By Will Hamburg
Sedona, AZ — Not liking STRs is like not liking tourism. And if you don’t like tourists, you probably shouldn’t live here. My family has been in Sedona since the 1950s, so trust me, I’ve seen the change.
But when an outsider from the East Coast tries to infiltrate my community, spend my tax dollars to strip away my property rights, and take away $721 MILLION in total economic output that STRs contribute to our economy, I call that stupid.
I don’t care where you stand politically; the data shows that STRs support 4,978 jobs in Yavapai County. If STRs were banned tomorrow, Sedona would go bankrupt.
Let’s go through some of the highlights of the third party independent study:
STRs generated $721M in GDP for our community 
STR guests spent $259 million on rentals, $130 million at our restaurants and bars, $98 million on shopping at our shops, and $52 million on local transportation.
STRs also generate $40.4M in sales tax, funding local infrastructure, schools, and emergency services. So, if they were suddenly banned, you can say goodbye to more than half of the firefighters, police officers and teachers in our community.The fact is that STRs Keep Our Economy Strong
Nearly 1 in 20 jobs in Yavapai County exist because of STRs.
STRs complement hotels by offering different experiences for visitors.
STRs support all local businesses, from landscapers to house cleaners to contractors.Want to talk about the Housing Debate?
The study shows that STRs aren’t the main reason home prices are increasing. Sedona has been expensive for decades. Welcome to Disneyland!
The study shows no strong correlation between STR growth and rising rents in Yavapai County. Furthermore, if STRs were banned, only 18% of owners would convert them into long-term rentals.Also, if STRs didn’t exist, workers seeking long term rentals could never afford the mortgage payment if Sedona had no economy.
So before you jump on the anti-STR bandwagon, ask yourself, do you really want to crush 78% of the jobs, erase millions in tax revenue, and take away property rights just because you don’t like tourists?
Because without them, this town wouldn’t exist.
Let’s talk about solutions that actually work, not government overreach.
View the full report here: https://owninsedona.com/…/Sedona-2025-Short-Term-Rental…
Editor’s Note: William Hamburg is a third-generation real estate investor passionate about Arizona’s real estate markets. William previously served as a board member of the Sedona Verde Valley Association of REALTORS® and as a branch manager at Realty One Group Mountain Desert in Sedona.
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7 Comments
Sure I wont let my emotions make decisions. I will go with what has happened around me. 75% of my friends have moved out of Sedona! Some moved to Cottonwood, or Clarkdale. Many moved to Phoenix, and a good number just moved back where they used to live!
I wont worry that there isnt a neighbor within 4 or 5 houses away. No more people raising kids on my street.
I have no problem with change if its helpful. We have the worst Air B&B law in the country! Now seeing your a realtor, the little negatives have lined your greedy pockets!
Maybe have empathy for the hundreds that have left their dream here? or the ones who will never be able to afford a Sedona home?
Sure would be nice if they had rules to follow and control this horrible law! I think the city has a better idea of what to do than a rich CEO of an ice cream chain of stores!
Exactly what is the source of your very very scewed data? STR’s not the primary cause of increased home demand and astronomical prices my arse! It is directly factually correlated!
And as for there not being affordable housing in Sedona without STR’s??? Well that statement is even dumber than claiming they don’t affect housing availability and pricing.
Seems the wealthy and greedy of this country feel we are all ignorant to their money grubbing schemes to screw over the little man in order to fill their money grubbing pockets. We are not ignorant and they will face the music for this horrific time in this nations rapidly ending history. You enjoy profiting off of those most in need at their expense which is criminal in most democratic societies.
This is flawed thinking. The author assumes that without STRs Sedona would go bankrupt, leading to no visitors and no tourist dollars. But with just a little objective thought we can reason that most people staying at STRs would instead stay in hotels and motels, just as they did before the rise of STRs. Just as they do in so many other tourist towns in the US and around the world. Tourism would not just one day disappear entirely because of a lack of STRs.
Those same tourists would spend money like always have. They would tell others to come visit, like they always have. And those 1,000+ STRs would be replaced by people and familes that actually live and work here. They too would spend money and contribute to the wealth of the community, the social fabric of the community and our school system too.
Look, I’m not entirely against STRs. But by most any measure here in Sedona STRs have gotten entirely out of hand. Entirely out of balance. I would think most objective people would say our town has gotten worse instead of better partly or largely because of this.
So a skewed report on STR’s by an unnamed group of realtors is proof that STR’s do not harm affordable housing availability? Sure thing pal! Where’s the data from the Sedona PD and County Sheriff’s Offices regarding the numerous noise and disruption complaints made by permanent residents of Sedona who have STR’s as neighbors 360• around their homes. They get far more complaints then they do reports on because it usually takes 4-6 neighbors calling 4-6 times each to get a patrol to respond. Then if they do not hear anything within a moment or two of their arrival they tend to take off without any interaction with the guests staying in the complaint address. STR’s are a major problem in most popular destinations. Some locations have e outright banned STR’s.
I don’t quite agree with banning them. I do agree that owning and operating one should require the owner to reside in the home as well or to at least reside within city limits of where their rental is located so the police can go straight to them with complaints that result in charges against they and their disruptive guests if necessary.
“But when an outsider from the East Coast tries to infiltrate my community, spend my tax dollars to strip away my property rights, and take away $721 MILLION in total economic output that STRs contribute to our economy, I call that TREASON”
A) It is not YOUR community it belongs to all who choose to live here.
B) Nobody has “infiltrated” anything in Sedona. That is a ridiculous statement in and of itself.
C) You don’t pay property taxes and therefore NOBODY is stripping away your tax dollars other than Trump and DOGE.
D) STR do NOT generate $721 million for Sedona not its economy. Not unless it cost a million USD per guest to stay in Sedona STR’s.
E) The only TREASON that has occurred in our country in the past decade has been that of a small handful of military intelligence/signal operators criminally and ignorantly looking to make a fast buck from our enemies. Trump’s Treasonous Insurrection is the textbook definition of Treason under the USC. but you fail to mention it in your rant on treason. Let me help define Treason for you-
trea·son ˈtrē-zᵊn
Synonyms of treason
1
: the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign’s family
Trump’s January 6th crimes meet and exceed the definition of.
Nobody in the current Sedona City government has committed an act of treason by definition.
Thanks for playing “To tell the Truth”!
If “Sedona belongs to all who live here” then accusing of someone of being from the East Coast is conflicting at the best. Tourism and STR are not related. Perhaps a talk with owners and managers of the plethora of hotel rooms and timeshare rooms as an historical reference rather than just spewing numbers would be beneficial to understand the ups and downs of short term rentals. As far as taxes go, Sedona not only doesn’t have a property tax but no tax on groceries leaving the crux of tax responsibility to restaurants (who are losing potential clients to anyone renting with access to a kitchen) and hotel tax ( which is not added at the same rate to short term rentals) and local businesses who love tourists shopping their stores. More tourists demands more infrastructure. Some restaurants are now charging customers to use a credit card. Reason? Ask a restaurateur. Want change? Change the legislators who approved STRs while denying municipalities including counties to set the number of days one can rent their home. Perhaps the city could list the names and real home addresses of the people renting out their homes and reveal just how much they are paying in taxes. Again, at the risk of repeating myself, at the first city council meeting in Sedona someone asked about affordable housing and the answer form the brand new vice mayor was “that’s what Cottonwood and Camp Verde are for.” Chew on that for a minute before finger pointing and attacking one’s concerns. I don’t think someone can claim to love Sedona more than another. Everyone who lives in Sedona, unless Native American is “an outsider.” The person who moves to Sedona tomorrow is entitled to voice their concerns as well as someone who has lived in Sedona for many years.
The claim that Sedona would go bankrupt without STRs is ridiculous. One needs to remember that much of the bed taxes received from STRs are ultimately used to mitigate the damage they cause. SIM to improve roadway capacity was necessitated by increased visitation. Support for affordable housing was required to help those that work in Sedona. Growth for the purpose of growth is not always a good thing. Yes STRs will probably be here going forward, but more local control really is needed.