Can you profit in vacation rentals?

[Aaron Cooper]

I am a small real estate investor in Florida and I really only invest in small multifamily and single family homes.  I am thinking about buy a vacation rental and I am wondering if anyone has had any success with vacation rentals.  My dream is to profit from it but use it for personal time during slow seasons.  Any thoughts or experiences would be very helpful!

[John Dirgo Deweese]

In my experience, people that genuinely profit from vacation rentals are people that buy exceptionally smartly (truly unique location, and property, expertly designed for that vacation rental market in that area) and do not cut off their cashflow by using it themselves during peak times (or worse, giving it to generally unappreciative family members) and understand that regular reinvestment in new furniture, dishware, and maintenance is not optional. 

Considering Buying A Property As A Vacation Rental?