Buy my 1st STR/vacation home. Use rabbu?

Destin, Florida
Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions
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Buy my 1st STR/vacation home. Use rabbu?

Marc Young
Member since 2024 · 10 posts · 6 votes

I'm looking to buy a STR/vacation home around Destin/30a. Has anyone had experience with using Rabbu?
what was your experience? Do the numbers work on there site? 

I Have 100K to put down. Any advice would be appreciated. 

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Sameul Ahsan
Real Estate Agent · Worcester, MA · Member since 2024 · 107 posts · 45 votes
1y

I used to use Rabbu but eventually transitioned to Airdna. Over time, I lost interest in Rabbu. Honestly, I recommend running your own comps instead of relying too heavily on these platforms. While they can give you a general idea, your short-term rental's actual performance will largely depend on the amenities you offer and how well you market the property. For instance, Airdna estimated $45K in revenue for one of my cottages, but I ended up earning $80K last year after adding a hot tub. It really comes down to the value you create and how effectively you promote it.

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  • Jeff ChisumPro Member
    Lender · All 50 States · Member since 2020 · 248 posts · 142 votes
    1y

    Visit with me about a 10% down second home occupancy loan.  Send a dm 

    0Reply
    • Jeffrey Jones
      Member since 2022 · 12 posts · 8 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Jeff Chisum:

      Visit with me about a 10% down second home occupancy loan.  Send a dm 




      My wife and I are looking to move on our first STR. We're looking for something that is currently active and turnkey. We'd love to know if anyone has advice on securing loans for this as we don't want to make it our primary residence for a year but would love not to have to put 25% down as our price point is 299k (since we really only have access to 30k liquid right now). Any advice from the community?
      0Reply
  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    1y

    I would advise you to manage it yourself or let a local licensed insured PM to manage it.

    1Reply
  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1y

    I am not too far away in Tampa.  Personally I use AirDNA (premium version with comps).  I then check the data against live comps on Airbnb/VRBO.

    [email protected]813-563-0877
    Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Sameul Ahsan
    Real Estate Agent · Worcester, MA · Member since 2024 · 107 posts · 45 votes
    1y

    I used to use Rabbu but eventually transitioned to Airdna. Over time, I lost interest in Rabbu. Honestly, I recommend running your own comps instead of relying too heavily on these platforms. While they can give you a general idea, your short-term rental's actual performance will largely depend on the amenities you offer and how well you market the property. For instance, Airdna estimated $45K in revenue for one of my cottages, but I ended up earning $80K last year after adding a hot tub. It really comes down to the value you create and how effectively you promote it.

    1Reply
  • Tiffanie Figueroa
    Member since 2022 · 75 posts · 42 votes
    1y

    Use both and compare. Pay for the pro plan of AirDNA and really look into the comps it is pulling.  I'm in San Antonio and sometimes it pulls comps from properties that are too far away or just really not comparable at all.  Sometimes a house just a few miles away is a very different neighborhood.

    0Reply
  • Amber Stout
    Lender · Tampa/Saint Petersburg, FL · Member since 2014 · 356 posts · 148 votes
    1y

    Hey! Love that you're looking in the Destin/30A area — it's a super popular STR market with strong demand, but also higher competition and seasonality to factor in.

    I’ve looked into Rabbu and it's a solid tool for getting a quick estimate, but I’d recommend double checking their projections with actual AirDNA data and local comps. Sometimes Rabbu can be optimistic on occupancy or nightly rates, especially if the property isn’t fully optimized with design, marketing, or management.

    With $100K down, you've got great flexibility. You could potentially go conventional with 10–15% down for a second home (if you plan to use it part time), or explore DSCR options if you want to go fully investment based and qualify on projected income.

    I’m a mortgage broker and investor myself, so if you want help running numbers, strategizing on loan structure, or getting connected to local resources, I’m happy to help!

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  • Robbie EddingtonPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Shepherdsville, KY · Member since 2013 · 31 posts · 10 votes
    1y

    My wife and I have a short term rental-5 bed; 4 bath in Santa Rosa Beach/Grayton Beach, FL.  We are new to hosting and went live with the listing on Airbnb, VRBO, & Booking.com at the end of April.  May and June we had multiple inquiries and booked up.  Currently, we haven't got any inquires for about 3 weeks.  July has 11 nights open and August is wide open.  We were not expecting this for these months since its peak season until about the middle of August.  What could have changed?  If anyone could provide some tips on our listing, I'd appreciate it.  

    Our rates were cheaper, due to offering new listing discounts initially.  Now our rates are higher, yet competitive, even lower than what market data shows and still little interest it seems.  We now have multiple 5-star reviews on Airbnb.  We should meet super host criteria on Airbnb next week!   

    Here's a bit of backstory about the property too.  We closed on it in December 2024, renovated and updated it Jan-March.  The house is pretty much all brand new.  

    Any help or suggestions would be most appreciated.

    0Reply
    • Josh Ball
      Real Estate Agent · Louisiana · Member since 2017 · 214 posts · 146 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Robbie Eddington:

      My wife and I have a short term rental-5 bed; 4 bath in Santa Rosa Beach/Grayton Beach, FL.  We are new to hosting and went live with the listing on Airbnb, VRBO, & Booking.com at the end of April.  May and June we had multiple inquiries and booked up.  Currently, we haven't got any inquires for about 3 weeks.  July has 11 nights open and August is wide open.  We were not expecting this for these months since its peak season until about the middle of August.  What could have changed?  If anyone could provide some tips on our listing, I'd appreciate it.  

      Our rates were cheaper, due to offering new listing discounts initially.  Now our rates are higher, yet competitive, even lower than what market data shows and still little interest it seems.  We now have multiple 5-star reviews on Airbnb.  We should meet super host criteria on Airbnb next week!   

      Here's a bit of backstory about the property too.  We closed on it in December 2024, renovated and updated it Jan-March.  The house is pretty much all brand new.  

      Any help or suggestions would be most appreciated.


      Share the link & everyone can give feedback. I always found that area to have such a high number of STR that it was oversaturated. My family used to have a rental near there in Sandestin but sold it during the boom. Only thing that has prevented us getting back into that market is how many active STR there currently are.

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  • Todd Goedeke
    Contractor · Sheboygan, WI · Member since 2016 · 917 posts · 266 votes
    1y

    @Robbie Eddington questions for you to answer. What makes your property stand out from others: 1.Rates 2.Are you marketing directly to vacationers, direct bookings 3.what amenities are you offering 4.photography, professional or not 5.do you use video walk through.

    It’s not just enough to be competitive. You need to standout from the competition.

    0Reply
  • Josh Ball
    Real Estate Agent · Louisiana · Member since 2017 · 214 posts · 146 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Marc Young:

    I'm looking to buy a STR/vacation home around Destin/30a. Has anyone had experience with using Rabbu?
    what was your experience? Do the numbers work on there site? 

    I Have 100K to put down. Any advice would be appreciated. 


     I use AirDNA & Pricelabs to do all my research. As well as looking at what exactly is active on AirBNB or VRBO.

    0Reply
  • Kyle Hock
    Real Estate Agent · Destin/30a/All of the Emerald Coast · Member since 2025 · 3 posts · 0 votes
    1y

    did you end up buying something, Marc? 

    I am born and raised here (Destin area) and have closed nearly $300m in real estate transactions. I am also one of the partners at the largest property management companies here. Would love to bounce some ideas off of you. 

    0Reply
  • Melissa HaworthBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · The Panhandle | The Emerald Coast | Panama City Beach | Destin · Member since 2017 · 257 posts · 101 votes
    1y

    Hey Marc!
    Rabbu’s a decent place to start, but I wouldn’t rely on it 100%. It tends to be a little optimistic in some markets like Destin/30A. I always cross-check with Airbnb comps and look at real calendars to see what properties are actually booking for.

    With $100K down, you’ve got good buying power in that area. Just make sure to factor in seasonality and management costs. If you’re out of state, a solid local PM is worth their weight in gold.

    [email protected]469-658-2869
    0Reply
  • Jeremy Jareckyj
    Real Estate Agent · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2020 · 490 posts · 205 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Marc Young:

    I'm looking to buy a STR/vacation home around Destin/30a. Has anyone had experience with using Rabbu?
    what was your experience? Do the numbers work on there site? 

    I Have 100K to put down. Any advice would be appreciated. 


    I would try to find a local PM or STR friendly agent who can get you real numbers on similar operating units in the area!

    1Reply
  • Ricardo Hidalgo
    Real Estate Agent · Member since 2019 · 569 posts · 257 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Marc Young:

    I'm looking to buy a STR/vacation home around Destin/30a. Has anyone had experience with using Rabbu?
    what was your experience? Do the numbers work on there site? 

    I Have 100K to put down. Any advice would be appreciated. 


    Hi Marc, I could share live data via other rentals in the area if you want to have a better idea of how the market is doing. There are things you can do to add more bookings and increase revenue growth. If you have a good background in marketing you could self manage and have a solid handyman with cleaners to help with any small things. Most management companies are going to charge 15-22%. We are entering a strong buyers market going into the fall and winter. I think deals in STR are happening now and will continue until rates drop with liquidity injection back into the economy.

    0Reply
  • Anja Schaer
    Investor · Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 146 posts · 72 votes
    1y

    Hey Marc. Rabbu can be a good starting point, but its numbers are often overly optimistic. I’d recommend double-checking projections with AirDNA or another tool and then validating against actual comps by looking at live listings, calendars, and reviews. With any analysis platform, the key is to use it as a guide, not actual data to underwrite your deals with. The real performance will come down to how you design, market, and manage the property - and net cashflow after expenses is what ultimately matters.

    0Reply
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