I am looking to get started in the STR business soon and have been interested in the Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo area. I am aware of certain zoning and regulations but am looking to further my knowledge before potentially venturing deeper. How can I make sure to do this the right way? Also, any investor friendly agents in the area?
If you are a current investor in the area, I would also love to learn more about your experiences within the market.
Feel free to connect and comment anything you think may be helpful. Always looking forward to learning more about the market in general.
Flipper · Delafield, WI · Member since 2016 · 28 posts · 14 votes
4y
I would search @Ben Anderson in the search bar up above. I believe he's an Alderman for the Dells area and manages at least 2 STR properties in the area. If you're worried about the seasonality of the Dells area and filling vacancies during "off times" aka winter. Sometimes the outskirt areas such as Portage are an area to look at. They get summer traffic from the Dells overflow and in the winter the Cascade Mountain ski/sled hills are there.
Rental Property Investor · Oconomowoc, WI · Member since 2016 · 996 posts · 431 votes
4y
I would consider looking a little outside of Baraboo/Wis Dells. Not necessarily a far distance away but in neighboring smaller communities. Wis Dells is a prime location for STRs to be eventually banned or very highly regulated given the large resorts with deep pockets and a lot of influence. If you are able to niche outside of the area you won't be affected by the regulations but can still benefit from tourism there. You could also benefit from people looking to get away to the "woods" of Wisconsin without dealing with the hectic tourism of the Dells.
He's a little distance away but consider reaching out Chris Mokler of Mokler & Associates of Keller Williams. He's my most trusted realtor connection in Appleton/Fond Du Lac area with decades of experience in real estate investing.
I found your post while searching for local laws and regulations for STR's in the Baraboo, WI area. My wife and I recently closed on a STR property in the Baraboo area and want to ensure we are doing everything the legal way.
I'm curious to know what you ended up doing in the area if anything at all. Did you end up purchasing an STR property in the area? So far I've discovered that we will need to acquire multiple permits and an STR license in order to legally list our property as an STR in the Baraboo, WI area. Does this sound familiar? TIA
That sounds about right. I decided not to proceed with Baraboo due to the many permits required and the everchanging regulations. The village also had a lot of restrictions that made me not comfortable proceeding as a first time STR investor.
With that said, I hope everything is going well on your end. Would love to hear more about your experiences.