Mountain Town STR

[Leo Carter]

Lately I’ve been getting more interested in STRs in mountain towns and vacation-driven markets, but I’m trying to separate what actually works from what just looks good on Airbnb.

A lot of these properties seem great on the surface — strong nightly rates, beautiful locations, year-round tourism potential — but once you factor in purchase price, management, seasonality, furnishing costs, regulations, cleaning, and occupancy swings, I’m curious how many are truly performing well right now. 

[Andrew Steffens]

What is true for most markets now:

1. High interest rates, combined with high values and high insurances make cash flow difficult but not impossible.

2. The top 10% of properties on the STR market make a majority of the incomes.

3. If you find a good deal on a beautiful and/or unique property and manage it well, you can and should find cash flow in most places.

4. When underwriting focus on the top properties and match them to the nicest potential on market properties.  From there try to find the motivated sellers where you can make the best deal.

5. Working with a seasoned agent with vetted STR experience can usually help you find deals and navigarte regulation.

Hope this helps! If you are ever looking for a beach deal in Florida Id be happy to help ;)