Robert Gurney-Designed Chinatown Loft Asking $600 a Night

• September 4, 2012
• 2 Comments

by UrbanTurf Staff

If you hadn’t noticed, UrbanTurf has a slight obsession with Airbnb. And, during one of our recent browsing sessions of the most expensive DC rentals on the couch-surfing site, we came across a familiar home.

Way back in 2010, we wrote about an ultra-modern three-level, three-bedroom condo in Chinatown that was on the market. The home, designed by DC-based architect Robert Gurney, had a very specific layout and design aesthetic which we imagined would limit the buyer pool. Each floor is about 100-feet deep and the upper level has an indoor/outdoor loft space with electric doors that open to front and rear roof decks.

The unit has been on and off the market for the past two years (with an asking price of about $2.5 million), but it appears the owners have found another way to pay the mortgage. Airbnb is listing the 3,700-square foot home as a rental at a rate of $600 a night. On its face that seems expensive, but if three vacationing couples split the bill, it would work out to a $200/night stay. Not a shabby alternative to the DC hotel scene.

Similar Posts:

• Cashing In: DC’s Lucrative Short-Term Rental Market
• Sleeping With Strangers: The Airbnb Primer
• UrbanTurf Reader Asks: Should I Rent Out My Condo Through Airbnb?

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/robert_gurney-designed_chinatown_loft_asking_600_a_night/5976

2 Comments

1. mj said at 3:36 pm on Tuesday September 4, 2012:
   Almost all AirBnB Listings are illegal. You have to have a license to short term rentals and you have to charge D.C. sales and lodging taxes. (14.5%--I believe) Most condo associations also prohibit "leases" less than 6 months. Urban Turf should stop hyping this practice and giving them free advertising. Our city has tons of legit B&Bs; that have had to go through all the red tape and expense to operate legally.

1. Nikk said at 9:59 pm on Wednesday September 5, 2012:
   Mj makes a very good point, not to say all listings on any site are illegal, but it would be great if UT were to only feature legitimate spaces. It is fairly easy to look up the address, and find the status. This same issue is rampant with the housing rental market, as well. Having been through the process, recently, can say that it is, indeed, even a simple owner with one tenant is rather complicated - business license and certificate of occupancy, with all they both entail. Renters, and home/condo owners leave themselves open to untoward amounts of hassle, if they do not have them, though.