All Forum Posts by: Nathan W.

Also, when you are pulling rates on a 3/2 is that for an entire home or just part of one? I know my family would rent a stand alone 3/2 but we would not rent one that is part of a larger home. Just make sure you're comparing apples to apples when you pull your numbers.

@Ryan Elam Your designs look really nice.  I would suggest posting these in the Short Term Rental Listing Advice group on Facebook to see if they have some good feedback for you.
Overall I'd say the photos are good but I'm not sure the cover photo has enough pop to it. Also, both properties have fire pits. I would suggest taking a photo of that at night with a fire going. I know that's a small thing but it's something that came to mind.

Looking at the NP Visitors Data it looks like you are in the slow season. Booking lead times have also decreased. With that in mind are you sure things look as bleak as you're seeing them or could this be a temporary dip? 

Do you have RankBreeze to know how you are ranking compared to other listings? Have you tried lowering your cleaning fees to see if that would help with bookings? I'm currently taking a small loss on my cleaning fees but lowering them helped me rank higher. 

@Ryan Elam

My 2 cents. 

You don't have to pay for the knowledge. You can find everything you need to know from Forums, Facebook groups, and YouTube. 

Sometimes you need to pay for motivation though. That's where Matermind groups, coaching and conferences come in. 

I don't own any STRs in Orlando but I lived in the area during the last down turn and my family travels to Disney almost every year. My biggest concern with the Disney market are those massive resorts. 

If I have the choice of staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge or the Grand Floridian vs a vacation rental I'm going to take the resort every time. Easy park access, huge pools, and resort activities are really hard to beat. Not to mention the look on our kids faces when there's a giraffe that we can watch from our balcony. 

Obviously if you are traveling with a large group of people then a vacation rental might be a better option, but otherwise it feels like the resorts are the more premium offering. That's a big difference between the Orlando market vs the Smokies or Destin. I feel like in those markets a cabin or a house by the beach are the preferred option for most guests. 

I was there last week as well creating a punch list for my builder and getting a driveway installed. Not nearly as dead as some of the reports I've been hearing but there's no doubt that traffic is down. 

https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSR...

@Collin Hays I am really curious how they are counting traffic. They just started charging a fee for parking passes. I wonder if that's changing how they count or how they could be so off. The official count linked above is showing an all time record for June. There's just no way. 

Don't spend the money. 

Start here: https://data.rabbu.com/
Then go here: https://hostfinancial.com/airb...
Finally, just look on Airbnb and VRBO and see how other similar units are renting. Some call it the "Enemy Method". 

I wonder if the new parking pass system could be throwing off some of their numbers.  

The May data just posted and the GSMNP is currently on trend to have the second highest annual visitor count ever. 

https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSR...

That doesn't mean those visitors are staying in cabins though. It could just mean that more people are taking day trips or staying 2 nights vs 4. The vacation rental market is being affected, I'm just pointing out the data. 

Are they willing to take a loss on them or are they holding firm to the price they paid? 

@Michael Baum You're right, my statement was probably too broad. There are some great people on here that have some good insights. Collin H and Luke Carl are great examples of people I listen to. 

An example of what I filter out is when someone says "Is Myrtle Beach a good market to invest in" and a realtor answers, "Yes, and I can help you buy there."