Do you expect a crash in the Airbnb market? How might that affect real estate?

A: I love having access to an Airbnb kitchen when I travel.

Airbnb has become a housing controversy with the ongoing housing shortage, combined with occasional poor behavior of renters.

Cities across the country are actively hearing from citizens as to how these short-term rentals have reduced the long-term housing stock and allowed “the party culture” to negatively impact some of its citizens.

Many cities are now requiring minimum 30-day rentals, confirmation that the property meets safety codes and registration as a rental.

These laws, if passed, can and will remove up to 10,000 units just from NYC, per recent estimates. Airbnb does remind owners to follow state and city laws, but the enforcement often goes unregulated.

Expect fewer short-term rentals in popular locations in the future, and before you rent, check in with your host and confirm that they are meeting the local short term rental requirements.

Airbnb will not crash; it will simply become a better neighbor.

Anne Feste, Compass, 510-757-4787,

anne.feste@compass.com.

A: Airbnb recently reported its most profitable quarter ever, due to stronger demand and higher rates. The number of available short term rental listings in the U.S. skyrocketed to a 23% year over year increase — mostly due to pent up demand after lockdowns, giving a huge boost to domestic travel.

This increase of short term rental listings may cause prices to fall and reduce the profitability of owning those vacation rentals, which could result in more long-term rental supply, and which would help to bring rents back down. The short-term rental market is more competitive than it used to be, and it's becoming more important than ever for hosts to pay attention to their guest reviews, study their competition and make consistent updates to their property.

Few experts predict a full-on housing crash like the one we experienced from 2008 to 2014, in part because lending standards are much higher for residential mortgages now than they were in the years leading up to 2008.

Kathleen Daly, Coldwell Banker, 415-519-6075, kdaly@cbnorcal.com; Lisa Lange, Coldwell Banker, 415-847-7770,

lisalange@coldwellbanker.com.

A: Data from AirDNA, a short-term rental (STR) analytics firm, has indicated demand growth of 19.8% year-over-year. Despite this increase in bookings, the number of STR listings on the market has increased sharply, leading to lower occupancy rates. Many properties are now facing vacancy and financial losses due to the lack of rental income.

Will we see a sudden influx of STR homes back on the market?

We'll more likely see a pivot into long-term rentals. Here's why:

• Locked in rates: Many of these homes were purchased with historically low interest rates. The rent could cover all the homeowner's expenses.

• Housing supply is still low: The current demand for housing still outpaces home building, which means a large pool of potential renters.

• Inflation: Homebuyers have been priced out, increasing rental demand and forcing higher rents. Also, investment properties have historically proven to be an excellent hedge against inflation.

Leo Peak, Peak Real Estate Group at Corcoran Icon Properties, 415-816-1469,

leo@leopeak.com.