Airbnb in Poconos PA

[Niti Jamdar]

Hi All,

I'm doing some research on doing Airbnb rentals in Poconos, PA.  If you have an Airbnb property in Poconos, would you mind sharing what the occupancy rate is throughout the year?  How many weekends on an average is your property rented during peak season, and during low seasons?  Also, what are the peak months versus slower months?  I've heard Poconos does well year-round because of the ski-slopes in winter, and the parks and water parks the rest of the year.  Is this true?  Any additional thoughts/input would be greatly appreciated.  I'm interested in buying it mainly as an Airbnb rental property rather than a vacation home.  

Thanks in advance!

Niti  

[Christopher Madden]

Hello,
I have analyzed many properties for my clients who like you are looking at air bnb. I can tell you the best I saw was about 90-100 days a year. I’m sure there are some that rent more often than that but that seemed to be the average for the well run properties.
It’s also going to depend on where in the Pocono region you buy. There is a different market in Lake Harmony then there is in say pocono pines. Also look for public transportation many city residents take the bus in so proximity to public transportation as well as resorts Mt. Airy, Kalahari, lake harmony so on will all impact the occupancy of your air bnb.

Good luck and if he have any other questions let me know.

[Henry Chan]

I have 2 properties in the area [a small one in the Mt Poconos area and a 3-BR with amenities in a community near Delaware water gap]. 

Base on what I have seen in the last 2 years, my small, no amenity lodge has a booking rate of about 85 to 95%. 

The 3-BR I just started last month, and booking rate so far is about 70 to 80% occupancy.

Both places are competitively priced based on size, area, etc.

Peak months are the summer and winter months, with random/specific events near by in between that bring in a wave of renters [Valentine's week, Christmas, events in Pocono raceway, etc].

Both properties bring in about 5% income for me, but I am not sure if a unit 3x more expensive and 3x nicer as my 3-BR will bring in 3x the income. There's a diminishing return after some point.

I actively manage them. If you are outsourcing you need to calculate cleaning and management fees.

[Travis Rasmussen]

@Niti Jamdar

While it does cost money, Airdna.co (not .com) has been a fantastic resource to look at a lot of data.

[Brian Kehoe]

I’m also interested in a Poconos airbnb. Does anyone have any more information they would like to contribute?

[Mark Miles]

Originally posted by @Brian Kehoe:

I’m also interested in a Poconos airbnb. Does anyone have any more information they would like to contribute?

 

here’s an interesting thread on the Poconos:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/530/topics/711235-vacation-rentals-in-the-poconos

[Andy Mazaj]

I also have a question? If you house is in a HOA community can you still listed on airbnb and other websites? Thanks

[Jason Stoltzfus]

That just depends on the HOA. They are all different. I suspect most HOAs disallow short term rentals, but that's just a hunch.

[Scott Rankin]

Hi Andy, it definitely depends on the HOA, Jason is right. Almost all HOAs allow STR, but most have some kinds of restrictions/fees involved. The best thing to do is to call the HOA office directly and ask what their policies are, as they change frequently. You can also buy outside of an HOA, but the Poconos has limited inventory as most of the vacation home inventory was built as part of HOA communities.

I hope that helps!