How to Determine Public Interest in a Potential Airbnb Property?

[Alec Dressler]

Hello Everyone! I am a young, new investor looking for some advice on a potential buy. For some context, I have been listening to Bigger Pockets for over a year now and have big ambitions to get into investing. My wife and I just bought our first condo over the summer and plan to turn it into a rental later on down the road.

I’ve been trying to learn a lot about Airbnb and want to get into that side specifically. A few months after purchasing the condo I found a property about an hour outside Salt Lake City. It’s a small cabin built off the grid within the last few years and on roughly 2 acres. I haven’t gotten a tour yet, but based on driving by and photos of the inside, it looks ready to rent right away. It has solar power, a compost toilet, and other things of that nature to be self-sustaining. It's in a newly developing area with houses being built and other lots selling nearby. It is a unique cabin and in a great location. However, there aren't many Airbnb's in the area to compare to. 

Since we have recently bought a condo we don't have the capital to go all in by ourselves on this property. We have family and friends who would be potential investors. Before I try to sell the idea to them I'd like to have the best data I can on potential earnings, upkeep costs, likely occupancy, and other points like that. I have used AirDNA's free version to get some rough estimates on a few things but wasn't sure how accurate it was based on only a few comps in the area. Does anyone have any good ways or software to get better data? Or any tips on how to better back up my case for potential investors?

Thank you all,

Alec