Apollo beach - AirDNA data vs. Personal experience

[Nate Macdonald]

Hi BP Community,

My wife and I are newbies to the short term rental world, with a goal of purchasing our first STR in Q2 2022! One market that has really stood out is Apollo Beach, FL, because:

- The data on AirDNA is really attractive (e.g. 80% occupancy rate, and great cashflow)

- It is close to Tampa, but is less crowded. We like the idea of having a STR somewhere quiet(er)

- It is in Florida. If the STR is not successful in generating much revenue, then we will use it as a vacation home, and the Tampa area is a place we can see ourselves visiting often.

Here is what concerns us:

- We see comments online about "the smell." Some comments say that there is an unpleasant smell in some areas, but other comments deny this. Some comments point to low tide as being the cause of any unpleasantness, which would make sense, but other comments point to the Tampa Electric Plant

-When talking with two very successful real estate agents, who have track records of selling to investors (not just folks buying a primary residence), they both sounded surprised that we were looking at Apollo Beach and not Tampa. Is this because investing in Apollo Beach is a bad idea, or are they steering us to Tampa because there are so many homes on the market and it would be easier for them to make a sale?

Does anyone here own a STR in Apollo Beach? Can you share your story? If anyone here has visited the area, does it truly smell - or is that un-true? Would we be better off looking at Tampa?

Thank you so much!