Property values keep going up, taxes keep going up, insurance keeps going up (especially along the coast/hurricane areas), labor for cleaning/maintenance keeps going up.   I briefly looked at buying a condo at TX coast for me to use and as a rental property,  but the HOA fees each month were ridiculous at most places.

Lots of times these fees vary greatly by whether it's corporate or individual. We often use AirBNB or VRBO for trips where we want to take the dogs, or want a particular experience that can't be had through a hotel, such as riverfront somewhere nearby.

Just booked a place on the coast for a summer trip and the corporation that manages a whole bunch of rentals down there was tacking on something like $425 in fees, while similar places managed by the owners were charging only around $125 for the same fees. Went with the owner-run option.

Typically if we like a place and expect to return, I'll try to swap contact info with the owner and just book direct.

Not sure how y'all are able to find the owner info without booking since most of them provide just a general map of the location prior to booking. I guess maybe with google maps satellite views and the local tax office, but then that becomes a project.

Don't forget to change the sheets, take out the trash, and paint the siding before you leave!

Hotels are the way to go now.

Cleaning is not a premium cost. It’s for those who have no skills.  These companies are just greedy.  A friend has a concrete supplier buddy and the supplier told him everyone is still using Covid on purpose to keep costs high. For example, there is zero reason 30 ft of fencing should cost $5k for materials and labor. Last time I replaced that length it was $1,200.

I swore never to use them when Lauren Southern's parents were blacklisted due to her politics. They reversed it and "apologized" but they were dead to me.

I was pricing out a week in South Padre, and condo prices were absolutely insane. We ended up going to an all inclusive in Cancun for less money than the AirBnB would have cost.