Can a Primary Residence Create Income Without Becoming a Longterm Rental or Airbnb?

Question

I’m working through an idea that may apply to others here, especially owners who are aging in place, sitting on larger properties, or trying to make a long-held family home carry more of its own weight.

After 50 years in construction, real estate development, and family business, I recently stepped away from day-to-day operations. My wife and I still live in our longtime family home in North San Diego County, and we have no intention of leaving.

But like many empty-nesters, we’re now looking at a property that is larger than the two of us technically need, takes real money to maintain, and still has a lot of useful life and value beyond simply being our residence.

The usual paths seem to be:

Sell and downsize.Convert part of it to a rental.Create an ADU.Turn it into a short-term rental.Do nothing and keep absorbing the maintenance costs.

None of those felt quite right for us.

We do not want overnight guests.We do not want an Airbnb.We do not want parties or events.We do not want to create a problem for the neighborhood.And we definitely do not want to turn our home into something we no longer enjoy living in.

So we’re taking a different path.

We are positioning the property as a hosted creative location for limited daytime uses such as photography, video, brand shoots, interviews, and small creative productions.

In other words, people are not renting the house to live in it. They are using the property for a specific creative purpose, during a defined time window, with the owner present or closely involved.

To me, that distinction matters.

This is closer to a controlled location-use model than a hospitality model.

Some of the things we’re working through:

Insurance and COI requirementsClear use restrictionsNo overnight staysNo open parties or eventsParking limitsNeighborhood impactScreening users carefullyWritten agreementsProperty damage protectionHourly or half-day pricingWhich areas of the property are included or off-limitsHow to preserve privacy while still making the location useful

Our formal rollout is planned for January 2027, so we’re in the preparation phase now: cleaning up deferred maintenance, improving presentation, building photo/video assets, tightening rules, and thinking through the operating model.

The bigger question I’m wrestling with is this:

For owners with unique primary residences or larger legacy properties, is there a viable middle path between “sell it” and “turn it into a rental”?

I’m not suggesting this works for every property. It probably does not. Location, access, parking, neighborhood tolerance, layout, visual appeal, owner temperament, and local rules all matter.

But for the right property, I do think there may be a way to create a modest income stream while still aging in place and preserving the property’s primary identity as a home.

I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried something similar.

Have you monetized an owner-occupied property without making it an STR?
Have you rented a home or estate for photo/video production?
What insurance or liability issues surprised you?
How did you price it?
What would you absolutely not do again?

I’m not looking to turn this into a hotel, event venue, or party house. The goal is controlled use, limited hours, careful screening, and enough revenue to help offset maintenance while keeping the property alive, useful, and enjoyable.

Curious how others here would underwrite or structure something like this.

John Arendsen · Answer

Hi Evan,

Thanks for that valuable info. I actually have my property listed with the California Film Commission, Giggster, and Peerspace. They do all the vetting, scheduling, contracting, insurance, heavy lifting, etc.

We don't do any booking on our own. Our hourly rate is $200 with a 4-hour minimum. We've turned down several booking opportunities for a variety of reasons. The rates were too low, as you observed, they wanted us to leave the property-a non-starter, they wanted stay overnight bookings, wanted to move too much of our personal items around or out of our home altogether, etc.

We're not in a situation where we need the money. Frankly, I'm just looking for a fun way to offset our deferred and daily maintenance issues. We have a large home and property, and I'm 80 years young and don't have the wherewithal or desire to do a lot of it myself.

This has been our primary residence for the past 50 years, and we live here full-time when we're not traveling or spending time at our Encinitas property. Our caretakers can't do a lot of the things that need ongoing maintenance or repair so this is a pretty fun way to do it.

Evan Polaski · Answer

@John Arendsen, my house has been featured multiple times for advertising shoots: both photo and video, for various brands.

These have been great sources of some "bonus" money from time to time, when they work. We have turned some down because the rental budget for the brand was not enough for the disruption is can cause.

One thing I will note: having sometimes 20 people in your house, bringing in props, wardrobes, camera rigs, mobile work stations, moving furniture, etc will definitely "age" your house faster. "That ding in the wall or floor, was it there before they came in? I don't remember seeing it, but I can't say it wasn't there, either".

Like many things, you need to know what your rental worth is. I have had a production company come with a $250/day budget, which for a day or two is simply not worth the disruption of my life. But I have also had a crew come in for, I think 10 days, and they paid something like $800/day + $250/day hotel stipend. Thankfully our neighbors were out of town that same time, so we could stay next door for free and pocket the hotel money.

John Arendsen · Answer

Hi Adam,

That's a great idea. I've actually been speaking with a pretty famous podcaster and have a retired Warner Bros. producer and location scout manager working with me on using our property for a movie set location. We're speaking with several photographers and videographers as well. We'd be happy to discuss your podcast idea anytime. Be happy to show your our property anytime.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,

John

Adam King · Answer

Hi @John Arendsen,

That is an awesome idea!

I actually have a client who does something very similar with their home in Carmel Valley.

What they have done that I did not see you mention is taken the rooms of their home that are unused and set them up as full podcast studios, usually split up into distinct sections to maximize the different backdrops they have. This can garner upwards of $300/hr depending on amenities offered.

This also has the added benefit of repeat clients. Which will help you level out that income!

Good luck! Once you get this off the ground, I may be your first podcast customer!

John Arendsen · Answer

Thanks for your feedback, Janice. That concern is exactly why we are approaching this very carefully.

Our plan is to book only through established location platforms such as Giggster and Peerspace, which specialize in photo, film, and creative production locations. These platforms handle the booking process, collect client information, process payments, and provide a more structured layer of accountability than trying to book directly on our own.

We will also require appropriate liability insurance certificates, written use guidelines, clear time limits, and defined areas of the property that may or may not be used.

In addition, we’ve listed the property with the California Film Commission, which is another way to make the property visible to legitimate location scouts, producers, and industry professionals.

The goal is not to turn our home into a party venue, Airbnb, or open-ended rental. We still live here, and it remains first and foremost our home.

This is intended to be a controlled, hosted, limited-use creative location — carefully screened, properly insured, and managed with respect for the property and the neighborhood.

Janice Carter · Answer

@John Arendsen I think there is definitely a viable middle path between selling and creating a traditional rental. Your concept sounds more like a specialty use property than a hospitality business and for the right home and location, it could generate meaningful income with far less wear and tear than long term or short term rentals. My biggest concern would be insurance, liability and making sure local zoning and HOA rules don't create unexpected obstacles. I would be interested to hear how it performs once you launch.

Can a Primary Residence Create Income Without Becoming a Longterm Rental or Airbnb?

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