Corporate Housing 101

Corporate Housing's Brush with The Blind Side

With all the hype surrounding the new Sandra Bullock film, "The Blind Side," I can't help but get excited that CorporateHousingbyOwner.com played a small role in the film's success. A few months ago I spoke with CHBO customer, John Berner. John owns this amazing 6,000 square foot home in Atlanta, Georgia, just a few miles from where The Blind Side was filmed. John was working on a long-term project out-of-state and offered his beautifully furnished home for temporary rent. He told me that he was contacted by The Blind Side's production crew, who ended up renting out his house and using it to house the family displaced by the film. You see, just a few miles from John's house was the home used in the filming of the movie. The family that lived in that home needed temporary housing and John's house offered exactly what that family needed. Here is the full scoop on John's and CHBO's brush with fame: While Atlanta-resident John Berner was busy working on a project to restore the historical Sorrel Weed house in Savannah, Georgia, his beautiful, fully furnished, 6,000 square foot, five bedroom home near Chastain Park in Atlanta had been sitting vacant. Berner learned that he could rent out his home, furniture and all, as a temporary corporate rental. He didn’t want to sell his house, nor did he want traditional renters because he would have had to move all his furnishings out of the home. That’s when Berner thought to list it as a corporate rental on CorporateHousingbyOwner.com. With in one week, Berner got his first inquiry. A production manager with Alcon Entertainment was in a predicament. He and the director of the upcoming Sandra Bullock movie, "The Blind Side," had scoped out a house about five miles from Berner's home to use in the film. However, the family currently living in the home didn't want to spend seven weeks in a hotel while the film crew used their home, after all, they had two kids, two dogs, a housekeeper, a house manager plus four cars. The production manager investigated the world of corporate rentals, where he discovered Berner's house listed for rent on CorporateHousingbyOwner.com. Berner's home certainly was large enough for the entire family, and it was close to the kids' school too. When the production manager called Berner to explain the situation, Berner says he was immediately on-board to help. The displaced family agreed that Berner's home would work well and they moved into the home shortly thereafter. Berner says he now understands the draw to corporate rentals – as there are a variety of people and situations that require temporary, furnished housing. Plus, he says, he believes that corporate renters truly take care of a home. "My house was returned to me in pristine condition," he says. Berner says he only has one regret, though. When negotiating the stay, he only wished that he asked for a date with Bullock!