Short Term Rental Vacancy

[Debra Martin]

Hi everyone, thanks for taking the time to check out my post!

My husband and I have been thinking about trying out short term rentals here in Luray, VA because it is a pretty popular vacation/wedding destination and there aren't many Airbnb's available in the actual town itself. Obviously, the way things are right now won't mean entering into the greatest market for short term, so I'm taking this time to do as much research and practice analyzing as many deals as I can.

Anywho...I'm wondering what percentage current short term investors are putting in for vacancies when they're analyzing their deals. I have spoken with an investor in the area that has Airbnb's in the surrounding area that actually tell him they are visiting Luray...and he said he has around 90-96% occupancy every month.

Thanks for your help in advance!

[John Underwood]

I have a true vacation rental and I just about booked solid for this summer. I have bookings for fall and winter also.

I think their is a huge difference between a vacation rental and an urban STR.

Until mass gatherings such as weddings kick back in I wouldn't want to be holding a mortgage on a house that won't be booked unless I were to get a fantastic deal and I could make the mortgage payment for up to a year with minimal bookings.