Waynesville STR and RV sites vs Asheville

[Dana Finley Roberson]

Hi all! My husband and I are looking at buying a property in Waynesville (30 min west of Asheville) to operate as a small campground with a home and RV sites as short term rentals. I'm wondering if anyone here has STR experience in both areas and can share about occupancy rates for RV and STRs and how they compare? I know we have great occupancy rates in town but I'm curious how Waynesville shapes up in the booking department. I've looked up properties on the AirDna tool here, but just hoping for some anecdotal info too. Thank you!

[Julie McCoy]

Check your zoning and be SURE you can use the property for RVs/camping before you close!  Usually that is tightly regulated, so do as much due diligence as you possibly can to verify the use.

With RVs you should be looking at much less overhead, and while I don't have any data, I would expect the overall returns to be better with RVs than STRs.  But of course you've got a fair bit of infrastructure to establish for RVs before you can start making money, too.

Waynesville is gorgeous!  My family has a cabin in Maggie Valley, love that area.