seattle, WA · Member since 2026 · 1 post · 0 votes
Hello everyone,
I am super new here and want to learn about airbnbs and real estate investing. I want to connect with some local Seattle area investors and also wanted to know opinions about investing in San Juan islands and if there are any agents in that area that can guide me during my first investment. Thanks in advance.
Before you fall in love with a place up there, look at the county's vacation rental rules first. Island and resort areas all over the country have been capping or restricting short term rental permits, and if a house doesn't already have a valid permit you might not be able to get one. Ask any agent you talk to whether the permit stays with the property when it sells.
The other thing with the islands is the season. You'll probably do most of your revenue in about 4 to 5 months of summer, then winter is slow, and everything depends on the ferry. Cleaners, handymen, and supplies cost more when they have to come over on a boat. So when you run numbers, use a full year of actual booking data for comparable homes, not a summer nightly rate times 30.
A simple test I like is whether the house still covers its mortgage, taxes, and insurance as a regular long term rental. If it does, the Airbnb income is a bonus. If it only works as an Airbnb at a high occupancy, that's a lot of risk for a first deal.