I understand the business model, but I would like to see the thought process of someone actively running a Short term rental.

I just made an excel model and you're right! 

We tried to do the showings open house style, "I'll be there 10-noon today and 2-4pm tomorrow, stop by."

I have seen two different pricing models - one by number of BRs, second by sq.ft.

I made 12 videos to launch Express Offers when it started at eXp and they had good intentions, but you have to understand that all of these programs and outside programs are based on the same model.

how sustainable is this model?

I did STR in a duplex starting back in 2017 and managed for others in North Conway, Ive since converted to all long term tenants and happy i did so... unless your property has something unique or a "rare" amenity.... like, sleeps 30, I honestly would not waste any energy on it in the north Conway area. so saturated, and so much big money being invested in the hotels, its tough to match amenities vs cost, and I see travelers trending back towards the hotel style accommodations. granted, for the right price, I'd buy anything and figure out what the best use for it is. use airdna.co for decent data on # of Short term rentals in any particular market. can also identify opportunities. the point of my response.... be careful in STR in any area and always have a plan B. you can change a lot of things about a property, but your cant change your basis!

I know there are individuals working on data analytics for this as I've been contacted by a few who have early models they're wanting to test.

My fiancé and I are looking to build a 3-4 unit townhome style multifamily in the Knoxville area.

Some of our initial baseline, no-go, criteria when we first listed were: 600+ credit score, no evictions, no bankruptcy, and income 3x rent... however, after finding that very few interested parties were eligible to even "enter a review phase" of landlord verifications etc, we loosened up a bit and went to an objective scoring model that I tweaked from a few ideas obtained after speaking to both rental professionals in my local area and some on this forum.