Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
1–10 of 44 posts
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#2> the fiction around transacting temporary real-estate is just too high
Er, should that be "friction"?
Also, the right-click functionality on that site is infuriating.
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#3I thought that was a very interesting experiment, but I thought of it more of a proof of concept rather than a "I wish this could work for everyone".
The thing that will ultimately make something like this impractical is the emotional attachment to the places that we live. It's likely the same reason that you wouldn't want to live in hotels year round... at least not for your whole life (if you're a contractor you might have some experience with this). People, unlike data, like to decorate, have things set up a certain way, and have a place they call home.
While it's interesting to imagine a world where people only used what they needed when they needed it, we can see some of that today. That's why people will rent a pickup truck for a day while they're moving, or pay to go to a public pool. They don't need to own a pool or a truck year-round, just for a bit of time, which is a little like utilizing server resources.
The part about living in a nice hotel for a day, however, was a good example of something we don't see very often. I guess we really don't have a real-world version of excessive "server load spikes" where you want to live somewhere REALLY nice for a day or two, but analogies can only go so far
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#4When you read this, keep in mind I work at Airbnb :)
I think this failed because it was so contrived. Here is a more realistic and reproducible example of how my girlfriend is living variably in NYC. She currently has a lease in Brooklyn for about $900 / month but doesn't need to be there all the time. This weekend she will be house-sitting in NJ, next week she is visiting me in SF for a week, and in December she plans to stay with her parents for the holidays.
To continue to have occasional access to her apartment, not screw over her roommates, and make this lifestyle remotely possible, she listed her place on Airbnb.com. She so far has booked about $700 that will go towards October rent. When she needs to be in Brooklyn, she simply marks her dates as unavailable. Her place is still open for December, but has enough interest that she'll be fine.
Using Airbnb absolutely reduces the friction for these short term stays. If a listing is dishonest, we'll drop it like it's hot. If your host bails on you, we'll find you a new place to stay. SO, sam lessin - Despite having a new lease, don't give up on variable cost living! -Chris
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#5I thought that was a very interesting experiment, but I thought of it more of a proof of concept rather than a "I wish this could work for everyone". The thing that will ultimately make something like this impractical is the emotional attachment to the places that we live. It's likely the same reason that you wouldn't want to live in hotels year round... at least not for your whole life (if you're a contractor you mi…
we don't have vacations?
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#6> the fiction around transacting temporary real-estate is just too high Er, should that be "friction"? Also, the right-click functionality on that site is infuriating.
[deleted]
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#7I thought that was a very interesting experiment, but I thought of it more of a proof of concept rather than a "I wish this could work for everyone". The thing that will ultimately make something like this impractical is the emotional attachment to the places that we live. It's likely the same reason that you wouldn't want to live in hotels year round... at least not for your whole life (if you're a contractor you mi…
It depends on your priorities. Many U.S. families move long distances every few years, and many young single people move significantly more often than that. Certain jobs can require someone to move almost daily. Part of it is because people want to, and part of it is because the culture makes it easy by providing technology that enables it. My guess is that the future will probably trend towards even more flexibility in mobility, not less (especially in the U.S.), although there will always be many people who want to settle down.
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#8> the fiction around transacting temporary real-estate is just too high Er, should that be "friction"? Also, the right-click functionality on that site is infuriating.
[deleted]
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#9Reminds me a bit of this article:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.02/chiat_pr.html
(not because of the author's experience, but rather a pitfall I can see occurring)
Re: Variable Cost Living Sadly Doesn't Work
#10When you read this, keep in mind I work at Airbnb :) I think this failed because it was so contrived. Here is a more realistic and reproducible example of how my girlfriend is living variably in NYC. She currently has a lease in Brooklyn for about $900 / month but doesn't need to be there all the time. This weekend she will be house-sitting in NJ, next week she is visiting me in SF for a week, and in December she pla…
We got the following message from an Airbnb user two days ago:
"I absolutely love your service and am actually considering using it as my primary dwelling place (instead of paying rent, telecommuting as a Ruby developer and traveling around the world)... This month I've been using jetBlue's All-you-can-jet pass, and AirBnB, to write a song in 12 different cities..."