When Ed Kushins was preparing his Hermosa Beach home for guests from Vancouver recently, he threw in some surprises: golf clubs to use during the tee time he had prearranged, a list of favorite restaurants and a map of scenic bike paths. He also set up a barbecue with the neighbors.
That Kushins didn’t personally know the visitors he went to all that trouble for was irrelevant.
The company he founded, HomeExchange.com, is part of the burgeoning “sharing economy,” where houses, apartments and even sofa beds are substituting for hotel stays.
As competition in the sector heats up, and with a plethora of cool homes for rent in the Los Angeles area, it’s no longer enough to simply change the sheets and vacuum the rug. Those who make their spaces available to outsiders are piling on perks that include handwritten notes attached to gift baskets, and platters of morning pastries and dried fruit worthy of a bed and breakfast.
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