Do views matter for STRs?

[Karl McGarvey]

Hello!

Currently in the search and doing due diligence on STRs that are on or near the beach, and wanted to see from others experience how much the view from a rental matters in terms of rental returns. We are looking at a few different condos in the same complex some of which have views of the complex pool/beach, and some with views of a gas station with the ocean also. The difference in price is anywhere between 15-25K and as a new guy its tough to know if the extra money will translate into renters! (My initial thought is take the reduced risk and go cheaper on our first one knowing we can always buy more expensive next time, but I also don't want to pass up “great” deals if they exist. Plus, knowledge is power. Appreciate any input!

[Mark Miles]

Originally posted by @Karl McGarvey:

@Lucas Carl thanks! So far no issues from lenders, but I will keep my eyes open on it when I speak to them again on Monday. Completely agree on this being an opinion question, but opinions from experience is much more than I have haha.

 Oh, one more thing: don’t just look at your competitors listings, but also read their guest reviews. I often read my competitors reviews to see what features guests are raving about and what features guests are complaining about. That will give you great insight into what guests actually care about in your area.

If you see a lot of guests raving in reviews about the spectacular ocean views, that shows you there’s value there. If instead, you see most guests are raving about things like how close you are to the beach more than they are about the views, then it’s possible that the views don’t really matter. Also I think it depends if you have a patio or not. I think views matter more when there’s a patio facing the water. Just my two cents