ A crumbling New York house is for sale for $4,000 — but there's a catch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Syracuse, New York, is on the market for a lowly $4,000. But the house comes with water damage and will require "major renovation," according to the listing. A potential buyer will need to show proof of $140,000 in funds to support renovations. Listed for a mere $4,000, the 128-year-old yellow home is located a 5-minute drive from the Syracuse University campus. Built in 1894, the house is as old as the first Coca-Cola bottles and the American painter Norman Rockwell.

☆ I moved to Kansas from New York City to be safe from flooding, afford a bigger house, and put roots down
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Landscape architect Jason Beury, 40, moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Kansas City, Kansas, in 2020. He thinks Kansas City is an up-and-coming destination for people moving from other states. So if I want to build equity in the property, New York City is not the place, both because New York City is so expensive and partially because of climate change. Kansas City, Kansas, is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, pictured here. We found a little house listed at $206,000, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom brick house from the 1920s in Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kansas.

☆ A Tennessee woman turned a millionaire's private 55-acre playground into an Airbnb empire with a replica Noah's ark and a treehouse mansion where guests can stay from $97 a night
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

After 40 years of real-estate investing, Marie was taken by the unique property. The novelty of owning a lighthouse, country store, and ark appealed to her, as did the unspoiled surroundings. "You look out to see nature flourishing and a stream running, it's pretty fabulous," she told Insider. Courtesy of Kelly Marie

☆ I bought a $775,000 Palm Springs house to rent on Airbnb when I was 25. It's not as profitable as I thought it would be.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Shelby Church, 28, and her twin, Monica, bought a house in Palm Springs for $775,000 in 2020. I don't think that owning an Airbnb in Palm Springs is a super profitable investment. Palm Springs has tough rules, but I think they're ultimately goodIn Palm Springs, you can only do 36 rental contracts per year. So it also encourages people that are actually going to use the house, enjoy themselves, and be a part of the Palm Springs community. And most vacation rental owners kind of bank on that weekend to carry them through the slump summer season.

☆ Airbnb has descended on America's small cities. Now locals must decide how to contain it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In cities both small and large, some locals are calling out short-term rentals for making housing more expensive. The same question is perplexing local governments and fueling impassioned locals to weigh in: What should we do about Airbnb-style, short-term rentals? Jacob Boomsma/Getty ImagesFor Bozeman Tenants United, it's simple math: Bozeman homes should be occupied by Bozeman residents first, before out-of-towners. Formed in 2020, Bozeman Tenants United surveyed Bozeman residents on the most pressing issues in local housing and landed on short-term rentals. Fire Thunder said the increase of short-term rentals and vacation-owned properties is just one harbinger of a concerning trend.

☆ How Tracy Tutor went from selling suits at the mall to raking in $250 million in real-estate deals last year and boasting celebrity clients like Janet Jackson and Channing Tatum
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Tutor's first big deal, in 2008, was a $34 million Beverly Park home with four acres, a ballroom, and a tennis court, that she brokered with The Agency cofounder Mauricio Umansky. It was for her father, who Tutor said was the toughest client she ever had. Mauricio Umansky, left, and his wife Kyle Richards, who now star on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Robin Marchant/Stringer/Getty Images

☆ The 9 US cities with the most billionaires, from famous glitzy locales to newer hot spots for ultrarich residents
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US is home to 770 billionaires, according to London-based consulting firm Henley & Partners. Here, the 9 US cities with the most billionaires, from the San Francisco Bay Area to Austin, Texas. Some of America's richest residents, though, choose quieter cities for their home bases. And one of America's fastest-growing cities — Austin, Texas — has emerged as a relatively new billionaire hot spot, counting nine as residents. Check out the full list of the US cities where the most billionaires live.

☆ A man got a priest's blessing to convert a 137-year-old church into an Airbnb that rents for at least $200 a night. See the transformation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Six months into what ended up being a two-year project, Rooney said he had second thoughts. "If I would have known how much work and time it would have taken, I'm not sure I would have done it," he said. Kyle RooneyRooney, a real-estate investor who owns two other short-term rentals as well as some long-term rentals, said the project was a real "leap of faith." But I've been doing it long enough that I have the best portfolio of 'help' to make things happen," he wrote in an email. "I struggle to screw in a lightbulb, and I've always told myself I won't ever do real estate if it affects how I do my day job.

☆ Gen Z isn't letting the economy keep them from living their most luxurious lives. They're just buying stuff secondhand instead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

About a third of Gen Z choose secondhand to afford higher-end brands, according to a ThredUp report. And even increasing economic uncertainty is not deterring their pursuit of the good life — they're just buying secondhand instead. About 30% of Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — are buying secondhand items to afford higher-end brands, according to an April 5 resale report by ThredUp, an online thrift store and resale platform. Moreover, 64% of the surveyed members of Gen Z look for an item secondhand before buying it new, up four percentage points from 2021, per ThredUp's report. And while Ricci wasn't specifically referencing her habits in relation to buying secondhand items, ThredUp's report states that more than 80% of Gen Z considered the resale value of apparel before making a purchase.

☆ A Utah miner blasted his own cave home with dynamite and now rents it out on Airbnb for $1,000 per night: 'Nothing has been in this space since the dinosaurs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In 1995, Grant Johnson purchased 40 acres of land and used dynamite to blast a cave in a boulder. Now he rents out a room in the cave for $350 or the whole space for $1,000 a night on Airbnb. The living room is "E."You can rent the property on Airbnb for $1,000 per nightThe cave now even welcomes visitors on Airbnb. The "west end" room, with its own staircase leading up to a private balcony, rents out for $350 per night. He recommends every guest climbs out to the patio on the west end at night, and watch the still, desert night.

☆ The next threat to Airbnb: Superhosts want to leave the platform and take their listings with them
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hosts want to cut out the middle manTop hosts have spoken out recently about their desire to leave the platform. In December, influencer couple Sara and Tony Robinson told Insider they were planning to "quit" Airbnb and funnel their $1.3 million portfolio into direct bookings. (The couple would still leave a few of their 22 listings on the platform, they said.) Alaska resident Amie Somer echoed the Robinsons in her insistence on using direct bookings for her $1 million Arizona home, where she landed $50,000 in bookings in her first year. "I don't want all my eggs in one basket," she told Insider.

☆ I bought a $1,200 shed on Craigslist and transformed it into a backyard cottage. My side hustle nets me about $600 extra a week.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

I hired the contractor who had done a total renovation on my kitchen and dining room the year before. Together we did the blueprints and the planning. The shed on Salas' property, pre-renovation. Courtesy of Daniel SalasI got several bids before I decided I wanted to use my contractor. He wasn't even the cheapest, but I got him because I knew his work.

Brian Chesky, a former hockey player and industrial design student, is now worth $9.6 billion. Chesky started Airbnb after renting out his apartment to conference-goers who couldn't find a hotel. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyBefore running Airbnb, Brian Chesky attended art school. As of March 2023, Airbnb is worth $76 billion. Here's how the Brian Chesky, an upstate New York native, became one of the richest young tech founders in America.

Last year VCs invested $19.8 billion into these property-technology, or proptech, startups. We surveyed venture capitalists to identify the hottest proptech companies right now. Climatetech and AI-powered tools are major themes of the proptech industry in 2023, just as they are in the wider venture world. Insider asked more than 20 venture investors who focus on real-estate and construction technology to nominate the most exciting proptech startups in 2023. Here are the 26 buzziest proptech companies right now, presented in alphabetical order.

☆ The 'Airbnbust' proves the Wild West days of online vacation rentals are over
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Rodriguez | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

"We started panicking and started connecting with other folks who we know have short-term rentals," Sullivan told Insider. Given the sharp rise of short-term rentals there, some local lawmakers have recently called for amending the law. But short-term rentals are often essential to a healthy tourism economy, particularly in vacation destinations. Investors jumped in to capitalize on the boom, and the market soon became saturated with short-term rentals. There's one thing pretty much everyone can agree on: Short-term rentals are here to stay.

☆ The battle over Airbnb has hit a breaking point
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Rodriguez | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

"We started panicking and started connecting with other folks who we know have short-term rentals," Sullivan told Insider. Rather than a collapse of the industry, the increasingly bifurcated state of the market — a bust for some, a boom for others — is a clear sign that we have hit a turning point in the long-running battle over short-term rentals. Given the sharp rise of short-term rentals there, some local lawmakers have recently called for amending the law. Investors jumped in to capitalize on the boom, and the market soon became saturated with short-term rentals. There's one thing pretty much everyone can agree on: Short-term rentals are here to stay.

☆ This abandoned English cottage that has no electricity, no water, isn't even on Google Maps —and costs $300,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

This house in northern England was once the home of a railway worker at a nearby station. It's been abandoned for a decade and is currently on the market for £250,000, or about $300,000. The home, whose address is listed as 3 Bleamoor Cottages, went up for sale in April of 2022. Fisher HopperSource: BBC

☆ A 20-year-old student lives rent-free in a tiny home in his mom's backyard: 'Moving back home was just out of necessity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Austin resident Majbritt Rayas saw her 20-year-old son Daniel struggling to both pay rent and attend college classes. She wondered if there was a way to help him. Courtesy of Majbritt RayasDaniel was living with three other people in a two-bedroom apartment in Cedar Park, a suburb of Austin, while attending college courses. He worked for contractors to make rent and pay the bills, but he felt the juggle prevented him from focusing on his studies. Majbritt said that she's trying to set her son up for success, like any parent would.

☆ Travelers who don't know how to go off the grid bring 7 suitcases and a microwave to stay in a yurt, according to owners of rustic Airbnbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Travelers may crave a break from their phones, but going off the grid can prove difficult for some. Courtesy of the KernohansIn Missouri, Michael Loftis built an off-the-grid cabin for his family, but eventually moved them to a town nearby. Many guests are quick to ask Kernohan if bears or other wildlife are a threat to their stay. Courtesy of Michael LoftisTo add to the rustic mood of his cabin, Loftis has furnished it with antiques, including a clawfoot tub and a 1920s gas-powered cookstove. Thankfully, she was safe, but it reminded Loftis that many guests are unfamiliar with old-school appliances.

☆ An Arizona homeowner who made $12,000 a month renting out her house reveals why she quit Airbnb and relies on Vrbo instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An Arizona homeowner who listed her home on Airbnb for three years is leaving the platform. The Arizona homeowner joins other short-term-rental owners and managers who have expressed dissatisfaction with Airbnb as a booking platform. The Arizona homeowner said the specter of a slowdown also played a part in her decision to leave the platform. The Arizona homeowner said she believes seven days' notice is too little to adequately re-book the property. It puts a lot of pressure on hosts, the Arizona homeowner said.

☆ Your Airbnb is watching you
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Airbnb hosts are hotly debating the appropriateness of security cameras. Some guests and hosts say it's an invasion of privacy for vacationers. Arizona host Zach Narus says cameras provide a "peace of mind" to his guests, just as much as they do for him. Once a guest messaged Narus that there was a loud banging outside the property and asked him to use the security cameras to check for an intruder or wildlife. Disclosing the use of cameras, Narus says, discourages bookings that are looking to throw a party.

☆ People are fleeing Arizona's heat for upstate New York and Florida's flooding for North Carolina. Have you moved over climate concerns?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly 40% of Americans moving say climate concerns have influenced their decision, said Redfin. Have you moved states over concerns about the climate crisis? We want to hear from you: Have you moved over concerns about the climate crisis? Tell us in this form how the climate crisis is affecting you and where you live. An estimated 30 million Americans moved between March 2021 and March 2022, according to a Brookings Institution analysis of the latest available US Census Bureau data.

☆ A self-proclaimed 'Airbnb Queen' who managed other people's properties is accused of stealing from homeowners then fleeing town
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Dan Latu | Aj Latrace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Massey told Fox 23 that when she confronted Widell on the accounting "irregularities," Widell lashed out and responded "aggressively." A separate unnamed property owner told Fox 23 that he paid Widell $11,000 to stage his rental. Since then, seven of Widell's tenants told Fox 23 their water had been shut off and they risk losing electricity. "Honestly, the worst thing she has done is taken away everyone's peace of mind," one tenant, Traci Nunnelly, told Fox 23. After convincing landlords to switch to Airbnb, Neth said, she would then seek to manage their listings as a paid property manager.

☆ Steep cleaning fees? Ridiculous chore lists? Who cares? Apparently, people still love Airbnb.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Travelers critiqued some Airbnb hosts' steep cleaning fees and checkout-chore lists last year. The Wall Street Journal even published a front-page story with the headline, "Welcome to Your Airbnb, the Cleaning Fees Are $143 and You'll Still Have to Wash the Linens." Some hosts rushed in to please travelers, boldly highlighting $0 cleaning fees as a marketing tactic. This month, 42% of surveyed consumers held a favorable view of Airbnb, Morning Consult found, up from 38% of surveyed consumers in January 2022. In 2018, when Morning Consult began tracking Airbnb, only 23% of surveyed consumers held favorable opinions of the firm.

Search resuls for: "Latu"

25 mentions found