Is Your Home Languishing on the Sales Market? Try Another Approach.

Lately, a lot of homeowners have been surprised to see their listings sit on the market longer than expected. It’s frustrating — the weeks drag on, and meanwhile the mortgage, insurance, and upkeep costs keep rolling in.

Vacation Rental Blues

Here’s the thing: if selling isn’t happening right now, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck. Renting your home could be the right move until the market shifts again. And you may want to consider your short-term and mid-term rental options, so as not to make a long-term commitment to renting. A short-term or mid-term rental could allow you to bring your home back to the market when the time is right.

Some benefits worth considering:

  • Rental income helps cover your expenses
  • You hold onto your equity while waiting for the market to rebound
  • Demand for rentals on the Monterey Peninsula is strong
  • You keep your flexibility for the future

I’ve seen many homeowners breathe a huge sigh of relief once they decided to rent instead of letting their home sit empty. And the best part is—you don’t have to take on the stress yourself. MontereyRentals.com  handles the details: listing your properties on all major platforms, making bookings and collecting rent, coordinating maintenance, and sending money to your bank – no muss, no fuss!

If you’re wondering whether renting might be a smart fit for your situation, let’s talk it through. No sales pitch—just an honest conversation about your options.

Jan Leasure, Managing Broker
MontereyRentals.com

Jan@MontereyRentals.com

Vacation Rental Blues

On August 13, 2025, the California Coastal Commission approved Monterey County’s Local Coastal Plan Amendment, implementing the new STR ordinance in the coastal zone. Every vacation rental will require a license (Homestay, Limited, or Commercial).

Vacation Rental Blues
  • Homestay: the Owner must stay in the home during their guests’ stay and home must be the Owner’s Primary Residence.
  • Limited Vacation Rental: allows the Owner or Operator to rent their home up to three times per year as a Non-hosted Vacation Rental.
  • Commercial Vacation Rental: allows the Owner or Operator to rent their home for an unlimited number of times per year (Non-hosted).

Commercial rentals will be capped at 4% in the areas where allowed. Only Homestays and Limited Vacation Rentals will be allowed in Big Sur, Carmel Valley, and Carmel Highlands.

Anyone seeking to engage in “commercial” short-term rentals will have to apply for and obtain a Coastal Development Permit (as well as other permits/certifications). The CDP process will likely be time-consuming and expensive, which further discourages short-term rentals. It’s estimated that an application will cost between $8,000 -$12,000 and will be subject to renewal (cost unknown) every three years. Owners who already have permits will be required to renew every seven years, and applicants who are rejected are not entitled to any rebate of application fees.

The County of Monterey has a severe budget shortage, and this ordinance will seriously reduce tax revenue, thus exacerbating the issue. Instead of patterning an ordinance after successful ones such as those of Santa Cruz and Pacific Grove, the County passed an onerous ordinance designed to discourage short term rentals in favor of hotel stays.

The Monterey County Vacation Rental Alliance provided objections in great detail with supporting evidence and studies, but the Commission chose to disregard this input.

The ordinance will require formal adoption by the Board of Supervisors and will go into effect thirty days after that time.

Note: The new regulations do not apply within city limits of Monterey County (such as Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Sand City, Seaside, and Soledad).

Application info can be found here: Vacation Rentals | County of Monterey, CA