How we estimate
Every home on STR Exchange shows what it could earn on Airbnb or Vrbo. Here is where each number comes from, what it includes, and what it leaves out.
For each home we list, we run a BNBCalc report. BNBCalc looks at similar short-term rentals near the home, how often they were booked over the last 12 months and what guests paid a night, and estimates the home's revenue, occupancy and nightly rate.
For many homes we also check AirDNA, a second data company, and show its estimate next to BNBCalc's. When the two disagree, you see both.
Each home says which source it uses and the month the numbers were run. Homes we listed before we ran BNBCalc on every home say "Our estimate when listed" and the month.
What guests would pay in an average month, before any costs. Shown as a $1,000 range.
The share of nights that get booked over a year, and what a guest pays a night on average. Both shown as ranges, like 60% to 70% and $200 to $300.
For homes with a BNBCalc report, this is BNBCalc's own profit: revenue minus the rent and the running costs, like cleaning, supplies, utilities and booking fees. For some older listings it is revenue minus rent, before running costs, and the home says so.
The same profit with 20% fewer bookings and the same costs. If that turns into a loss, the home says so.
Twelve bars, one per month, from BNBCalc's month by month booking data for homes nearby. The tallest bar is the busiest month.
How many comparable short-term rentals BNBCalc found near the home, how far out they go, and what the middle half of them earned a month over the last year. We never show their names or where they are.
Members see the exact rent and the address. Landlords trust us to bring them serious, vetted people, so the public page shows the rent as a range at least $1,000 wide, and nothing else on the page pins it down further.
The landlord said yes to Airbnb. Every home on STR Exchange has the landlord's or property manager's OK to run it as a short-term rental before we list it. The home shows the month we confirmed it.
City rules. Each city we cover has a guide with its rules in plain words and a green, yellow or red light. A home in a named city links to its guide. Members see the rules for every home.
The numbers. The month the report was run, so you can see how fresh it is.
Still for rent. We check homes against their public rental listing. When we have seen a home still for rent in the last two weeks, it shows the date of that check.
An estimate is not a promise. What a home earns depends on how you price it, your photos and reviews, the season, and how well it is run. Use the numbers to compare homes and pick the ones worth a closer look. Members see the full report for each home, and a support manager can walk you through it.