Urgent Help needed navigating Investment Decisions for My Orlando Property

[Maxwell Banton]

Hey everyone! Really need your advice and a big thanks to those who weighed in on this previously. After weighing all my options I have more detailed information. Quick backstory: I ventured into Airbnb in Orlando with a 5 bed, 3 bath place aimed at Disney-goers. Last year, I ended up $12k short. It wasn't about lack of bookings but rather the rates were lower than my initial projections. Come November, I shifted gears towards long-term rentals. Got some interest, but offers were either too low or applicants didn't qualify. Opting for a lower rental price would mean a yearly loss of about $6k-$8k, which oddly seems more appealing than continuing with Airbnb.

I'm now listed the property. At the asking price, I'd just about cover my mortgage. However, realtors believe it's worth $25k less than my asking price, which means I'd still be $25k short post-sale. Another path is to double down, make the place stand out, and stick with Airbnb, hoping for a return on investment.

It's a tough call for a newbie investor like me. What do you think? Also, could anyone ballpark how much I might need to invest to make my Airbnb unique? Appreciate all your insights!

(My current listing)

https://www.airbnb.com.sg/hosting/listings/editor/7920496580...

[Michael Baum]

Really sorry to hear that @Maxwell Banton. Unfortunately there are quite a few folks in the same boat.

The link takes you to the editor not the listing itself, so update that if you can.

I guess you need to decide if you want to keep losing cash each year hoping for improvement. The new Universal Studios will be coming in 2025 I think. That could swing the difference.

Or take the one time hit and move on. 

I wish I had a better answer for you. Either is going to be a tougher row to hoe. The 2nd option is a one and done. The other is a calculated risk. Hoping for increase in nightly rate due to more folks coming to the area for Universal.