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The Daily Insight

How many vacation rental properties are in the US?

Author

Andrew Mclaughlin

Published Mar 12, 2026

Number of U.S. vacation rental companies and properties The total number of vacation rental companies in the U.S. is currently at 23,000, which makes up 20 percent of all the vacation rental companies in the world.

What is vacation rental property?

A vacation rental is the renting out of a furnished apartment, house, or professionally managed resort-condominium complex on a temporary basis to tourists as an alternative to a hotel. The term vacation rental is mainly used in the US.

How many properties can you have on VRBO?

2 million properties
Vrbo — which stands for Vacation Rental By Owner — has been around since 1995. It has 2 million properties in 190 countries, all of which are entire homes, so no single room shares within a home are available.

How many vacation rental companies are there?

Globally, there are 115,000 vacation rental companies. 600,000 Americans use online platforms, such as AirBnB, to rent out their homes, condos, apartments, and/or rooms to short-term guests.

How much money can you make off VRBO?

Owners can use VRBO to rent out their entire vacation home, apartment, or condo. If you’re only looking to rent out a room in your home, VRBO isn’t the place for you. Give Airbnb a try instead. Homeowners who offer short-term rentals through VRBO earn an average of $33,000 per year.

How do you evaluate a vacation rental?

To evaluate a potential vacation rental home investment, look at comparable rental rates on sites like Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO. In general, real estate will increase in value over time but certain markets will have a greater upside over time.

How do I evaluate a short term rental?

5 Ways to Evaluate Your Market for Short-Term Rental Potential

  1. Determine Its Appeal to Tourists.
  2. Investigate the Local Economy.
  3. Find Out About the Cost of Living.
  4. Dig Into Airbnb Analytics for the Area.
  5. Know Your Target Market.

How are short term rental rates calculated?

Simple ROI Calculation

  1. ROI = (Income from Investment – Cost of Investment)/Cost of Investment.
  2. ROI = ($120,000 – $100,000)/$50,000 = 0.2 = 20%
  3. Step 1 – Net Operating Income = Rental Income – Operating Expenses.
  4. Step 2 – Cap Rate = Net Operating Income/Purchase Price × 100%
  5. Cap Rate = ($10,000/$211,500) x 100% = 4.73%.

How much should you spend on a vacation home?

In order to never have your vacation property feel like a burden, heres my vacation property buying rule: spend no more than 10% – 20% of your net worth on a vacation property purchase price (not downpayment). For example, if you net worth is $3 million, spend no more than $300,000 – $600,000 on a vacation property.

Can you make a living off VRBO?

Making money on VRBO depends on understanding guest desires, setting up an appealing listing, and charging competitive rates. But, perhaps most important is offering a high-quality, memorable guest experience, which will draw positive reviews, enhance rankings on VRBO, and help you make money from the listing.

How do I prepare my home for a vacation rental?

How to Turn Your Home into a Vacation Rental

  1. Take down your family photos.
  2. Keep the necessities.
  3. Keep a locked closet and cabinet.
  4. Set house rules and create an availability calendar.
  5. Get a lockbox or keyless entry for check-ins.
  6. Give your home a deep clean.

Are Short-term rentals more expensive?

When short-term leases are made available, they’re typically more expensive than a traditional 12-month lease. The reason being is that short-term leases cost landlords and apartments more. This is money that they wouldn’t have otherwise lost had the original renter signed a longer lease.

How much is my rental business worth?

To calculate its GRM, we divide the sale price by the annual rental income: $500,000 ÷ $90,000 = 5.56. You can compare this figure to the one you’re looking at, as long as you know its annual rental income. You can find out its market value by multiplying the GRM by its annual income.

What is a good return for a vacation rental property?

Typically, a good return on your investment is 15%+. Using the cap rate calculation, a good return rate is around 10%. Using the cash on cash rate calculation, a good return rate is 8-12%. Some investors won’t even consider a property unless the calculation predicts at least a 20% return rate.