Big Bear lake Council comments

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First and foremost I want to thank our Mayor Rick Herrick who was the muse of this endeavor.   I will elaborate more later.

A great deal of the information and processes are sure to change in the future. 

During this process we are learning that we are not the only mountain towns to experience workforce housing due to many factors.

We have found that cities such as Telluride,  Big Sky and Truckee have recently started similar programs.  We are hoping to work with the city to find the best possible solution for Big Bear.  Every city has it's own issues,  but some ideas may translate to Big Bear and some may not.

Real Estate Experts back in May of 2020 stated that COVID will change everything and possibly be permanent.  People are moving from cities to mountain towns (working from home),  people are buying 2nd homes rather then taking expensive trips,  RV's and campgrounds are sold out,  off road vehicles are sold out.  Boats and tents are more expensive.

Will Big Bear Lake's real estate market return to PRE-Covid,  continue on its current path or end up somewhere in between.

Yes we are seeing a slowdown in the Vacation Rental Market which most experts believe that this will force new buyers (last 18 months) to sell or list their home as a full-time.   BUT HOW LONG DOES THAT TAKE?  

The Big Bear Workforce Housing fund may help speed up the natural process of homes leaving the Vacation Rental Market and joining the Full Time Housing Market.  I sent out an email to all my homeowners asking them if they are interested in full time.  I had 19 people respond yes without even mentioning grants.  We also had 2 home owners after the email regarding full time opportunities left our program and rented directly to a renter.

We welcome all ideas!  The time is now to work together to find the best solution for Big Bear.