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Houses weren’t the only thing that went flying off the shelves as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recreational vehicles, or RVs, also found a home amidst the spending habits of the suddenly mobile American family. Sales set a record in 2021, and continue to surge.
The “December 2021 survey of manufacturers determined that total RV shipments for 2021 ended with a record 600,240 wholesale shipments, surpassing the 2017 total of 504,599 shipments by 19 percent,” the RV industry association reported.
Harvest Hosts, a company that helps connect wineries and farm owners with available land to our nation’s army of high-end road-goers, not surprisingly saw its platform expand too.
Harvest Hosts’ membership bookings for the first two months of 2021 jumped 400 percent from the same time in 2020, while March, 2021 saw a 700 percent jump, Inc. reported.
Whether by RV or apartment complex, no one seems to want to stay in one place anymore. Add to that the sick era’s normalization of remote work, and it’s no wonder a mobile luxury hotel is finding traction, and offering homeowners with space to spare a super smart side-hustle.
Moliving calls itself the “world’s premier luxury nomadic hospitality solution.” The company turns landowners into overnight hoteliers by delivering, for lack of a better term, high-end tiny homes, and marketing their availability to its travel-minded members.
The company announced its first, and flagship, location, Moliving at Hurley House. The destination will serve as a showcase for what’s possible in this new category of quick-build hotels and nomadic luxury living.
“Nestled in the heart of [New York’s] Hudson Valley, the forthcoming 60-suite resort will set the new standard for Eco-conscious travel by combining futuristic design, technological innovation and the use of proximity materials, allowing guests to experience the highest level of luxury with minimal impact to the environment,” the company said.
Landowners can have as many or as few units as their land will accommodate.
The luxury mobile suites are factory-built using only sustainable construction materials and practices, according to the company. They come with solar power for off-grid convenience and when connected to enough units, can collectively power the needs of an entire group site.
Units have an array of environmental monitoring technology to ensure living conditions can be standardized for optimal usage and energy conservation, so there’s a clear low-impact initiative woven into the remote worker destination vibe the company is building. There’s no need for any foundation work, either, as each suite comes with self-levelers and rests on existing ground, resulting in virtually no impact or need for surface remediation.
Moliving interior concept
Moliving handles all of the logistics of setting up each unit, scheduling, payment processing and guest verification.
“We are expanding the boundaries of traditional hospitality and are well on the way to introducing a never-before-seen sustainable concept that no one has yet attempted to achieve,” said Jordan Bem, Founder and CEO of Moliving, in a statement.
Bem said his company also wants to shake up the real estate and construction industries for the better.
“Moliving at Hurley House will not only mark the brand’s flagship debut, but it will also establish a new standard of what eco-responsible development means for the hospitality, real estate and construction industries as a whole.”
Agents with clients seeking acreage or buying homes on spacious plots would be wise to at least mention the opportunity Moliving provides in the same way they do accessory dwelling units or short-term rental opportunities.
If this idea doesn’t sound completely unique to you, then you’ve likely heard of AutoCamp, a hotel chain made up of stationary Airstream trailers, usually located close to national parks and popular outdoor recreation areas.
AutoCamp doesn’t move its locations, however, and while the streamlined steel icons are synonymous with well-funded vagabonds, Moliving’s accommodations are more oriented to luxury hotel enthusiasts and the mobile workforce including a focus on the booking and service experience.
As its doing with the Hurley House, the company will look to partner with local service providers in food service, supply and production, such as farmers, brewers and restaurants.
Pacaso. Ember. Airbnb. Landing. The world of temporary housing is expanding quickly, and the benefits are not only for those who choose to invest in them. Agents, too can earn money by putting these models in play for their clients, as new ownership structures keep emerging and the mobile lifestyle is young with years to mature.
Agents should not miss an opportunity to earn because it’s not like your last sale. The best sales professionals go looking for their next commission, and in this case, it’s being delivered to you.
“As we are poised for rapid expansion, there are a lot of opportunities for landowners and brokers to work with us,” Bem said in an emailed statement to Inman. “For Real Estate brokers, Moliving pays out of commission for an agreed value of raw land, as it works as a joint venture with the landowner.
“It’s even more applicable to landowners who look to close on land because Moliving is a solution that monetizes underutilized land on resort property. We bring in a significant portion of the capital in form of flexible inventory and can start turning a profit in a fraction of the time of traditional development, thus making us stand out in seasonal hospitality markets.”
