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Top 10 Places to Start an Airbnb Business in Oklahoma City

Top 10 Places to Start an Airbnb Business in Oklahoma City: Wondering where the best places to Airbnb in Oklahoma City are? Here you’ll find profitable areas in OKC along with their respective Airbnb data.

best places to Airbnb in Oklahoma City

Wondering where the best places to Airbnb in Oklahoma City are? Here you’ll find profitable areas in OKC along with their respective Airbnb data.

Key Takeaways

  • The affordable real estate market and economic strength of Oklahoma City have helped many Airbnb hosts to earn a good passive income with short-term rentals. 
  • Learn the advantages that investors have when investing in short-term rentals in Oklahoma City and nearby areas.
  • Find out the best neighborhoods and nearby cities in OKC along with their recommended property types, median housing values, and respective Airbnb data.

Introduction

Oklahoma City is the capital of the state and also the economical region. It’s a big urban area with a small-town charm that offers plenty of recreational activities, restaurants, performing arts centers and interesting museums. 

With a diversified economy and a growing tourism industry, Oklahoma City can easily draw investors’ attention. But here’s the big question, “where are the most profitable areas for Airbnb in Oklahoma City?” – we got you!

In this article, we feature the best places to do Airbnb in Oklahoma City and some of the expectations for Airbnb investment properties in Oklahoma City. Continue reading to learn more.

Why invest in an Airbnb in Oklahoma City?

Are you thinking of investing in a real estate property in Oklahoma City? If so, then you should know that this is a great way of achieving financial freedom.  This is because Oklahoma City offers profitable opportunities for real estate investors. This city allows locals and visitors alike to immerse themselves in the legacy of the old West. But what are the advantages offered by this location to property investors? Check out some of the major reasons why investing in Airbnb property investments in OKC is a great idea: 

  • Attractive housing market

One of the advantages of buying an investment property in Oklahoma City is that the housing values are fairly affordable compared to many other major cities. The median property price is $188,077, which is 23% lower than the national average. In addition to this, Oklahoma also has a low cost of living that is 12% cheaper compared to the national average.

  • Diversified and strong economic region

Oklahoma City is the most important economic area in the state. It owns a diversified economy with aviation, aerospace, bioscience, energy and logistics. Its major industry sectors play a significant role in OFC’s economy. There are many job opportunities, thus, more and more people are moving to the city at a steady rate. Currently, the unemployment rate in Oklahoma is 2.4%.

  • OKC is a growing tourist destination

In the past few years, Oklahoma City’s tourism has been growing since it attracts more visitors year-over-year! In fact, OKC has a lot to offer to travelers even though it’s a big urban area. This includes its fascinating Native American history, the old West vibes, Route 66, and charming town vibes. Just in 2021, the city welcomed over 21M tourist arrivals!

Is Airbnb Profitable in Oklahoma City?

Airbtics confirms that Airbnb investment properties in Oklahoma City are certainly profitable. Still, investors should note that the level of profitability highly depends on the property type and location.

According to Airbtics’ data, an Airbnb host can expect an average annual revenue of $48,563 and a median occupancy rate of 60% for operating a 4-bedroom property in Oklahoma City.

best places to Airbnb in Oklahoma City

Source: Airbtics Dashboard

The 10 Best Places to Airbnb near Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is the largest city in the state and it has 220 diverse neighborhoods. So it’s understandable if you’re having a hard time choosing the ideal location for real estate investments in Oklahoma City!

Check out the best neighborhoods and nearby cities in Oklahoma City that are highly recommended for starting an Airbnb business:

airbtics-logo-300x87
Location Number of Airbnb Listings Best Number of Bedrooms Median Property Price Airbnb Annual Revenue GRY
Downtown Oklahoma City 61 3 Bedrooms $270,000 (3 BD) $69,865 25.88%
Woodland Park, OKC 11 3 Bedrooms $223,901 (3 BD) $44,390 19.83%
Classen-Ten-Penn, OKC 40 3 Bedrooms $245,000 (3 BD) $47,540 19.40%
Uptown Oklahoma City 108 3 Bedrooms $219,000 (3 BD) $39,471 18.02%
Gatewood UCD, OKC 42 3 Bedrooms $220,000 (3 BD) $32,109 14.60%
Edmond, OK (14 mi away) 79 3 Bedrooms $285,000 (3 BD) $36,422 15.58%
Tulsa, OK (93 mi away) 318 3 Bedrooms $177,500(3 BD) $38,719 21.81%
Muskogee, OK (138 mi away) 12 3 Bedrooms $170,000 (3 BD) $31,059 18.27%
Denton, TX (158 mi away) 65 4 Bedrooms $399,900 (4 BD) $76,598 19.15%
Fort Worth, TX (187 mi away) 666 2 Bedrooms $220,000 (2 BD) $44,629 20.29%

Airbnb Location

Airbnb Dataset

Downtown Oklahoma City

  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 61
  • Best bedroom size: 3 bedrooms
  • Median property price (3 bedrooms): $270,000
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $69,865
  • Gross rental yield: 25.88%

Woodland Park, OKC

  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 11
  • Best bedroom size: 3 bedrooms
  • Median property price (3 bedrooms): $223,901
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $44,390
  • Gross rental yield: 19.83%

Classen-Ten-Penn, OKC

  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 40
  • Best bedroom size: 3 bedrooms
  • Median property price (3 bedrooms): $245,000
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $47,540
  • Gross rental yield: 19.40%

Uptown Oklahoma City

  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 108
  • Best bedroom size: 3 bedrooms
  • Median property price (3 bedrooms): $219,000
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $39,471
  • Gross rental yield: 18.02%

Gatewood UCD, OKC

  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 42
  • Best bedroom size: 3 bedrooms
  • Median property price (3 bedrooms): $220,000
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $32,109
  • Gross rental yield: 14.60%

Edmond, OK

  • Distance from Oklahoma City: 14 miles 
  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 79
  • Best bedroom size: 3 bedrooms
  • Median property price (3 bedrooms): $285,000
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $36,422
  • Gross rental yield: 15.58%

Tulsa, OK

  • Distance from Oklahoma City: 93 miles 
  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 318
  • Best bedroom size: 3 bedrooms
  • Median property price (3 bedrooms): $177,500
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $38,719
  • Gross rental yield: 21.81%

Muskogee, OK

  • Distance from Oklahoma City: 138 miles 
  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 12
  • Best bedroom size: 3 bedrooms
  • Median property price (3 bedrooms): $170,000
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $31,059
  • Gross rental yield: 18.27%

Denton, TX

  • Distance from Oklahoma City: 158 miles
  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 65
  • Best bedroom size: 4 bedrooms
  • Median property price (4 bedrooms): $399,900
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $76,598
  • Gross rental yield: 19.15%

Fort Worth, TX

  • Distance from Oklahoma City: 187 miles 
  • Total Number of Airbnb Listings: 666
  • Best bedroom size: 2 bedrooms
  • Median property price (2 bedrooms): $220,000
  • Airbnb Annual revenue: $44,629
  • Gross rental yield: 20.29%

Source: Airbtics Dashboard

Conclusion

Oklahoma City has many lucrative areas that offer good investment opportunities to Airbnb hosts. While there are plenty of neighborhoods and nearby cities in OKC that can bring attractive rental yields and annual revenue, it’s essential to analyze each of your options carefully.

Now that you found out the best places to Airbnb Oklahoma City, you should go further and check Airbtics’ Airbnb calculator. Choose to stand out among your competitors and maximize your profitability!

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Case Studies

A Case Study: Property Sourcing for Best Airbnb Investment

Best Airbnb Investment

Before buying an Airbnb property, it’s important to do your research and conduct property sourcing. While most investors ask for help from real estate agents, their knowledge can be limited to a specific area only. 

If you want to know how to look for a good STR investment – this article will guide you through this process! 

In this blog, we’ll feature an actual case study from an Airbtics client who has successfully found a profitable property for Airbnb. Continue reading to learn more.

  • Client: Partnership investors who are interested in property investment. Particularly studio-types, and 1-2 bedroom properties in the following locations:
    • Granada, Valencia, and Seville (Spain)
    • Figueira da Foz and Ericeira (Portugal)
  • Client’s Goal:
    The goal is to buy 2 properties with a budget of €140,000. Airbtics’ property sourcing team aligned with this goal by maximizing the monthly cash flow within the budget range.

Airbtics Approach for Property Sourcing

The team of data analysts & real estate experts explored various properties to meet the client’s goals in order to source the best investment property. 

In the selection process, they were able to identify the top 20 properties – narrowed down to the 7 best options for Airbnb (any two-combination fit their budget). This is so that the client can easily pick their preferred deal! 

All the filtered properties were sent for the client’s feedback and made sure that they achieved a gross rental yield greater than 25%. This guarantees a high cash-return rate during the first year of operating as an Airbnb property.

  • Expert Recommendations:
    We sourced different investment properties for the client and found 5 excellent property investment deals based on their budget and preferences. The client achieved a profit of €4,500 monthly gross revenue.
Airbtics Recommendations:
1. Valencia
  • Situation: shortage of short-term rentals. The properties found in Valencia are nearby Jesus area and do not require a lot of renovation.
  • Purchase: 3-bedroom apartment in Valencia –  €80,000
  • Annual revenue according to Airbtics €36,000
  • Occupancy rate: 82%
  • Average nightly rate: €113
2. Almeria
  • Situation: No seasonality and the median occupancy rate is above 50%. The properties are close to the downtown and beach areas.
  • Purchase: 2-3 bedroom apartment in Almeria –  €55,000
  • Annual revenue according to Airbtics €19,000
  • Occupancy rate: 64%
  • Average nightly rate: €84

Property Sourcing

To find the best property for Airbnb, you will need the help of data analysts and real estate experts in the industry. The common goal is to find high-return Airbnb investment opportunities according to your budget and preferences! 

Investing in real estate for Airbnb can be a tedious task and may fail if done inaccurately. There are several Airbnb good investment opportunities out there that you can take advantage of.

Airbtics offers investment sourcing services for FREE – exclusively for Enterprise subscription users. In this process, we have an outstanding team of data analysts and real estate professionals that can help you identify the best opportunities.

Advantages of Using Property Sourcing
1. Save Time for Research

Why waste your precious time on research when you can instantly leave the heavy lifting to experts? Using property sourcing services, you can trust that the information you get is accurate.

2. Ensure Higher Gross Rental Yield

There are several profitable properties out there, but what is their guarantee on cash-return? Property sourcing services help you achieve your financial goals. Airbtics’ target metrics for searching properties is to achieve GRY higher than 25% to guarantee high cash-return on the first year. 

3. Receive Excellent Property Deals

It can be confusing to look at two property deals as there are various options for property investments. Airbtics property sourcing presents at least 5 property deals – all according to your preference and budget!

This way, it will be easier to compare each deal and choose the best among the rest.

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Case Studies

How to Get Around HOA Short-Term Rental Restrictions?

How to get around HOA short-term rental restrictions

Short-term rentals are fully-furnished properties rented for a short period of time. These properties are on platforms such as Airbnb & VRBO to gain more bookings and exposure. STR business is lucrative and perfect if you want to achieve financial freedom!

However, here’s what you should know. Properties under community associations (HOA) have certain laws on short-term rentals. Some of them even prohibit the operations of short-term rental businesses! 

Homeowners’ Associations (HOAs) have set community standards and policies. They are usually against short-term rentals due to their experiences with guests. This includes excessive noise, traffic jams, limited parking space, and other complaints. Anything that makes their neighborhood feel unsafe — is always controlled.

But do you still want to know the legal ways to get around HOA? You’re on the right track.

In this article, we’ll cover some expert tips on short-term rental HOA regulations and risks. We’ll also discuss when to consider purchasing an Airbnb property with HOA laws. Continue reading to learn more!

Risks of Getting Around HOA Restrictions

HOA short-term rental restrictions are set by owners in each community. It’s best to think about your options again if you are planning to buy a property with HOA rules. Especially if it clearly states that short-term rentals are not allowed.

There’s no guarantee that a neighbor won’t report your activities if you try to get around the rules. And if they discover your not-so-secret operation, you can get into serious trouble. Here are some of the consequences and risks of getting around HOA restrictions:

  • Legal Actions Against Hosts

The first thing that you have to avoid when running an STR business is receiving legal action. Whether these are zoning restrictions or HOA laws, it’s always best to follow them. Otherwise – one day you’re earning good money, then you’re asked to permanently close in the next few days. 

If you breach the HOA regulations, you can expect to receive notice of legal action. This will usually require you to hire an attorney and attend court hearings.

  • Pay the Price: Fines 

If the HOA board has set fines for breaking such laws, then they can absolutely require you to pay certain fines. And that can be ultimately frustrating if you’re only about to start the business!

  • Airbnb may Permanently Disable your Host Account 

Getting your host account disabled is the most terrifying risk when you get reported on Airbnb for getting around HOA rules. It’s always better to pay the price than get permanently banned from the platform.

When to Consider Purchasing A Property with HOA Laws?

Some property investors are still willing to buy a property with HOA restrictions. Despite there being HOA laws prohibiting short-term rentals! For instance, you fell in love with a lakefront property located in a subdivision.

However, it only allows 30 days minimum of operating short-term rentals. If your primary agenda is to have a retirement home or a space to call your own, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea! 

Here are other reasons why you should consider purchasing a property with HOA laws:

  • Temporary passive income

Do you have another property and only want to achieve more temporary passive income? Then this can be an excellent decision with a new property.

Pro tip: Once you become an HOA member, you can always suggest adjusting certain rules for short-term rentals so you can earn more in the long run!

  • Personal & leisure purposes

Similar to a retirement home, it’s ideal to buy a property for your own leisure. This means that the sole purpose of purchasing the property is not just for STRs. But you can also invite friends over, host a family reunion or enjoy your own home.

  • Check Airbnb website

There might be some exceptions that you can’t read from their terms. Check on Airbnb to see if some properties are listed on Airbnb or other similar websites. For example, if many listings in your neighbourhood is already rented out by college students, the homeowners may be OK for you to run an Airbnb as long as you don’t disturb your neighbours too much.

Don’t see any listings on Airbnb? Maybe, you can use a short-term rental analytics tool, which shows historical data of your neighbourhood. There might be some hosts who listed their listing in the past. If you find that, take a screenshot, and show it to the HOA and ask them. It might lead to a more productive conversation. 

short-term rental historical data

Top 3 Expert Tips: How to Get Around HOA Short-term Restrictions (The Legal Ways):

Did you go through your HOA and discovered that they restrict short-term rentals? Here are the top 3 expert tips on how to get around HOA STR laws:

  • Collaborate with a Realtor 

Before purchasing a property, you will speak with a real estate agent to discuss the details. You can directly let him/her know about your intention to operate an STR and get a few tips. You can also ask other realtors who have a deeper knowledge of HOA short-term rentals.

  • Consult an Attorney’s Advice

Frightened by breaching laws & paying fines? One of the best ways to get around HOA short-term laws is to consult a lawyer who specializes in HOAs. Since you’re already aware of the risks of breaching HOA rules, then it’s ideal to seek an attorney’s advice.

  • Change Your Listing into a Mid-Term Rental

Once you have reached the 30-day limit (or maximum days to operate STR), here’s another option. It’s time to change your listing to a medium or long-term rental to avoid facing legal action.

Takeaway

HOA rules and regulations can consistently change from time to time. The best way to strategize on short-term rental restrictions is to speak to a board member. 

At the same time, you can consult the CC&Rs’ (Covenants, conditions, and restrictions) advice. Knowing the potential risks of getting around HOA’s restrictions is important. And we highly recommend doing it the legal way.

If you’d like to find profitable properties and make the best investment possible, you can also take advantage of a short-term rental analytics tool like  Airbtics!

Categories
Case Studies

Top 11 STR-Friendly Cities in the USA 2023

STR friendly cities

 

Starting a short-term rental business can be an excellent source of income. However, it can also be difficult when a city has strict laws and regulations for operating one. Not to mention how time-consuming it is to go through permits and registration requirements!

If you want to learn about short-term rental friendly cities in the USA, it’s all in this article. We’ll uncover the following:

  • Key Considerations for Short-Term Rental friendly Cities
  • Top 11 STR friendly cities in the US with their revenue potential and occupancy rate
  • How to find lucrative opportunities in the top STR friendly cities in 2023

Key Considerations for Short-Term Rental Friendly Cities

If you want to become an Airbnb host, you definitely can! But before you do, you have to understand the local laws and regulations based on your jurisdiction. Here are some of the legal requirements you need to look out for:

  • Property Eligibility: In some US cities like Los Angeles, only owner-occupied residences can be rented on Airbnb. Non-owner-occupied rentals are not allowed, so be mindful of this when investing.
  • Licenses: Major cities such as Seattle and New York City require business licenses before you can operate an STR. You can take a look at your local government’s official website and learn more about the requirements. You may have to fill out a form and pay a certain amount when applying for a business license.
  • Zoning Restrictions: There are certain cities that allow short-term rentals but have zoning restrictions. For instance, in Orlando City, standard residential zoning districts prohibit short-term rentals. A property needs to be zoned as an R-3 transient residential before it can be leased for 30 days or less.
  • Permits: Apart from business licenses and registration, you may also need to apply for an STR permit. This will entirely depend on your city’s requirements. For instance, in Sacramento City, all short-term rental operators need to apply for an STR permit or a conditional use permit from Community Development.
  • Taxes: Several cities require STR operators to collect tax for each overnight stay. The easiest way to learn about collecting taxes in your city is to reach out to your local government.

Smooth and non-hectic local rules and regulations for short-term rental businesses have the biggest impact on what makes a location STR-friendly. Start reading blogs that provide accurate information on these top STR-friendly cities in 2023. You may begin with the Airbtics blog where we’ve written several useful articles.

Top 11 STR Friendly Cities in the US

Ensure you understand the local regulations and potential challenges before venturing into short-term rentals. Here are the Top 11 Airbnb-friendly cities in the US that offer a hassle-free experience and lenient laws and regulations.

However, it’s important to note that these cities might have smooth processing, yet they may not be the best places to invest. The location’s profitability still depends on its occupancy rate, revenue potential, and other key factors. To help you with decision-making, here’s the breakdown of the Top 11 STR-friendly cities in the US with their data fully updated as of August 2023.

Source: airbtics.com
1. Fort Collins, Colorado

Registering your STR business in Fort Collins is relatively easy. On their government website, you can simply download the STR application checklist, view the zoning map, and apply for an STR license online. However, contact them to verify if your building type is approved as STRs are permitted in single-family dwellings, including property townhomes but not in multi-family buildings.

2. Seattle, Washington

In Seattle, Short-Term Rental (STR) Operator Licenses must be renewed annually and operators must have both a business license tax certificate and an STR regulatory license. The STR ordinance limits operators to two units, including the primary residence and a secondary unit.

3. Memphis, Tennessee

Just recently, Memphis introduced a new ordinance to regulate short-term rentals, requiring property owners to obtain a permit to rent out their residential properties. The move aims to distinguish proper use from improper use, as some properties are being used for disruptive events. Renters may unknowingly break zoning laws.

Existing short-term rental owners are not required to register unless the property changes hands or hasn’t been used for short-term rentals in 30 months. The permit costs $300 upfront and requires a $150 annual renewal. Start obtaining your STR permit at their government site.

4. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

To begin with, the city of Milwaukee does not have any Airbnb rules that restrict short-term rentals. However, you will need to pay state and local taxes. This includes Sales Tax, County Tax, and Basic Room Tax. 

5. Ontario, New York

A permit is required if you want to register your STR business in Ontario, New York. In their STR regulations, the maximum occupancy and parking space standards are defined, along with the display and compliance of permits. Violations can lead to permit suspension or revocation, and enforcement proceedings may incur costs for property owners.

6. Phoenix, Arizona

The Airbnb regulations in Phoenix require owners of vacation rentals to register in the city, providing specific information about the property. Violations, such as nonresidential use or failure to display required information, are prohibited and subject to civil sanctions. 

7. Austin, Texas

In Austin, TX, obtaining or renewing a Short-Term Rental (STR) license requires a $733.80 fee, proof of property insurance, payment of hotel occupancy taxes, a certificate of occupancy, and driver’s license information. On the other hand, the renewal fee is $412.00, and changes in ownership or property details necessitate a new application.

8. San Antonio, Texas

A permit is necessary to operate an STR in San Antonio, Texas. The city also collects Hotel Occupancy Tax on behalf of Bexar County. There are two categories of STR permits that depend on the property owner’s status. The good news here is that STR permits in San Antonio are good for three years! Learn how Rental Arbitrage works in San Antonio.

9. Newark, New Jersey

The City of Newark has adopted an ordinance to regulate short-term rentals (STRs). Only specific types of properties, like condominiums, single-family residences with owner occupancy, and certain multi-family units, are allowed to operate as STRs. Owners must obtain a yearly STR permit, meet certain requirements, and follow operational guidelines. Violations may result in fines of up to $2,000 per day.

10. Houston, Texas

Just this March 2023, Houston’s Council Member Alcorn conducted an RNA committee meeting to discuss short-term rentals (STRs) and “party homes” in the city. Airbnb presented its trust and safety tools, complaint reporting system, and measures to enforce the global party house ban. Houston First also provided information on STR hotel occupancy tax agreements. 

11. Fresno, California

The City of Fresno, California passed an ordinance last 2019 regarding short-term rentals (STRs). The purpose is to create a permitting process for dwelling units rented for transient use of 30 days or less. Owners must secure a permit, comply with tax requirements, prevent nuisance activities, and adhere to existing regulations. Violations may lead to penalties, revocation of permits, or even misdemeanor charges.

LOOKING FOR THE BEST RENTAL MARKETS OUTSIDE THE US?

Find out the Airbnb key metrics in top cities in Australia!

How to find lucrative opportunities in Top STR friendly cities in 2023

Now that you have a glimpse of the friendliest cities for short-term rental business, it’s time to check if there’s a golden opportunity to invest in their neighborhoods. By using Airbtics Insights Tool, you can effortlessly find useful information about these cities and their neighborhoods. 

Here are 5 simple steps:

1. Search a city, neighborhood, or region
2.
Draw a custom market to get more granular data
3. Zoom in to search for the best neighborhood
4. Get granular data on occupancy rate, potential revenue, and ADR
5. Calculate your potential revenue with an Airbnb income calculator

Search a city, neighborhood, or region.

If you have chosen your preferred cities from these top 11, you can type it in the search bar.

Draw a custom market to get more granular data

Do you want to add that nearby lake but the map isn’t including it in the search? Then feel free to customize your search by drawing your market.

Find an STR-friendly cities and neighborhood in the US
Zoom in to search for the best neighborhood

Zoom in and out and scroll left and right to find a neighborhood

Get granular data on occupancy rate, potential revenue, and ADR

Remember that when you zoom in and out of the map, the occupancy rate, revenue potential, and nightly rate will change depending on what the map is showing.

Airbnb data such as occupancy rate, ADR, and average revenue
Calculate your potential revenue with an Airbnb income calculator

Once you have seen a potential neighborhood and property to invest in, you can go to Airbtics Calculate ROI. Input a specific address of a property or a neighborhood, then it will generate the potential revenue accordingly.

Airbnb income calculator

Bottomline

Starting a short-term rental business can be a lucrative venture, but it requires careful consideration of local regulations and challenges. Aside from that, it’s crucial to remember that profitability depends on factors like occupancy rates and revenue potential, so thorough research and due diligence are essential before investing in any location.

With the valuable insights provided above, any first-time, aspiring, or long-term Airbnb hosts and investors can think smarter about where they should invest their money and resources.

We hope that this information can help you to start a successful STR business this 2023!

Categories
Case Studies

Top 11 Short-Term Rental Management Software

Looking for the best short-term rental management software in the market? Find out the top-ranking software available in 2023!

Looking for the best short-term rental management software in the market? Find out the top-ranking software available in 2023!

Looking for the best short-term rental management software in the market? Find out the top-ranking software available in 2023!

Short-term rental management software is a tool that most Airbnb hosts and managers use to efficiently manage their properties. These tools offer various property management software for short-term rentals that make one’s life easier! This includes payment automation, guest reservations management, and automated messaging among other features.

Do you want to know which short-term rental property management software is suitable for you?

In this article, we’ll discuss the best short-term rental software and compare them according to features, pricing, and reviews. Bonus: We also added some actual hosts’ recommendations for you to make a better decision about using STR software.

Stoked about this? Continue reading to learn more!

10 Best Short-Term Rental Management Software

1. Hostaway

  • Hostaway is one of the fast-growing vacation rental software which provides a complete solution for short-term rentals. Here are some of Hostaway’s features and pricing:

Benefits of using Hostaway:

  • Users can manage multiple channels, including Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia. 
  • Direct bookings can be entered by users in the Hostaway dashboard, and dates can also be manually blocked across all channels. 
  • Users can send messages directly to Airbnb guests by mobile app and to other guests using the guest email.

One of the downsides of using Hostaway is that their export function to Booking.com is limited as it cannot create extra rooms. It was also noted that it’s difficult to reach out to their customer service support. Here’s an overall insight into Hostaway:

2. LiveRez

  • LiveRez is more than just a booking engine. It helps property managers increase their annual profit with its automation tools & accounting software that aims to achieve their goals. Here are some of LiveRez’s features and pricing:

Benefits of using LiveRez:

  • It offers dynamic websites, a booking platform, owner portals, CRM, trust accounting, built-in CRM, and an operations platform-all included.
  • LiveRez offers integrations with a variety of credit card processing and travel insurance providers, smart home automation providers and a number of listing sites through its in-house direct connections to Airbnb, VRBO, Google Vacations and HomeToGo. 

On a side note, the major downside of LiveRez is its pricing. In comparison to other software tools, it’s a lot more expensive although they offer a personalized pricing plan. Check out the overview of Live Rez’s ratings as seen on Capterra:

3. Lodgify

  • Lodgify is a leading vacation rental tool that helps owners and property managers to automate and manage their calendars efficiently. Check out some of Lodgify’s features and pricing:

4. RentalReady

  • RentalReady is an innovative vacation rental software tailored for professional short-term rental managers aiming to scale their operations. Professionals hampered by outdated technology will discover that RentalReady offers all the advanced features and solutions necessary to elevate their business.
rentalready features

Benefits of using RentalReady:

  • Ideal for property owners and managers looking to streamline operations and maximize returns.
  • All-in-One management: RentalReady offers a comprehensive platform to manage everything from bookings to payments and guest communications, reducing the need for multiple systems.
  • AI-driven automation: AI features such as predictive maintenance and dynamic pricing help optimize operations and revenue. Automated guest communication and task management streamline daily tasks.

RentalReady doesn’t offer free trials, emphasizing its commitment to serious professionals ready to invest in their growth. Mobile accessibility: While there isn’t a dedicated mobile app for agency managers yet, company’s responsive website ensures optimal functionality on mobile devices. Staff can use a dedicated app for task management, while owners have one to monitor performance.

5. 365VILLAS

  • 365Villas is a powerful All-in-One software solution for vacation rental managers, offering the industry’s best equilibrium across all your critical needs. They have a strong commitment to continuous innovation, 5 star support and high-quality standards.

Benefits of using 365Villas:

  • Ideal for professionals with more than 20 properties or those looking for rapid growth and optimal financial returns from any device. 
  • Outstanding support and a dedicated account manager. 
  • Flexible Pricing for Guests, Advanced Reporting and great Website solutions including WordPress Plugin. 

The downside of 365Villas is that they don’t offer a free trial and prices are higher than some competitors due to their robust architecture and personalized support.

6. Zeevou

  • Zeevou aims to automate every aspect of the STR business operations from the booking process to check-out management. Here are some of Zeevou’s primary features and pricing:

Benefits of using Zeevou:

  • It has excellent integration with third-party software and is user-friendly.
  •  Automates cleaning schedules and can make customized housekeeping tasks.
  • Allows housekeepers to note completed tasks through photos and videos.

The downside of Zeevou is it doesn’t have some of the common features that property management software tools have. Some of its missing features are the activity dashboard, data import/export and discount management among others. These features are generally important for tracking a property’s progress and have better control. Discover Zeevou’s overall ratings as seen on Capterra:

7. Hostfully

  • Hostfully is a property management and guest experience software tool built for short-term rental managers to efficiently manage their reservations in one place.

Benefits of using Hostfully:

  • Perfect for owners and managers who manage several listings.
  • Users can base their decisions on financial reports and create revenue streams.
  • Allows users to reach more guests and manage payments, deposits, discounts, and refunds with payment processors.

Hostfully does not offer free trials. On top of this, it currently does not have an app which is a major disadvantage for some users who prefer to manage using their mobile phones. However, it was said that an app will be launched sometime this year 2023.

6. iGMS

  • iGMS is the only vacation rental software that automates up to 90% of typical tasks for hosts and excellent management.

Benefits of using iGMS:

  • It automates the majority of management tasks and increases guest satisfaction.
  • Enables users to process online payments and upsell to guests from Booking.com and others who make direct bookings.
  • iGMS’ smart reports help hosts to create excellent STR management reports.

However, some of the major downsides of iGMS include missing features such as marketing automation and payroll. These are both important to create marketing campaigns and automate payment for housekeepers and other employees. Here’s an overview of iGMS’ ratings based on Capterra:

9. Owner Rez

  • Owner Rez is one of the leading channel management software for property management, automated messaging, and accounting among others.

Benefits of using Owner Rez:

  • Allows vocational rental owners to manage bookings and handle inquiries efficiently.
  • Assists guests in booking and confirming their reservations with the help of e-signed rental agreements.

However, users who have used Owner Rez in the past have claimed that there’s no way for them to create a single-use discount code and customize message templates for individual guests. This means that you may have to manually add a personal note to a message before it’s scheduled – aka time-consuming!

10. Smoobu

  • Smoobu allows users to connect to 100+ channels with primary features such as automatic booking synchronization all in one place. It’s also ideal to use if you prefer your platform to function in multiple foreign languages!

Benefits of using Smoobu:

  • Syncs all booking portals from various sites to avoid double bookings.
  • It offers unique features such as vacancy management, financial reporting, and tax management.
  •  Helps users to synchronize their prices and minimum stay.

Some features that Smoobu does not have include promotions management and activities booking. Depending on your preference, Smoobu can be an ideal tool if your main focus is to sync your listing to all booking portals and increase your reviews. 

11. Hospitable

  • Hospitable offers next-level messaging automation, double-booking protection, and pricing updates among other features.

Benefits of using Hospitable:

  • Smart messages that adjust for last-minute bookings and respond to early check-in and late check-out requests.
  • Pricing synchronization across platforms and integration with pricing tools.
  • Team collaboration will receive automated tasks for cleaning where you can set up roles for people within your organization.

Although Hospitable has lower pricing, it has some downsides as well. This includes missing important features such as data import/export, marketing automation, third party integrations, and others.

Remote Hosts: Recommendations

It could be difficult to choose one good STR management software that can meet your goals. However, it’s always great to reflect based on reviews from actual hosts and managers who have tried using them! Several recommendations from remote hosts and managers on Bigger Pockets Forums suggest the following top 3 software tools:

  • Guesty – helpful for handling day-to-day tasks from guests’ check-in to check-out.
  • Hostaway – for centralizing points of management and improving guests’ experience
  • Hospitable – user-friendly app that helps sync calendars and reviews, and sends notifications to your team members.

Conclusion

Utilizing short-term rental management software tools is important in the digital era. It certainly saves precious time but also improves your communication with guests + increases your revenue. Aside from this, you will also have greater control over your property to meet your goals. It’s also important to consider short-term rental pricing software such as Airbtics to build a pricing strategy based on future booking data.

While there are several Airbnb hosting tools in the market, you have to select the best one that can boost your return on investment and can eventually give you the Airbnb superhost badge!

Ensure your Airbnb Success With Data Analytics!

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Is Airbnb profitable in the UK?

Is Airbnb profitable UK

Find out if Airbnb is profitable in the UK and discover the top 3 cities that can generate the most revenue!

Airbnb in the UK can certainly generate a whopping profit. In fact, Airbnb News recently confirmed that a typical host can earn over £6,000 in the UK. Since there’s rising inflation, more than a third of Airbnb hosts rely on hosting to afford the increasing cost of living. 

But how much Airbnb profit (UK) can hosts earn? Airbtics’ data reveals that hosts in the UK can expect to earn an average daily rate of £173 and can achieve an average occupancy rate of 55%. 

Do you want to discover the top-performing cities in the UK that can generate the most profit? Continue reading to learn more!

Is Airbnb profitable in the UK?

Yes – Airbnb is certainly profitable for hosts in the UK. This depends on several factors such as the location, property type, seasonality, and occupancy rate among others. Here are the top 3 Airbnb cities in the UK:

1. London 

Known as the capital city of the United Kingdom, the rental demand in London is certainly strong, allowing it to be one of the most profitable cities for Airbnb. It is commonly known for being the financial district, but also for its cultural and economic success. Here’s what you can expect when starting an Airbnb in London:

  • Average property price in London: £542,311
  • Seasonality: 45% – Highest revenue (£2,423) in July 
  • Average daily rate in London: £99
2. Manchester 

Considered the capital of the North, Manchester is known for being the best place for starting a business in Britain. This city is the largest metropolitan area in Northern England and offers plenty of investment opportunities! Check out the Airbnb data in Manchester:

  • Average property price in Manchester: £220,000
  • Seasonality: 34% – Highest revenue (£1,690) in July 
  • Average daily rate in Manchester: £92
3. Leeds

Leeds is the largest city in Yorkshire and is known for being the administrative centre. With over 29 million annual visitors, Leeds is certainly one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK! Discover the Airbnb statistics in Leeds:

  • Average property price in Leeds: £272,000
  • Seasonality: 37% – Highest revenue (£1,752) in July 
  • Average daily rate in Leeds: £87

Reasons for Airbnb Investment in the UK

Buying an investment property in the UK requires running numbers and thorough analysis – it comes like bread and butter! Check out the top 5 reasons why Airbnb investment in the UK is an excellent choice:

1. Expect Higher Returns

To generate higher returns, you have to choose the right property type and target the right market. In comparison to long-term rentals, short-term rentals can be a lot more profitable because you can adjust your pricing accordingly.

2. Growing Market in the UK

Despite the pandemic, the UK has one of the fastest-growing markets across the globe. In fact, there’s no slowing it down! Airbnb news recently declared the best 10 Airbnb cities in the UK which are the trending travel spots for domestic travel.

3. Holiday Home for Personal Purposes

Do you want to be an owner of a holiday home while drinking tea and earning money? This is your go signal to do so. You can easily block off some dates in your Airbnb calendar if you want to invite some friends over. This is one of the perks of investing in a property!

4. Mortgage: Paid!

The majority of first-time investors are worried about not being able to pay mortgages on time. Once your Airbnb property generates enough revenue, you can stop worrying about paying mortgages.

Pro tip: You can even start considering your 2nd property once the mortgage payments have been set aside!

5. Lucrative than Traditional Lets

Generally, a fully booked Airbnb property can be more fruitful than traditional lets. How so? To put it simply, a long-term tenant is required to pay a fixed monthly rate. However, Airbnb guests can be charged more on a nightly basis depending on seasonality.

What to Expect: Airbnb hosting in the UK

Excited to become an Airbnb host in the UK? Here’s what you can expect:

  • Is it legal to operate? What are the requirements & local laws?

Local laws are the first major consideration before operating any business. The UK government usually implements A certain number of days for an Airbnb host to rent out their property. And this specifically varies depending on your particular city. Some cities will require registration and permit, and otherS have zoning restrictions. 

For instance, hosts are allowed to operate for 90 days without a permit, according to Airbnb rules in London. If you’re planning to operate for more than 90 days, it’s required to get a planning permit. 

  • Does your leasehold contract allow Airbnb?

Before purchasing a property in the UK, it’s important to go through the contract in detail. If it’s too complicated to understand, you can always ask for help from real estate agents or an attorney to get better insights. 
But the major task is to find out whether your leasehold contract allows Airbnb. 

Otherwise, there’s not really much you can do! It’s somewhat difficult to find a landlord that allows Airbnb as they are worried about possible damages to their property.

  • Mortgage restrictions 

If your property has a mortgage or any form of loan, it’s best to double-check with the lender. This is to make sure that there aren’t any restrictions on subletting or hosting – before you even begin!

  • Government’s Rent-a-Room Law

Have you ever heard of the Rent-a-room scheme in the UK? Hosts who earn less than £7,500 can opt into this scheme. The best part is it’s TAX-FREE! By simply letting a spare room or your whole home (furnished), you can let out your property without limitations.

Conclusion

Now that you have an overview of your potential Airbnb revenue in the UK, it’s time to stand out among the rest. By using an Airbnb profit calculator UK, you can accurately identify the most profitable area to do Airbnb. Not only will you be able to find the best areas with the highest average Airbnb income in the UK, but to go through historical data to predict long-term profitability!

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Airbnb Real Estate Investment: Is It Worth It?

Who would say NO to additional income and financial freedom? There’s no arguing that renting out your home or purchasing an investment property can be an excellent way to make more money. But, there are always risks and challenges to consider. 

If you want to learn about the risks and rewards of investing, compare Airbnb vs traditional renting, understand a good rental yield, and identify the best property types for Airbnb investment – continue reading!

Investing in Airbnb Rentals

Investing in an Airbnb property usually caters to various short-term guests throughout the year. Depending on your location, it can be a lot more profitable than traditional rentals – especially in high-demand areas. 

However, managing an Airbnb property will need skills such as time management, handling multiple tasks and responsibilities, and efficient communication among others. Consider it as a second job as it will require effort and time – but expect revenue as the major reward!

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most important questions regarding Airbnb real estate investments:

1. How much do Airbnb hosts make?

A US Airbnb host can make an average monthly revenue of $4,607.95 according to Airbtics’ data.

Essentially, this varies on several factors including the location, property type, seasonality, supply & demand, and many other important Airbnb key metrics. Let’s take a look at a typical Airbnb host’s earnings in Brooklyn:

Airbtics’ data shows that an average Airbnb host in Brooklyn, New York can earn the highest monthly revenue of $4,264 during the peak season in July. 

On the contrary, the lowest monthly revenue of $1,615 can be expected during the off-season in January. Here is a brief overview of actual Airbnb hosts along with their total revenue:

airbnb real estate investment
airbnb real estate investment

Source: Airbtics

Airbtics’ data shows that Airbnb investment can be profitable in Brooklyn. As long as you choose the right property type according to demand, target the best neighborhood, and consider your pricing strategy, you can easily calculate your Airbnb revenue.

2. Which cities are the BEST for Airbnb real estate investment?

We’ve taken a look at Airbnb’s travel trends in 2023, but the majority of cities did not achieve the 25% gross rental yield.

To accurately identify the best cities with 25% GRY, we used Airbtics, one of the best short-term rental analytics in the market. Here are the top-ranking cities for Airbnb real estate investment in the USA:

1. Warren, Michigan
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.99%
  • Average Property Price: $194,475 (3-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $50,547
  • Seasonality: 51%
  • Highest Revenue: $4,568 (July)
  • Lowest Revenue: $1,894 (January)
  • Occupancy Rate: 61%
2. Torrington, Connecticut
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.99%
  • Average Property Price: $108,573 (1-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $28,220
  • Seasonality: 59%
  • Highest Revenue: $3,685 (June)
  • Lowest Revenue: $1,032 (January)
  • Occupancy Rate: 57%
3. Fort Smith, Arkansas
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.98%
  • Average Property Price: $93,469 (2-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $26,217
  • Seasonality: 43%
  • Highest Revenue: $3,007 (July)
  • Lowest Revenue: $1,491 (August)
  • Occupancy Rate: 58%
4. Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.98%
  • Average Property Price: $137,834 (2-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $135,814
  • Seasonality: 77%
  • Highest Revenue: $4,157 (July)
  • Lowest Revenue: $244 (May)
  • Occupancy Rate: 40%
5. Danvers, Massachusetts
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.97%
  • Average Property Price: $761,082 (4-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $197,690
  • Seasonality: 65%
  • Highest Revenue: $6,237 (October)
  • Lowest Revenue: $1,609 (January)
  • Occupancy Rate: 76%
6. Tiverton, Rhode Island
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.97%
  • Average Property Price: $385,940 (2-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $100,212
  • Seasonality: 61%
  • Highest Revenue: $8,734 (July)
  • Lowest Revenue: $2,402 (January)
  • Occupancy Rate: 67%
7. Cedar Lake, Indianapolis
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.96%
  • Average Property Price: $354,778 (4-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $92,116
  • Seasonality: 41%
  • Highest Revenue: $5,025 (July)
  • Lowest Revenue: $2,552 (February)
  • Occupancy Rate: 86%
8. Desert Hot Springs, California
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.94%
  • Average Property Price: $513,635 (5-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $133,219
  • Seasonality: 70%
  • Highest Revenue: $4,967 (April)
  • Lowest Revenue: $1,270 (September)
  • Occupancy Rate: 50%
9. Pontiac, Michigan
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.94%
  • Average Property Price: $83,509 (2-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $21,659
  • Seasonality: 50%
  • Highest Revenue: $3,974 (July)
  • Lowest Revenue: $1,676 (November)
  • Occupancy Rate: 59%
10. Niagara Falls, New York
  • Gross Rental Yield: 25.93%
  • Average Property Price: $149,384 (3-bedroom property)
  • Annual Revenue: $38,739
  • Seasonality: 76%
  • Highest Revenue: $5,520 (July)
  • Lowest Revenue: $926 (February)
  • Occupancy Rate: 53%

These are the 3 factors that you should consider to select the best location for Airbnb business:

  • Lenient Local Rules and Regulations

There’s nothing more complicated than starting a business that breaches local laws. So it’s always best to invest in cities that have lenient local rules and regulations. Airbnb rules have zoning areas and other restrictions that vary per state and city. So it’s recommended to visit the local city hall and inquire to get answers. 

  • Seasonality

A market’s seasonality is important to expect revenue shifts in the Airbnb business. Low seasonality does not also mean that investing in that area is not profitable.

Usually, real estate investors are looking into markets with low seasonality. This is because they want a steady revenue! Compared to markets with high seasonality, there are also minimal risks. 

For instance, let’s look at the seasonality of two popular cities in California:

San Francisco: Low seasonality (49%)

Jackson: High seasonality (100%)

San Francisco achieves a 10.2% Gross Rental Yield for a 5-bedroom property. Although it has a low seasonality of 49%, it gets year-round bookings

For a similar 5-bedroom property in Jackson, it can provide an 8% Gross Rental Yield. It also has a high seasonality of 100%, but only has bookings during the peak season in March. Jackson’s seasonality is high because there’s not much travel demand throughout the year.

In this case, it’s ideal to invest in an Airbnb property in San Francisco instead of Jackson.  Even with its low seasonality, a property investor can expect year-round bookings. At the same time, you won’t have to wait only for a certain month to get bookings. 

  • Saturated Market

Competition in the Airbnb market varies depending on a particular location or neighborhood. For instance, Paris, France is an oversaturated market in Europe for tourists.

So if you plan on investing in a property within this city, expect that there will be a handful of competitors. This means that you will need to exert more effort to maintain profitability. Investing in an oversaturated market will force you to lower your prices to get bookings. The sad news here is that you won’t have much profit left.

Risks and Rewards of Airbnb Real Estate Investment

Learning the risks and rewards of investing in Airbnb is important. If you want to become an Airbnb host, here are the risks and rewards that you can expect:

🏆PROS: Rewards of Airbnb Investment:
I. Excellent Source of Passive Income

Let’s talk about money! If you plan on doing Airbnb as a side hustle or full-time, it’s certainly an excellent source of passive income. . Traditional renting’s monthly fee is a fixed rate. While Airbnb is a lot more profitable as you can increase your prices on a regular basis.

II. Ease of Finding Guests

Do you have a vacant room that’s waiting to get bookings? Airbnb property promotes itself and lets you worry less about finding renters. As long as you have all the details indicated to promote your Airbnb, it’s easier to get bookings. 

III. Vacation Home for Personal Purposes

If you ever want to just invite some friends over or host a family gathering, this is one of the perks! You can just simply block off certain dates on Airbnb if you feel like doing so. One of the rewards of investing in an Airbnb property is that you get to enjoy your hard work with the people you love!

IV. Worry-Free Cleaning Fees

Have we mentioned that Airbnb guests pay for cleaning? Once your guests book your property, they shoulder the cleaning fees! If your property has maintenance issues, you can add these in detail to your listing. This is so that guests will know what to expect.

⚠️CONS: Risks of Airbnb Investment:
I. Theft or Damaged Property

It’s always recommended to have cameras and home security equipment in case a robbery occurs. This will also increase security on your property. Airbnb insurance covers theft and damages caused by guests, but it’s certainly one of the risks.

II. Complaints from Neighbors

Several hosts claim that their neighbors are against Airbnb for various reasons. This includes excessive noise, parking, and even fear for their safety. The good news is that Airbnb global parties have been recently banned for good. 

It’s recommended to speak with your neighbors beforehand to avoid complaints. Provide clear guest policies and purchase noise management tools such as Noise Aware.

III. Possible Higher Expenses

Anticipating that there is a chance of higher expenses in Airbnb is common. This is because being an Airbnb host is a lot different from traditional renting. Almost everything should be available for guests’ use and positive reviews are crucial. The typical expenses include furniture and decor, utensils, and kitchen and bathroom amenities.

3. What is a Good Gross Rental Yield?

An excellent Gross Rental Yield should be at least 25%. This is to make sure that you can turn an undervalued property into a good investment in a short period of time. It’s more practical to purchase a cheaper property with a good return – instead of purchasing an expensive property in a high-revenue market.

A gross rental yield of 25% will give you an assurance that the cost of your Airbnb property will be recouped before considering the expenses. By anticipating your property’s gross rental yield, you will be able to determine your return on investment and make the right decisions moving forward.

Comparison: Airbnb vs Rental Income

If you’ve ever tried traditional renting, then you know that Airbnb can be a lot more lucrative. How so? Airbnb rental can be more lucrative because you can charge more on a daily basis! Depending on the seasonality, local events, and holidays, you can adjust prices accordingly. In comparison to renting a property for the long term to a tenant, which is usually a fixed monthly rate.

Check out the following comparison of Airbnb vs Traditional Rentals:

Airbnb Traditional Rentals
Various pricing: Pricing can be adjusted according to seasonality and local events Fixed pricing: Pricing can only be based on a monthly or yearly rate according to a contract
Possible Higher Operating Costs: Requires effort to invest in furniture, appliances, amenities, and other expenses Steady Operating Costs: Does not require to spend much on expensive upfront costs for furnishing
Active Management: Can be managed remotely and management tools can be automated, Experience hosting different guests and create connections Passive Management: Does not need consistent monitoring but could be risky for damages, Minimal interactions with long-term tenants
More Control Over Property Since Airbnb guests are in your property only for a short period of time, you can easily control and track any damages or mishaps. The best part is it’s mostly covered by Airbnb insurance. Less Control Over Property Long-term tenants are expected to decorate and make use of drills or hammers to do so. Should there be any damages, it should be discussed in the contract and agreed upon.

Airbnb Rental Analysis

Airbnb rental analysis is an important process that helps investors make wise decisions. To guarantee profitability, the property price should be cheaper than the return on investment. 

You’ll be glad to know that there are plenty of properties out there that have below-market value. And now is the time to take advantage of them! 

It’s also required to understand seasonality to expect high and low seasons. For instance, it’s best to look at beach areas that have a low seasonality but gets year-round bookings. Locations that guarantee high-season bookings only in certain months will bring inconsistent revenue. You should look forward to investing in a place that gets bookings all year round instead!

We analyzed Airbnb’s report about the top 10 states with high income and featured 2 cities in Florida. Here is a market comparison:

FLORIDA
Airbnb Key Metrics Deerfield Beach Panama City Beach
Gross Rental Yield % 29% 13%
Property prices: (2-bedroom) $225,565 $432,733
Annual Revenue $67,220 $56,666
Seasonality 62% 83%
Highest Revenue (peak season) $7,460 (March) $9,033 (July)
Lowest Revenue (off-season) $2,070 (September) $1,282 (January)

Source: Airbtics

Based on Airbtics’ data, investing in Deerfield Beach is an excellent Airbnb investment. Here’s how you can create this analysis compared to Panama City Beach:

1. Cheaper Property Value

The property price for a 2-bedroom apartment in Deerfield Beach is low-priced ($207,168 cheaper) than in Panama City Beach. With the same property size, Panama City Beach requires you to pay more. Whereas in Deerfield Beach, you can spend the other $200k in maintenance, utilities, and amenities. This is more than enough to make your Airbnb property prepared for beachfront guests!

2. Expect More Revenue

Aside from the fact that you paid less for the property in Deerfield Beach, the annual revenue is a lot higher ($10,554 more) than in Panama City Beach. 

Imagine if you had to pay $400k + and only earn $56k per year in Panama City Beach. Why waste money and invest there when there are several options that can bring good returns?

3. Low Seasonality

Deerfield Beach has low seasonality of 62%. But even during its off-season, you can still expect a monthly revenue of $2,070 in November.

In comparison to the off-season in Panama, you can only earn $1,282 in January. Deerfield Beach also has a relatively consistent round of bookings.

airbnb real estate investment

This thorough analysis of Airbnb is crucial for an investment property’s success. It’s easier to compare several locations using an accurate STR tool like Airbtics. It’s best to explore short-term rental providers available in the market to fulfill your investment goals.

Experts’ Insights: What’s the Best Property Type for your Airbnb Investment?

Let’s conclude that you have an allocated budget for any property type and would want to choose the best. By spying on your competitors in the market, you’ll be able to have an overview and make the best decision. 

To cite an example, we featured Niagara Falls in New York. There’s no denying that this is one of the many favorite tourist destinations in the USA! Here are the best property types for Airbnb investment in Niagara Falls.

Bedrooms Gross Rental Yield Property Prices Annual Revenue
1-bedroom 35% $95,537 $33,549
2-bedroom 27% $116,754 $38,831
3-bedroom 25% $149,384 $38,739
4-bedroom 31% $149,446 $46,737
5-bedroom 36% $146,879 $54,059

Airbtics’ data shows that 76% of listings in Niagara Falls are Entire Home Properties. At the same time, the majority of listings are 3-bedroom properties. We can conclude that property investors in Niagara are more likely to cater to families.  With a solid 25% GRY for a 3-bedroom property, it’s not surprising to do so!

However, a 1-bedroom home property in Niagara Falls can also be a great investment. It has the cheapest value among the rest! At the same time, you can expect a revenue of $33.5k, with a GRY of 35%. Imagine if you purchase two separate 1-bedroom properties, you can expect an annual revenue of $67,098 in Niagara Falls.

Property Types Number of Listings
1-bedroom 444
2-bedroom 511
3-bedroom 543
4-bedroom 163
5-bedroom 81
airbnb real estate investment
airbnb real estate investment
airbnb invest
airbnb invest
airbnb invest

Looking at some of the competitors in the Niagara Falls market, you can easily compare their Airbnb data.

LOOKING FOR PROFITABLE CITIES TO INVEST IN OUTSIDE THE US?

Discover the most recommended cities for property investments in Canada by checking the Airbnb occupancy statistics!

Conclusion

In summary, Airbnb real estate investment can be risky if market research is not done as the first step. This is where a smart & reliable tool like Airbtics is truly needed! It’s bad enough to waste money and energy on a property that won’t meet your financial expectations. But what’s worse is not taking advantage of resources to avoid losses.

Here’s our final recommendation! Once you set your eyes on a particular city, it’s best to analyze and compare each property’s prices and returns. Conducting market research using STR analytics tools like Airbtics will help you make a wise decision that you won’t regret

Categories
Case Studies

Increase your RevPAR by analyzing guest demands

How to increase the daily rate of your Airbnb listing while keeping your occupancy rate? Our team has been doing a crazy experiment using Airbnb data for the last couple of months. We wanted to see if we can make Airbnb hosts charge 20-30% more daily rate while maintaining their occupancy rates and without investing a hefty fee. 

 

We are a short-term rental analytics company processing 2 billion nights of Airbnb nights data every week and using this we were able to conclude that you can increase your daily rate and get the same amount of bookings, but by attracting different crowds and amending your offers. 

 

These are the example of common daily rate driver

  • Pet-friendly 
  • Hot tub or Pool 
  • Family-friendly 
  • Remote worker-friendly 
  • Long-term stay friendly 
  • Parking 

     

But the question is – how much of a higher daily rate can I increase by adding each of those services? A better question is, is there a way to identify this? 

Good news! Our demand research tool shows you the daily rate comparison of listings with certain services or amenity VS without. This can be useful if you are thinking of doing a rental arbitrage or if you already own vacation homes but looking to boost your revenue for this Summer. 

 Here are some case studies. These graphs are screenshotted from our app. 

Should I keep my strict cancellation policy?

Case 1. San Antonio, TX. Does your rental have a strict cancellation policy and happens to be located in San Antonio? Sad news, your listing is expected to have 40% fewer bookings than the listings without. If you want to increase your RevPAR, you may want to reconsider your cancellation option.

How airbnb cancellation policy affect your occupancy rate?

Should I make my Airbnb mid-term stay friendly?

Case 2. Navarre Beach, FL. It looks like it’s time to take care of the needs for mid-term stays. Airbnb guests are looking for a kitchen, washer, and parking rather than paying a premium for a hot tub or pool. They may prefer to just visit a beach nearby! You are highly likely to increase your RevPAR by equipping washer and kitchen (and parking if you can).

Mid-term airbnb is on demand

Should I make my Airbnb pet-friendly?

Case 3. Sunriver OR (But this pattern was observed from many other destinations in the US) 


Americans love traveling with their pets or at least they are willing to pay a huge premium for it, at least according to the data we see. We’ve seen a surge in both ADR and occupancy rates for pet-friendly listings in Sunriver, OR. For your reference, Sunriver is one of the top summer destinations in the US in 2021, 60% of Airbnb nights are already booked for this summer.  

 

There will be much more wear and tear by allowing pets to be at your vacation home, but you may change your mind after knowing how much you can earn more by allowing pets at your home.

Pet friendly Airbnb is booming

Should I buy a washer for my Airbnb?

Case 4. Brighton, UK.

What’s happening in the UK? There’s a high demand for a mid-term stay in this traditional vacation destination called Brighton. This reflects the current travel restriction in the UK. People aren’t allowed to travel unless it’s necessary. Listings with hot tubs or pools won’t be booked, but listing with kitchen and washer are on-demand.

Airbnb with Pool and occupancy rate

Here’s a disclaimer. The data only shows the daily rate and the occupancy rate difference between listings with a specific amenity vs without. So, there could be a scenario where listings with pools have lower daily rates but it’s not because of the pool but because the listings with pools tend to be far away from a beach. 

 

Nevertheless, this can help you understand the demand in your market. Many of our users are using this tool to find the supply-demand gap in the market. Then, they strategically market their listings to target the under-supplied group of guests. This typically results in a surge in their amount of bookings and an increase in the RevPAR.  

Categories
Case Studies

Short-Term or Long-Term Rentals: Which One is Better?

As a first-time property investor, you are bound to run into the classic dilemma: short-term or long-term rentals. This issue is not just about how long to rent out your properties for, but also an issue of owning vs. renting property. Traditionally, owning real estate is the ultimate goal for property investors, but ownership has become less common over the years.

Building your real estate portfolio or property management business is now more achievable through short-term rental options that can also bring you passive income and reliable cash flow. The differences between the two types of rental properties should not be overlooked; take some time to understand which type is tailored best to your business goals and objectives.

For some investors, the end goal is solely focused on turning a profit, but for others, managing a property business is about enjoying a side hustle. 

First, let’s take a more detailed look at the definition of each rental type.

Table of Contents

Short-Term or Long-Term Rentals: What is the difference?

A short-term rental is typically a vacation rental property that is rented out on a short-term basis to guests in a similar fashion to hotels. However, this type of rental allows the guests to feel more comfortable and “at-home” because these properties are typically furnished like so. 

One popular cash flow model used for this type of rental is rental arbitrage, which is essentially renting out a property or apartment unit and then re-renting it out on a short-term basis on vacation rental platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, or HomeAway. This type of rental business is quite common among entrepreneurs who would rather avoid the complexities involved in becoming a property owner (background check, loan approvals, credit check, etc).

On the other hand, a long-term rental is the traditional type of rental property that is typically used for residential purposes. This rental property type is usually protected by a lease agreement of at least 6 months or more with more binding terms than a short-term rental would. Many homeowners choose to rent out their properties to tenants at a higher price than their mortgage to bring in stable, monthly income that remains consistent regardless of the economic conditions. Most people are usually more familiar with this type of rental property as it is more traditional and widely-known.

alquileres a corto plazo alquileres a largo plazo

Now that we understand the definition of both vacation rentals and long-term rental properties, let’s dive into each aspect of rental properties that outlines both the benefits and downsides of a short-term or long-term rental.

Profitability

The end goal of every business is to turn a profit. With both vacation rentals and long-term rentals, there is no doubt that both types provide a lucrative stream of monthly income. The question is: Are short-term or long-term rentals more profitable?

The short answer is that short-term rentals have the potential to earn more cash flow (2x to 5x) each month.

Here is why:

Many short-term rental business owners opt to use the rental arbitrage business model in which property investors can pick up multiple properties with rental leases instead of buying properties that require binding mortgages.

This process of serial renting allows for a fast-scaling business. Also, the investment costs of doing rental arbitrage for vacation rentals vs. long-term rental costs are much smaller. Short-term rentals require security deposits for the lease, furnishing costs, and monthly rent plus utilities, which might amount to a couple of thousand dollars.

However, running a short-term vs. long-term rental means your monthly budget will include replacing furniture, sheets, cleaning fees/supplies, property management software fees, unexpected guest damages, soap, toiletries, and more.

Vacation rentals can be even more equipped with household goods than hotels are with pots, pans, dish soap, laundry detergent, and just about anything you can think of that a regular home has. 

In the name of convenience and homeliness, there is a cost associated with all these extra, special touches. However, these small details are worth the cost even if they add up because your monthly profit should surpass your expenses if your vacation rental is managed properly.

alquileres a corto plazo alquileres a largo plazo

Long-term rentals, on the other hand, may require a 20% down payment, property taxes, HOA fees, and utilities. The initial investment for long-term rentals can be tens of thousands of dollars more expensive than short-term rentals (acquired by rental arbitrage). Also, owning a long-term rental property may require a whole year or more to regenerate the original investment money amount and buy a second property.

Even if you do own a short-term rental property instead of doing rental arbitrage, short-term rentals can help you easily scale your business into more cash flow each month, thus increasing your opportunity to invest in more properties in the future.

Make sure to do your market research for your niche, target guests, and location in order to maximize your potential profitability from short-term or long-term rentals.

Maintenance and Cleaning

Short-term rentals undergo constant maintenance and cleaning, which ensures the property investor’s ability to maintain the quality of the property on almost a daily basis. Although the cleaning is your responsibility, you have the option to outsource the cleaning duties to a cleaning company or hire a cleaning service so you don’t need to personally clean yourself.

For long-term rentals, on the other hand, maintenance is taken out of your hands and cleaning duties are mostly in the hands of the tenant. You own the property, so the maintenance that you need to do only involves large damages, such as broken A/C or damaged infrastructure.

This lowkey maintenance seems like less upkeep, but residential rentals are more difficult to monitor for cleanliness on a daily basis. You cannot go inside whenever you want without the tenant’s permission and it’s difficult to control how clean the tenant will keep your property. 

Background Checks

Whether you decide to do a short-term or long-term rental, the one factor that is important to consider is who your guests or tenants are. 

One downside of short-term rentals is that hosts and property owners are not able to screen guests. This aspect of short-term rentals is inevitable. In this business, as with any other business, you will encounter undesirable guests at some point or another.

One weekend you might have wild party guests who damage your property (a host’s worst nightmare), and then have the best guests ever the next weekend. According to Airbnb, they do not routinely perform background checks on its users, although they reserve the right to do so. 

Despite not being able to run an official background check on short-term rental guests, here are some questions to ask potential guests before allowing them to reserve your calendar:

  • What is the purpose of your trip?
  • How many adults and how many children will be staying in the rental?
  • Have you stayed with us before or at another vacation rental before?
  • Do you smoke or do you have any pets you will be bringing on the trip with you?

These questions should help you make a good judgment on whether or not you would like to rent your property out to a potential guest, without doing an official background check.

Take some time to have a conversation with the potential guests and explain your rules for the stay, such as no smoking, no parties, no more than 6 additional guests (due to COVID-19). Keep in mind that you are not allowed to ask questions that violate discrimination laws involving age, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, disabilities, and more. Your purpose in asking questions is to make a good judgment on a guest’s character, not to discriminate against them.

Fortunately, as a long-term rental property owner, you won’t run into the same problem. Residential rentals allow you the leverage to run proper tenant screening and background checks to make sure that the tenant is reliable and trustworthy. For some property investors, this option may be more preferable.

Commitment

Managing one rental property, let alone an entire portfolio of real estate requires a level of commitment and maintenance that varies depending on the rental property type and how you decide to operate. Vacation rentals are a full-time business commitment; it’s a 24/7 hustle like many hospitality services.

There are several factors to consider when renting out your property on a short-term basis (from every night to every few nights), such as constant maintenance, marketing, management, coordinating maintenance, purchasing supplies, hiring cleaners, and more. 

However, short-term rentals are not as financially binding as long-term rentals are if you do rental arbitrage. Instead of being tied down by massive startup costs, property investors have the flexibility to test out new locations and have less commitment to yearly rental leases. 

If your short-term rentals are not performing well in a specific location, the worst that will happen is you break the lease, pay the lease extermination fees, and move on to a new location that is more profitable. Mortgages do not allow for this flexibility, but those are the responsibilities that come with property ownership. 

Tax purposes

As a business or property owner, filing for taxes can either be daunting or a blessing in disguise. There are different tax advantages as well as disadvantages associated with both vacation rentals and long-term rentals, so here’s a quick overview:

  • Short-term rental businesses can receive tax deductions for property decorations, furniture, paint, etc.
  • Running an STR through rental arbitrage means no property taxes and no need to insure property appliances
  • Long-term rental costs include property taxes and HOA fees
  • However, long-term rentals can also receive tax deductions from mortgage interest, depreciation, property taxes, and property repairs
  • In some parts of the world, tax rates for LTRs are much higher than STRs

This list of tax considerations for each rental property type is indefinite, so make sure to consult with your accountant and financial advisor about your taxes for rental properties.

Flexibility in Pricing and Occupancy

One huge advantage of short-term rentals over long-term rentals is the flexibility in pricing models and control over your calendar. When pricing your daily rates for a vacation rental, don’t forget to do your market research! 

Occupancy rates and average daily rates are not random numbers pulled out of thin air; this data depends on several factors, such as your location, the seasonality, the historical rates, the amenities you provide, the quality of your property, the rent or mortgage of the property each month, and the list goes on. 

You have the power to price your property the way you want to, but make sure that your pricing is reasonable and backed by accurate information (and covers your monthly expenses).

With short-term rentals, you also have more control over your calendar. Through direct booking sites, Airbnb, VRBO, or Homeaway, hosts have the flexibility to block off dates whenever they want, meaning they have control over when they want your property to be occupied. If you have family visiting you in town for a holiday, you can block off those specific dates and accommodate your family instead of other guests. 

Your dates are at your discretion.

With long-term rental properties, landlords typically charge tenants rent that is around 1% of the home’s value instead of charging per night like with vacation rentals. There isn’t much flexibility in the homeowner’s ability to upcharge based on the number of tenants or rule violations with residential rentals. 

Additionally, tenants in long-term rentals usually live in the property for at least 6 months or usually yearly lease contracts.

Regulations

The rise of short-term rentals combined with the increased spread of COVID-19 has caused STR regulations and rules to evolve all around the world. Even before the pandemic, many local communities either banned property investors from STR or required them to obtain STR licenses, permits. 

So before you start your short-term rental empire, make sure to research your region or city’s rules and regulations to avoid future headaches.

short term vs long term rentals restrictions

Nowadays, strict regulations for short-term rentals are becoming more prominent in some regions, especially as COVID-19 continues to damage the travel industry. Some hosts saw a drastic drop in guest occupancy in 2020, while others received bookings from people who were trying to escape hard-hit areas, or who wanted to ride out the isolation in a more comfortable environment. 

Some local authorities were not pleased with the influx of out-of-town visitors, which could increase the spread of the virus. This led to even tighter short-term rental restrictions in communities in Northern California, Colorado, and more. 

Restrictions are not just from the local government, they can also be from a homeowner’s association. Long-term rentals are also subject to HOA rules and regulations, but there are no restrictive bans or required licenses to operate a long-term rental.

Hospitality vs. Pride of Ownership

Do you prefer running a hospitality business or having pride in owning property while enjoying low maintenance?

The differences between vacation and residential rentals are paramount to your values and personal preferences. With STR, you have the opportunity to meet new people almost every day.

Short-term rentals allow you the opportunity to meet travelers and visitors from all around the world who want a more authentic stay. Running a short-term rental business is about making connections with people around the globe through a shared home, which may serve as an invaluable experience for many property owners.

You may discover a passion for hosting new people and creating long-lasting relationships through your lodging services, or you might realize that you feel the exact opposite. In that case, you can switch over to a long-term rental or outsource the customer service aspects of an STR business to someone else.

Having pride in property ownership may seem more valuable to some property investors than others because there is a myriad of other ways to create passive income with real estate. Additionally, homeownership is not limited to only long-term rentals; short-term rentals are also owned property.

Seasonality vs. Stability

The last aspect of comparing vacation rentals and long-term rentals involves whether or not you prefer some fast-paced, peak months, and some slow months or a stable income that does not fluctuate. 

For short-term rentals, there can be several slow, off-months when vacation rentals are not in-season while other months might be jam-packed and fully booked for local events or holidays. This is why many hosts decide to save their revenue for safety income during the slow seasons.

On the contrary, long-term rentals provide a stable stream of income regardless of holidays, slow seasons, or the state of the economy due to the binding nature of residential leases. Some property investors enjoy more peace of mind with this stability and predictability, while others enjoy the unpredictability of the short-term rental industry, like this successful Airbnb host in Dallas, TX.

The short-term rental industry may not be as traditionally “stable” as long-term rentals are, but using data intelligence and accurate information to strengthen your business strategy can help you achieve even more cash flow and stability. 

After reviewing the extensive and inexhaustible list of benefits and downfalls of both types, it’s safe to say that short-term rentals have the potential to provide more lucrative cash flow with less investment costs, but with more daily commitment.

Long-term rentals require less daily maintenance, higher investment costs, and a certain sense of stability. Take the time to review your options and decide which rental property type is best suited for your goals and aspirations.

Access accurate data analytics in our interactive dashboard here to understand your target market.

Categories
Case Studies

Choosing a Vacation Rental Data Platform

Table of Contents

Vacation Rental Data Platforms in the Market

How to assess which vacation rental analytics is the right one for you can be a complicated decision. There are a few key players providing short-term rental analytics services, namely AirDNA, See Transparent, Alltherooms Analytics and Airbtics. Having access to the data can be very useful in the decision making process for people in the short-term rental business, but the question that most ask is which platform should they choose? Hence, we did a comparison between those platforms to determine how each of them benefit the property investors and operators in different ways. 

Background Information of those Platforms

Amongst the four companies, Alltherooms Analytics was founded in 2013, followed by AirDNA in 2014, SeeTransparent in 2016 and Airbtics in 2019. In terms of expansion of their company, AirDNA has the greatest team, with 52 employees in two of their offices, Denver and Barcelona. SeeTransparent, AlltheRooms Analytics and Airbtics have a smaller scaled team in Madrid, New York and London respectively. All of these companies have access to worldwide vacation rental data through bookings from Airbnb and VRBO/Homeaway. In addition, SeeTransparent includes booking data from booking.com and Tripadvisor while Airbtics has plans to include data from booking.com starting in March 2021.

Reliability of the Vacation Rental Data

The best way to determine the reliability of vacation rental data is to understand how companies get those data. With up to 10 million property listings published on Airbnb and VRBO, some methods used by the companies include:

  • Web scraping to extract publicly available information such as the daily rates
  • Receiving booking information from PMS software or channel management softwares
  • Directly getting data from Airbnb hosts 
  • Interviewing Airbnb hosts 
  • References from previous clients 

We believe another method that would further prove the reliability of the data is having a consortium or committee where they objectively review the process and quality of collecting the data. This would ensure the accuracy and transparency in the vacation rental data industry.

Purpose of having Vacation Rental Data

Property operators (Host / Managers)

With the growing demand for vacation rentals, competitions across different regions are also increasing. Hence, by having data of the competitors, property operators can compare it against their listings and the market trends to better strategize on ways to increase their revenue. There are some features from the vacation rental data platforms that can be useful for the property operators. Thousands of property managers around the world are already tapping into these resources to help them make better decisions and many of them have seen their revenue increased with the help of those data. 

Airbtics

Airbtics leverages the power of big data to help property operators with dynamic pricing, as well as to increase their booking rate and inventory efficiently. We provide two types of data through application programming interface (API); near real-time booking data from Airbnb and VRBO as well as 30 days of future data on supply, demand and rate. These data are useful for dynamic pricing. Finding property owners who are looking for property managers are usually expensive and time-consuming, so Airbtics generates a list of newly created Airbnb listings per city on a weekly basis. With the rapid growth of the East Asia market, do you know that Chinese tourists are now the biggest outbound travellers? We are able to help property operators understand their platforms like Tujia.com, Yanolja, etc. 

Airbtics has the option of checking the top performing homes and filtering data between super hosts or normal hosts on its dashboard, so property operators can easily identify their strongest competitors. They are also able to detect the pricing strategies used for other listings, which include mid-term rental, max fill-rate and weekend high, so property operators can use that as a reference to set their own pricing strategies. In terms of revenue projection, Airbtics has come up with the short-term rental calculator, which helps to forecast the revenue of a vacation rental property.   

AirDNA

AirDNA offers information on the booking pace of properties in the specified market, ratings on rental demand, rental settings of competitors which includes cancellation policy and minimum stay, as well as Airbnb ratings based on check-in, accuracy, value, location, communication and cleanliness. 

AirDNA also has data that can help property operators set their optimum ADR of their listings. Their dashboard shows real-time availability of competing properties for up to 6 months into the future and the prices they were booked for. Secondly, they have the forward modeling, where they identify upcoming seasonal shifts and compression events that may impact the demand. Thirdly, they developed an Airbnb calculator called AirDNA Rentalizer, which helps to calculate the potential revenue in comparison with the current top ten most comparable listings on Airbnb. 

SeeTransparent

Similar to AirDNA, SeeTransparent offers information on the booking pace of properties in the specified market. Besides, they also show guests reviews of the available properties and offer a ranking system on the listings based on their performances. 

SeeTransparent offers a function, Pickup, which enables property operators to check on current demand and availability of the listings for the next 360 days. Like AirDNA, they identify events in the market that may impact the demand for STRs and have a tool to estimate returns for specific properties.   

Alltherooms Analytics

Alltherooms Analytics rates the property listings with a vacation rental score, which is derived from analyzing the bookings, earnings and reviews of listings in a city. Property operators can add up to five properties to compare on those points. In order to get the score for any property listings, the user has to simply insert their Airbnb listing URL on the dashboard.  

Property operators can also use precision filtering of up to five dimensions to more accurately identify their direct competitors. Their dashboard holds up to two years of historical data which can help the property operators in their decision making process with regards to their amenities and ADRs. 

Property investors

Investing in a vacation rental property is a huge decision and selecting the perfect property may not be the easiest decision. Property investors have to use market research tools to get data like average daily rate and occupancy rate in order to calculate the net rental yield, return on investment (ROI) and cash return. Then, they compare those metrics across the different classifications of properties based on two key factors, geographical locations and number of rooms they have. Those steps will help to determine if a property is ideal as a vacation rental. It is critical to make the right decision on the two key factors as they would not be able to alter it in any way after, unlike purchasing amenities or beds. Those vacation rental data platforms offer some data which may be useful for property investors in making their decision. 

Airbtics

Airbtics provide customized investment and market reports on a yearly basis where property investors can compare the performances of STRs over the years. We released the Tailored Region Explorer feature recently, where users can customize their specific region of interest and get data just on that region. This will give property investors an opportunity to zoom into smaller and perhaps the underrated markets and gain a competitive advantage over other investors. 

Airbtics also provides ADRs, occupancy rates, and revenue data, but what stands out is that it gives property investors actionable insights. As a property investor, you would be interested to know the answer for questions like “should I buy a 2 bedroom house or a 3 bedroom house?”

*The feature below is only available on the enterprise plan currently but will become available to everyone in 2021 January.* 

Graph, Number of rooms, Occupancy rates

Besides the STR calculator where both property operators and investors can use to predict their revenue, Airbtics also provides historical data from year 2018 which can help property investors forecast the future market trends and potential properties to invest in. 

AirDNA

AirDNA provides performance data where they identify the most lucrative locations to invest in. The Airbnb calculator rentalizor tool and ratings on rental demand mentioned above for property operators are also useful for property investors in figuring out the potential revenue they can get from the properties they have shortlisted. 

AirDNA also offers market data, which includes top properties, detailed and summarised listing historical data, trend report, weekly pacing report and downloadable custom data which can be delivered on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.    

SeeTransparent

SeeTransparent allows users to create custom groups based on filters such as more precise location, best reviewed listings, bathroom counts, amenities or luxury listings. These custom groups are useful to property investors in finding the best type of properties to invest in. They can also use the tool mentioned above for property operators to estimate returns on specific properties which they have shortlisted.

By tracking the market supply and performances of individual listings in specific regions on their dashboards, property investors can decide if there is still a demand for short-term rental in those regions.     

Alltherooms Analytics

Alltherooms Analytics provides market data such as ADRs, occupancy rates and revenue on different property types and locations. These data are essential for property investors to find out the demand of STRs in various locations. Alltherooms Analytics also came up with a calculator to determine the profitability of a short-term rental property, with easy-to-fill parameters such as street address, number of guests who can stay, number of bedrooms and number of bathrooms. 

Beside the real-time data, the company provides up to four years of historical data and where property investors can do their forecast based on those data. 

Pricing

AirDNA, SeeTransparent and Alltherooms Analytics offer solutions for enterprises and the prices depend on the types of customized data the clients are looking for, thus, not mentioned below.

User Experience

It is important to have a platform that is easy to navigate, where users can find the data that they need with ease. 

Airbtics

  • Dashboard is well-labelled and organized
  • FAQ button available at the top of the page in case the users have some general queries about the platform
  • Able to switch between 3 different currencies (USD, Euro, Pound)
  • Free trial version available for users to use

AirDNA

  • Automated chatbots on their website can be useful when users are unable to find what they are looking for
  • Dashboard is well-labelled and organized
  • Able to switch between 2 different currencies (USD and Pound)
  • Free trial version available for users to use

SeeTransparent

  • Automated chatbots on their website can be useful when users are unable to find what they are looking for
  • Dashboard is well-labelled and organized
  • Information on dashboard available in 3 different languages (English, Spanish, French)
  • Useful to have the breakdown of number of listings from different booking channels on the main page of dashboard 
  • Free trial version available for users to use

Alltherooms Analytics

  • Dashboard is well-labelled and organized
  • Some data on dashboard does not load well
  • Able to switch between 9 different currencies (Canadian dollar, Indian rupee, Euro, Mexican peso, Brazilian real, USD, Pound, Australian dollar, South African rand)
  • Free trial version available for users to use

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