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Short-Term Rental

Will this Airbnb cash flow?

The property
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yr
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$/mo
Revenue assumptions
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nights
Operating expenses
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$/mo
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Annual cash flow

-$5,954

That’s -$496/month after all expenses and the mortgage. With $118,500 of cash invested (down + closing + furnishing), your cash-on-cash return is -5.0%. STR revenue ($5,239/mo) appears to be $2,539/mo above an estimated long-term rent, and that premium is what you’re trading for the operational complexity.

Annual gross revenue

$62,871

237 nights × $225 + cleaning

Annual operating expenses

$38,619

platform, mgmt, cleaning, utils, supplies, repairs/capex, taxes, ins, HOA

NOI (before mortgage)

$24,252

net operating income

Annual debt service

$30,206

$2,517/mo P&I (PITI+HOA totals $3,167/mo)

Annual cash flow

-$5,954

-$496/mo

Cash-on-cash return

-5.0%

$118,500 cash invested

Cap rate

5.39%

NOI / purchase price

RevPAR

$146

revenue per available night

Gross yield

14.0%

gross revenue / purchase price

STR risks this doesn’t price in

Regulation risk is the #1 issue. Cities and HOAs have been steadily banning or restricting STRs (NYC, LA, Barcelona, Lisbon, dozens of US suburbs). Always check local STR ordinances before buying. A ban can wipe out your business overnight while you still owe the mortgage.

Furnishing budget: a turnkey STR needs $15-40k in furniture, kitchenware, linens, decor, and electronics. Premium "Instagrammable" finishes drive higher nightly rates and are often necessary in saturated markets.

Time cost: guest communication, calendar management, cleaner coordination, restock runs, maintenance. Self-managing 1 unit is 5-10 hrs/week. Multiply for more units.

Seasonality: a beach property might book 90% Jun-Aug and 30% Nov-Feb. Make sure your annual occupancy assumption averages to a number you can sustain across seasons.

Doesn’t model: occupancy taxes (varies wildly by city, often 10-15% of room rate), permitting/licensing fees, security deposits/damage claims, the 14-day rule for personal-use vacation home tax classification, depreciation, depreciation recapture on sale.