I talk to a lot of Naples and Marco Island owners who are thinking about renting their place when they're not using it. Here's the stuff I wish more people knew before the first guest shows up.

1. Your year is really two years. Marco 3BRs run around 85% booked in February and March and 30 to 45% in late summer (PriceLabs). A typical one earns somewhere around $97K a year, but almost all the upside is in peak months. One flat rate all year means you're either empty in August or cheap in March.

2. Decide when YOU want the house. If you use it in season, you're giving up the best nights. That's fine, just plan around it. Many owners block a few weeks, rent the shoulder months, and do 30+ night snowbird stays in winter.

3. Check the rules first. Check your local registration and tax rules, and read your HOA or condo docs before anything else, since some have their own rules or minimum stays.

4. Insurance is different for a rental. Talk to your insurance agent about short-term rental coverage, especially after the last few hurricane seasons.

5. The hard part is time, not the house. Guest messages at night, a cleaner who cancels, a pool issue on check-in day. A lot of owners self-manage really well. The ones who struggle usually didn't plan for the 2 AM stuff.

6. Do a 10-minute check before you commit. Search your town on Airbnb for a February week and an August week. Look at what homes like yours charge and how booked they are. That gives you a rough feel before you spend anything.

Whether you self-manage, use a co-host or hire a manager, these are the questions I'd answer first. Happy to answer anything in the comments.