Why Vacation Homes Are a Surprisingly Good Investment During A Bear Market

courtneyk / Getty Images
courtneyk / Getty Images

For many, a bear market means a drop in investments and retirement funds. But there are some ways to make money during this time of flux, including investing in real estate — in particular, a vacation home.

See: Fed Raises Rates 75 Basis Points Amid Bear Market & Record-High Inflation
Looking To Diversify in a Bear Market? Consider These 6 Alternative Investments

Though the Fed raised interest rates 75 basis points in June as a measure to help combat inflation, surprisingly, the housing market remains at an all-time high for buyers who are driving demand. And not just for primary residences — vacation homes are on the rise too. In the era of the Airbnb explosion, many have used their savings to buy properties and turn them around into rentals that provide a stream of passive income.

In fact, according to Entrepreneur, 72.5% of rental properties in the U.S. are owned by individual investors.

Vancouver mortgage expert, Alan Harder, added some context, telling Entrepreneur that “the key here is to make sure you choose a vacation rental property that has an established market and demand for rentals in order for it to be profitable for both you and any potential tenants – that way, no one loses out.”

According to a report from Realtor.com, at the end of 2021, the average annual take-home pay from vacation rentals was $56,000 — the highest it’s ever been. The report also noted that there is a surplus of listings for vacation rentals beyond 1.2 million.

Even better, according to Roofstock, if you own a vacation rental, you can get the same tax benefits that real estate investors take advantage of through deductions and write-offs as long as you’ve rented the property out for 14 or more days.

Buying vacation rental property has become such a phenomenon that there’s a Netflix reality series, “The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals,” which explores the best spots around the globe for private accommodations. And now there’s even a new app called Here that’s “democratizing the process” so average Americans can take part in investing in vacation properties just as much as those with disposable income.

Here lets people can take out shares on individual properties for a cool $100, and once all shares are spoken for, the listing is then placed on portals like Airbnb where they are rented out. According to the app’s about page, shareholders then receive quarterly distributions of pro-rata net rental income (rents minus fees, expenses, and additional reserve allocations). Here handles all of the operational responsibilities.