All Forum Posts by: Luke J Nelsen

 It already has- this is why AirDna tells people to do FBX area investment - Aurora tourists - many from overseas - come between December and March to Fairbanks - it's a major driver - but also there are some bigger investments targeting those as well. 

I’d start by checking out the OTA’s and see what people are renting and in what areas. Also, check out the permitting too in those areas. 

I would think vendors would be hard to come by? But I could be wrong. You may find value in joining market specific fb groups. 

@Luke J Nelsen - Personally, we do them in Anchorage and Wasilla - the two biggest population centers. Where Shaun is - Homer - is great for STR's if you can operate. Small town - limited contractors - so a local like him has a major leg up. But numbers are probably good.

Some of the top towns in which you can do it well:

Fairbanks, Palmer/Wasilla, Anchorage, Seward, Kenai, Homer, Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan (all cruise ship ports I'd guess), Girdwood, Eagle River, Talkeetna. 

Hey Luke,

I do STRs in Anchorage as well. Does great in the summer, during peak tourist season, but winters are tougher. Like @Jamie Rose said, contractors are more readily available in Anchorage and Wasilla where most of the population is. 

We do LTR and MTRs in Anchorage with the plan to transitioning one of the units to a STR. Hoping to go live in July. While I don't have the experience yet to directly answer your question, we chose to have ours between the airport and downtown. It provides easy access for travelers who are visiting AK with decent access to tourist activities. We do have a couple unknowns though. One of which was that we initially planned to have this unit as a STR in the tourist season and an MTR during the winter. However with Alyeska becoming part of the Ikon Pass, we will likely get a lot more tourists. I wonder if the rentals in Girdwood will be full and people will have to find lodging in Anchorage. Happy to keep in touch and chat about what's working and not working.

I've got a few in Wasilla as well and working on one in Willow (another 30-40 minutes up the road) I anticipate the majority of the funds being made in the summer but a should pay the bills at least in the winter, we'll see I guess:) Alaska has a lot of tourists in the summer, and a lot less in the winter. South East panhandle area someone mentioned being expensive for a dive. Yep, the real estate there is stupid expensive and super expensive to build, get materials there, and there's a shortage of actually private real estate, so it's rough. I do very well here investing (small part is STR) but if I didn't live here I would invest elsewhere. Not trying to chase you away though, just my opinion. Also, if you need a Realtor in the Wasilla, Palmer, Willow area you can send me a message.
Tyler Bobo Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group

I know Fairbanks Alaska was ranked as the #1 place to invest in Air BnBs in the US via Air DNA.