Florida Rentals - Walking distance to the ocean a must?

[Ryan Sargent]

Hey everyone! My lovely fiancé & I are preparing to buy our first home here in Southwest Florida. It will initially be our personal residence, but after 2.5-3 years will turn into a short-term rental property for us.  I was wondering from your guys’ experience, do rental properties not directly on the “beach” still do well?  or is it a must to be in walking distance to the ocean?  Thanks everyone!  

[Blake Dailey]

Hey @Ryan Sargent I don't think you have to be right on the beach. Rental rates are higher right on the beach, or right across from it with a view. But that doesn't mean you can't do really well one block off the beach or even 10 blocks off the beach. I have 7 STRs that are all 20 minutes from the beach and I have consistent demand paired with lower purchase prices so the numbers work really well. Search on Airbnb and see what other properties are renting for off of the beach and how many nights they are occupied (look at their calendar availability) to help run your own numbers and make sure they work. You can also use airdna to aggregate STR data.