Short Term Rentals (or STRs) are an amazing source of income and wealth building when purchased and managed correctly. If you are thinking about jumping into the world of vacation rentals, make sure to start here.
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- Q: Can everything in Mammoth be rented nightly?
- A: No, a property must be zoned for nightly rentals. In general, condos are zoned for this, but not single family homes.
- Q: Can everything in Mammoth be rented nightly?
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- Q: What size property is the best for STR?
A: This really depends on what you are looking for. If you are planning on using the unit yourself or with your family, obviously the priority would be finding a size that works for your group. In general, we like to say the smaller the better, as the smaller units are more likely to book during slow seasons and keep occupancy up. Cleaning fees and general headaches are lower with smaller units (eg; it’s hard for someone to throw a party in your rental when it’s a 400 sqft studio.) We personally don’t invest in or manage units larger two bedrooms.
- Q: What size property is the best for STR?
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- Q: What area of town in the best for STR?
A: It really doesn’t matter! Renters are willing to pay a small premium to be walking distance to lifts, however, you have to purchase these properties at a premium as well. Your income might be higher, but your expenses will as well, so your rate of return is probably relatively the same. What I like to recommend is finding complexes that allow renters to have pets. I’ve found that whether a unit is pet friendly or not is a better determination of higher income than it being in proximity to a lift.
- Q: What area of town in the best for STR?
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- Q: How much money will I make?
A: I can’t answer this question. (And if anyone tries to, they’re just guessing.) It depends on many things, as I mentioned earlier, location, whether it is pet friendly, as well as how updated the unit is, what amenities the complex offers, sleep arrangements, and most importantly, how the unit is managed. What I can do is offer historical income data from our units so you can help educate yourself
- Q: How much money will I make?
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- Q: Can you help me find a property?
A: While I am technically licensed in California, I am not an active agent. I highly recommend reaching out to Dennis Cox at Mammoth Realty Group to help you find your perfect Mammoth condo though.
- Q: Can you help me find a property?
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- Q: Will my property sit empty all summer?
A: Definitely not. If you haven’t experienced Mammoth in the summer, you absolutely should. All summer long we have tourists passing through town to enjoy Mammoth or to stay the night on their way to Yosemite National Park.
- Q: Will my property sit empty all summer?
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- Q: What kind of taxes do I have to pay?
A: In addition to your state and federal taxes on income, the Town of Mammoth Lakes charges a 13% Transient Occupancy Tax and a 1% Tourism Business Improvement District, which is generally lumped together for a total 14% TOT.
- Q: What kind of taxes do I have to pay?
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- Q: What cleaning company do you recommend?
A: We have our own cleaners that work for us instead of outsourcing this service, but if you chose to go it alone, I can recommend a few options. Reach out to me directly via email.
- Q: What cleaning company do you recommend?
- Q: Is it a good idea to self manage from a distance?
A: It is absolutely possible to self manage from a distance, and there are plenty of people here that do. Whether it’s a good idea is another story. Ask yourself if you are okay with receiving calls at 10pm from guests who are having a hard time finding your unit in the dark and need more directions. Or when a guest messages and says they need some extra towels, who is going to go drop them off? You can put systems in place to make this work, but if you are looking for more of an investment than another job, I recommend looking into local property management.