So, I’ve got this… thing. A project. It’s been lurking in the background of my life for about two years now, give or take a few months when I actively tried to ignore its existence.
It’s a book. A non-fiction book. About rental arbitrage.
Now, for those who aren’t familiar, rental arbitrage is basically where you rent a property and then sublet it, often on platforms like Airbnb. The idea, in theory, is to make a profit on the difference. Sounds… straightforward? Maybe. That’s what I thought initially, anyway.
I remember when I first got the idea. It felt like one of those lightbulb moments. “Yes! This is it!” I envisioned myself, this savvy entrepreneur, smoothly managing properties and raking in the (modest, realistic, definitely not get-rich-quick) income.
I dove into research. I read articles, listened to podcasts, even joined a few online communities. And then, naturally, I decided I should write a book about it. Because, why not add another unfinished project to the ever-growing list, right?
The initial stages were… exciting. I outlined chapters, I jotted down ideas. I even wrote a fair chunk of the first few chapters. I was going to cover everything from finding the right properties to setting them up, dealing with guests, and the nitty-gritty of the finances. I genuinely thought I was on a roll.
And then… well, life happened.
Or maybe it was just my brain deciding it was time to pursue a different shiny object. You know how it goes. One minute you’re deep in spreadsheets and market analysis, the next you’re suddenly convinced you need to learn how to make sourdough bread or finally get those tomato seedlings to, you know, actually thrive. My poor 3cm tall champion is still hanging in there, by the way. Small victories.
But the book. It’s still there, on my hard drive, a digital monument to good intentions and the limitations of my attention span. Sometimes I open it up, reread a paragraph or two, and think, “Hey, this isn’t half bad!” And then I close it again.
Maybe I’ll get back to it someday. Maybe not.
The funny thing is, even though the book is unfinished, the whole concept of rental arbitrage still kind of fascinates me. There’s this interesting blend of real estate, hospitality (which I have a bit of background in, remember?), and online platforms. It’s like a puzzle to be solved. And perhaps that’s why I started writing about it in the first place. Not necessarily to become the ultimate guru, but to try and piece together that puzzle for myself, and maybe share those pieces with others.
I did recently open that Airbnb homestay, though. Two months in, still waiting for guests. Maybe I should reread some of my own (unfinished) advices. Or maybe the universe is telling me to stick to writing about it for now. Ambiguity, right?
Anyway, I was just thinking about this whole thing, this book that’s been sitting there. It’s a bit like that pile of laundry that you keep meaning to fold but somehow it just… persists. You know it’s there. You might even feel a little guilty about it. But actually tackling it feels like climbing a small mountain.
So, yeah. The rental arbitrage book. It exists. In a mostly digital form. Maybe one day it’ll see the light of day. Or maybe it’ll just become another one of my “unfinished businesses.”
What about you? Got any passion projects gathering digital dust? Makes you feel a little less alone, doesn’t it?