Blue Ridge, Georgia STR....HELP

[Nicholas Libertin]

My wife are in the process of closing a single family STR (first one is in FT Lauderdale) in Blue Ridge, Georgia. I think we have accounted for most things.....location is good with mountain views, great condition...well furnished. I am a bit worried about vacancy rate...AirDNA reports an occupancy rate of 60% and this seemingly is corroborated by Pricelabs data. However, when I go on AirBNB it seems like most cabins are vacant. Is there anyone investing in the area with advice?

[Neil Henderson]

@Nicholas Libertin One thing to consider in seasonal markets with AirDNA data; in seasonal markets many hosts will shut down their listing during the off-season. This skews the occupancy data making it appear a bit higher than it might otherwise be. Dig in deeper! Are there smaller listings that are staying booked throughout the year? What are the top 10 listings in the market doing? Taking the blanket market wide AirDNA data during your initial screening is fine, but you need to dig deeper once you’re closer to pulling the trigger on a property.