Problem
Suppose you are considering whether to purchase a house off of Lake Erie for $400,000. You expect the total costs of maintaining the property (utilities, repairs, etc.) to equal $15,000/year, and that you would be able to generate $35,000/year in revenue if you were to put the house on the short term rental market.
i. Suppose you are deciding between purchasing the home or whether to invest $400,000 in an interest-bearing account. If your objective is to maximize your own net income, what would the interest rate have to equal for you to invest in the interest-bearing account?
ii. Suppose you decide to buy the house, and now you have to decide whether/when to list the house on the short term rental market (like Airbnb) or stay in the house yourself. Briefly explain what this decision would depend on. What are the implicit (opportunity) costs associated with renting the house to someone else on a given day? What are the implicit costs associated with the staying in the house yourself?
iii. Suppose the house would cost $500,000 instead of $400,000, but everything else (revenue/maintenance costs) are the same. What is the new answer for question (A)? Would this higher price change your answers for question (B) If so, how?