Top 25 areas for Vacation Rentals

Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions

Top 25 areas for Vacation Rentals

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Realtor, General Contractor, and Developer · Redding, CA · Member since 2009 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes

I was happy to see Sunriver Oregon on this list, though not surprised. It's one of the few areas I know of where the entire development is geared around Short Term Rentals. All of the amenities of the HOA are available for guests to use. Currently our house is rented as a long term rental (winter months are a little slower) and will move to Short Term beginning of May. (However; we are selling, as that's what we do, remodel/sell, etc.)

Where do you own Short Term Rentals? Is the area accepting of property owners doing Short Term Rentals?

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Julie McCoy

Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

@Paul Sandhu The Coachella Valley, Kissimmee, Big Bear and Park City are surprised to hear they're by water! LOL (okay, Kissimmee and Big Bear have lakes)

@Karen Margrave I've got four in the Smokies and love it as a market! I've got one in an unlisted market in California that I plan to sell this year and 1031 into another cabin in the Smokies.

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Avery CarlBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · USA · Member since 2016 · 909 posts · 1k+ votes
6y
We have 6 in the Smoky Mountains and Emerald Coast (Destin-PC Beach area).
Podcast Guest on Show How to Get More Airbnb Bookings This Spring and Summer Break
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Paul Sandhu
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
24 of those markets are by water. Luc is the only one that is landlocked.
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Julie McCoy
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Paul Sandhu The Coachella Valley, Kissimmee, Big Bear and Park City are surprised to hear they're by water! LOL (okay, Kissimmee and Big Bear have lakes)

@Karen Margrave I've got four in the Smokies and love it as a market! I've got one in an unlisted market in California that I plan to sell this year and 1031 into another cabin in the Smokies.
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Karen MargraveBusiness Member
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OP
Realtor, General Contractor, and Developer · Redding, CA · Member since 2009 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
@Julie McCoy What CA market do you own in? I'm in Shasta County (Redding) and we have a big market here for STR due to a big ministry school we have here and they rent to students, and people that come from around the country for conferences, plus all the natural resources we have within a short distance (Lake Shasta, Whiskeytown, Burney Falls, Mts. Shasta and Lassen)
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Julie McCoy
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Karen Margrave I'm afraid I don't disclose my CA market, it's small and already overloaded with STRs, so I'll do what little I can to keep it under wraps. ;-) It's by one of the major national parks, it was my first venture into STR and overall a very good one, but I appreciate how much easier it is to manage in the Smokies as well as how much less seasonal the Smokies are!
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John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
6y
People definately like to go to areas with water for vacation. I'm no exception. I love water sports. Scuba diving, water skiing etc.
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Paul Sandhu
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @John Underwood:
People definately like to go to areas with water for vacation. I'm no exception. I love water sports. Scuba diving, water skiing etc.

There is a pretty decent sized river that forms the border of my town, the Verdigris River. It's so full of contaminants from a refinery that it is common knowledge not to eat any fish that were caught downstream from that industry. 40+ years ago all kinds of PCB's and other toxins were legally released into the water.
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Avery CarlBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · USA · Member since 2016 · 909 posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Julie McCoy does not disclose her mysterious second market lol
Podcast Guest on Show How to Get More Airbnb Bookings This Spring and Summer Break
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Pat Normand
Member since 2020 · 1 post · 1 vote
6y
Moving to CA and thinking about buying a vacation rental property in either Sea Ranch or Lake Tahoe- any thoughts about which would be better?
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John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Paul Sandhu:
Originally posted by @John Underwood:
People definately like to go to areas with water for vacation. I'm no exception. I love water sports. Scuba diving, water skiing etc.

There is a pretty decent sized river that forms the border of my town, the Verdigris River. It's so full of contaminants from a refinery that it is common knowledge not to eat any fish that were caught downstream from that industry. 40+ years ago all kinds of PCB's and other toxins were legally released into the water.

I have people that stay at my lake house that never go down to the dock. They just like the view.
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Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
Hey @Karen Margrave! We are in north Idaho on Lake Coeur D’Alene. It has been working for us.
We were close to buying in the Bend area for our place as we love going there. Inn at the Seventh Mountain. Luckily we didn’t as things went to hell pretty quickly. It’s all good now but it is a Worldmark.
Sunriver is great! Too expensive now I think to get rolling.
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Julie McCoy
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Avery Carl:
@Julie McCoy does not disclose her mysterious second market lol

LOL maybe once I'm out of it! For now gotta keep the competition at bay *puts up fisticuffs* LOL
3 Reply
Don SpaffordPro Member
Investor · Idaho Falls, ID · Member since 2016 · 935 posts · 629 votes
6y
I don't know if your vacation rental necessarily needs to be in a "vacation" area. I am in Idaho Falls, ID, which is in no means a touristy area, though we are not far from Yellowstone, so it is a good stopping point for people traveling there or other places. But, bring that this is a very family oriented community, far away family come here for different things and keep places filled. There is a house across the street from me, wish I could say it is mine, but it is ALWAYS filled. There are the occasional business use, but mostly large family groups that come for weddings, baptisms, missionary farewells and returns, family reunions, etc. So depending on your market, you can still have a successful STR even without the need to be near a beach or something. You just need to think a little outside the box and find a way to make it work.
I personally would just like to get some in the places I go to frequently or want to go to for my own vacation so I can use them when needed and make income from them when I don't.
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Sean McDonnell
Real Estate Agent · Surf City, NC · Member since 2017 · 648 posts · 597 votes
6y
We have 2 short term beach rentals in Surf City, NC. They do really well in the summers obviously because not many people want to go to the beach in the wintertime.. We are wanting to find areas with more steady renters year round. Are the mountains a better place to invest? I figure in the winter you have ski people and snow sports and in the summers you get the hikers/glampers.
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Julie McCoy
Real Estate Agent · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Sean McDonnell:
We have 2 short term beach rentals in Surf City, NC. They do really well in the summers obviously because not many people want to go to the beach in the wintertime.. We are wanting to find areas with more steady renters year round. Are the mountains a better place to invest? I figure in the winter you have ski people and snow sports and in the summers you get the hikers/glampers.

Over in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg we're pretty consistent year round - it gets pretty quiet in January-February but otherwise it's gangbusters. Tons of things to do year-round, and not prone to extreme weather. From what I understand, on the NC side of the Smokies it's great in Jan-Feb due to skiing but March-May is pretty slow until it gets warm. Overall occupancy on the NC side is a bit lower from my research, and expenses are higher due to property tax. (too bad, I love the Boone area)
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Tim Schroeder
Rental Property Investor · Castle Rock, CO · Member since 2017 · 335 posts · 387 votes
6y
Originally posted by @Avery Carl:
@Julie McCoy does not disclose her mysterious second market lol

@Avery Carl you've helped so many people get into the Smokies (myself included) that I do believe you've contributed to the rise in prices in recent years!! Talk about forced appreciation!!! Haha j/k

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Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Don Spafford:
I don't know if your vacation rental necessarily needs to be in a "vacation" area. I am in Idaho Falls, ID, which is in no means a touristy area, though we are not far from Yellowstone, so it is a good stopping point for people traveling there or other places. But, bring that this is a very family oriented community, far away family come here for different things and keep places filled. There is a house across the street from me, wish I could say it is mine, but it is ALWAYS filled. There are the occasional business use, but mostly large family groups that come for weddings, baptisms, missionary farewells and returns, family reunions, etc. So depending on your market, you can still have a successful STR even without the need to be near a beach or something. You just need to think a little outside the box and find a way to make it work.
I personally would just like to get some in the places I go to frequently or want to go to for my own vacation so I can use them when needed and make income from them when I don't.

That is cool to hear. I lived in Pocatello for awhile. Nice that there are a lot of folks coming for temple related works.

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Vanessa Haley
Real Estate Agent · Boston, MA · Member since 2018 · 9 posts · 2 votes
6y
@Michael Baum Massachusetts is one spot on the top of the list. Views and landmarks year round are worth it!
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Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
Hey @Vanessa Haley oh yeah it's a great area! The biggest issues that I have found are the regulations pretty much all over as well as the very high cost of real estate and the taxes.
We have visited the area 2x in our lives and have really enjoyed it, but I can't imagine being able to afford the cost of a place there!

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Ryan MoyerBusiness Member
Property Manager · Orlando Kissimmee Davenport Salt Lake City, Park City · Member since 2019 · 993 posts · 1k+ votes
6y
I'm very surprised to see Park City on the list. We live right down the road from there and have run the numbers and they don't seem very doable. Home prices are massively inflated and it's only a 2 season town. The place is dead in spring and fall.
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Andrew Zannotti
Killeen, TX · Member since 2017 · 127 posts · 91 votes
6y
@Avery Carl listened to you on show 364 and it was definitely an eye opener on STRs, I hadn't really thought that much about them prior to the episode, with me just starting to work on finding my 3rd rental but now wow, I'm fascinated about the process.
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Jeffery Wilen
Rental Property Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2017 · 182 posts · 115 votes
6y
We have 2 on the Chesapeake, they’re also close to I95. Its slower in the winter after the holidays, but summers are booked up full. It’s been very mixed as far as guests, fishing tournaments, youth sports tournaments, there’s a popular wedding venue, DC weekend getaways, stopovers for travelers making a long drive, visiting family in the area and even some longer stay traveling employees.
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Lauren Kormylo
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Ryan Moyer that list isn't dated, but it's actually the 2018 list by Vacasa, so the info is outdated. I checked, because median home prices seemed low to me too. Here is the 2019 list: https://www.vacasa.com/top-mar...

Ocean City MD, which is on my radar, was #5 in 2018, and doesn't even make the list in 2019.

Mashvisor's top 10 list for 2020 - scroll down to see it: https://www.mashvisor.com/blog...

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Ika Sargeant
Real Estate Agent · Reston, VA · Member since 2017 · 296 posts · 163 votes
5y
@Jeffery Wilen I know this thread is a year old but I have been searching in the Chesapeake area for a year for short term rentals. I slowed down when the prices went to the sky but I am now earnestly searching again. I visited the property you mention there where a wedding was taking place; a marina with a docking spots for boaters and large facility for wedding. I guess my biggest hesitation is once summer is gone what is the draw there for people to visit? Just comparing different area.
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Alex S.
Investor · Metro East of St. Louis (Illinois) · Member since 2016 · 259 posts · 211 votes
5y
These lists seem like good starting points for vacation hot spots, but every town that has a major chain hotel experiences travel and therefore STR demand. Marriott and Hilton have access to in-depth data and analytics that they use to justify building a hotel, so if they build one, you can siphon off some of their customers with your STR. @Ika Sargeant I don't know anything about the Chesapeake market, but maybe find a town 30min-1hr away from Chesapeake with a few chain hotels. Call the city's planning department to verify legality of STRs. I suspect you'll find lower property prices and high STR demand.
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