Furnished Finder for Off-Season

New to Real Estate · Memphis, TN · Member since 2023 · 15 posts · 10 votes

Just bought a 2 bedroom 1 bath property walking distance from the beach in Panama City Beach. I think it will do great on AirBnB/VRBO during the summer and pretty well during the fall and spring, but I want to at least try to break even in the Winter if possible. Someone mentioned Furnished Finder was good for the slower winter months.

Has anyone used it for a similar use case? Opinions? I know travel nurses use Furnished Finder a good bit, but I didn't see any big hospitals in PCB, mostly just clinics.

0 Reply

267 views

Most Popular Reply

Michael BaumPro Member

Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes

Reach out to @January Johnson. She is an expert in that area and will have some ideas on what do to.

For my part, I agree with @John Underwood and @Mike Grudzien.

I would give it a shot for a full year and then see what you can do. @January Johnson should be able to help you come up with a nightly rate, but also look at other places in your immediate area.

Go and check AirBNB and VRBO to see what others are charging during that same time frame. Compare the amenities that you have vs them and see what you come up with.

3 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

12 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
1y
I would try it out as a STR over the winter. It might do better than expected, but you won't know till you try it one season.
0 Reply
- Mike GrudzienPro Member
  Lender · Eugene, OR · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
  1y
  Quote from @John Underwood:
  
  I would try it out as a STR over the winter. It might do better than expected, but you won't know till you try it one season.
  Try one full year and then decide
  2 Reply
Rachael Olivier
Member since 2024 · 15 posts · 4 votes
1y
Hi Jonathan - happy to connect with you and share some pricing strategies to adjust for the winter. Furnished finders is ok you are able to get leads up they are at a much lower rate. Worth posting in Facebook groups and even Zillow.
1 Reply
Kate Stoermer
Real Estate Consultant · Ann Arbor, MI · Member since 2023 · 85 posts · 93 votes
1y
I've had far more luck w Facebook and Zillow.
0 Reply
Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1y
You can list on FF in addition to Abnb etc. In my experience out of Tampa FF only does well if you are super close to a major hospital.

[email protected]813-563-0877
Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
Website View Page
1 Reply
Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
1y
Reach out to @January Johnson. She is an expert in that area and will have some ideas on what do to.

For my part, I agree with @John Underwood and @Mike Grudzien.
I would give it a shot for a full year and then see what you can do. @January Johnson should be able to help you come up with a nightly rate, but also look at other places in your immediate area.
Go and check AirBNB and VRBO to see what others are charging during that same time frame. Compare the amenities that you have vs them and see what you come up with.
3 Reply
Mike GrudzienPro Member
Lender · Eugene, OR · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
Thanks for the Mention Michael.
0 Reply
Andrew Street
Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 292 votes
1y
Hi Jonathan! Congrats on the new place! That location sounds awesome. I’ve seen Furnished Finder work even in areas without big hospitals - it’s not only nurses, you can also get remote workers, snowbirds, or people in between moves. It won’t bring summer-level income, but it can help keep the bills covered in the slower months.

Happy to connect if you want to bounce ideas around.
0 Reply
January Johnson
Real Estate Agent · Emerald Coast, FL · Member since 2016 · 820 posts · 487 votes
1y
I would try ALL avenues, as people have said. You never know what you will get. I work for Avery Carl and The Short Term Shop and I do specialize in Destin to the Cape but I live near PCB. If you'd like to chat, please DM me and we can set a time.
0 Reply
Anja Schaer
Investor · Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 146 posts · 72 votes
1y
Hi Jonathan. Congrats on the new beach place! I’ve used Furnished Finder before and never had any luck getting a booking this way. But it really depends on the property and location. In your area, I’d still test it out but also list on Facebook groups or Zillow to keep bookings coming through winter. You can also increase your min. night requirements on Airbnb to attract snow birds looking for an 8 week/ 12 week stay over the winter months, offering a monthly discount. We do a Hybrid Rental strategy for our urban market, but it can also be applied to vacation rental markets with a different seasonality. Check out my book “The Hybrid Rental Strategy” on Amazon where I go deep into the details on how to do this. All the best!

0 Reply
Melissa HaworthBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · The Panhandle | The Emerald Coast | Panama City Beach | Destin · Member since 2017 · 291 posts · 109 votes
1y
Hey Jonathan, congrats on the new place. Being walking distance to the beach in PCB is a solid move.

You're right that summer will perform really well, and spring and fall usually stay busy too. Winter can be slower, so Furnished Finder isn't a bad idea as a backup. It's true that PCB doesn’t have big hospitals like some other markets, so the travel nurse demand might be lighter. But you could still get interest from remote workers, snowbirds, or folks working or visiting family at Tyndall AFB.

Make sure your listing is set up for longer stays with solid WiFi and a workspace if possible. I'd still keep it on Airbnb and VRBO with monthly discounts just in case a snowbird or longer-term guest finds it there first.

Worth trying out to see what sticks during the off-season.
[email protected]469-658-2869
1 Reply
Spencer Slaton
Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 3 votes
1y
I'm in Chicago so I've spent a lot of time trying to work out my slow season strategy. I've tried FF several times over the years. My perception is that it works very well in some areas and certain styles of properties and not at all for others.
I agree with a few of the other comments about trying STR for the first year - with a slight twist. I'd consider placing your listing on FF during year 1 just to see what demand you could have gotten. Then you'll more information to tailor your strategy during year 2. Otherwise, you risk going into year 2 slow season unsure if FF will work for you. If it doesn't you've now had two bad seasons in a row.
Personally, my wintertime strategy has been a hybrid between true STR and monthly. I raise the minimum stay to somewhere between 7 to 14 days and of course lower the price down. During slow season, I found those 1-2 week bookings much easier to get than monthly's.
1 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.