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From Airbnb’s move toward price transparency to hot properties in this week’s STR Classifieds and fresh insights from across the Airbnb and housing economy—this week’s newsletter dives into the headlines reshaping how hosts price, guests book, and investors adapt. Stay informed, spot trends early, and get ahead in the STR market.

🔹 Top 10 STR Classifieds – Here are the trending Airbnb homes for sale on and off the market.
🔹 Airbnb Pricing Transparency – What began as an EU mandate is now a global shift toward full pricing honesty. What’s working—and how smart hosts are adapting.
🔹 Trending Market Insights – Headlines across housing, Airbnb and STR policy, travel, and the economy.

Let’s dive in.

— The STR Scout Team

🌲 $230K | Friendship, WI: Renovated lake retreat on 2 wooded acres. 1BD/1BA with vaulted ceilings, new appliances, LVP flooring, and bluff views. Kayak-friendly water access, near ATV trails & WI Dells. View Post.

🏙️ $435K | St. Louis, MO: Turnkey 4BD/2.5BA STR in Dogtown grossing $75K+/yr. 2000+ sqft, fully furnished, near Forest Park & major attractions. High-demand location, ready to cash flow. View Post.

🌵 $490K | Prescott, AZ: Two 1930s bungalows in prime STR zone. 1 furnished STR/MTR, 1 LTR rented below market. Walk to downtown, courthouse & shops. $38K gross w/ upside. Off-market deal—act fast. View Post.

🛶 $575K | Speedwell, TN: 4BD/2BA, 2200+ sqft lakefront log cabin on Norris Lake. Private dock, wooded lot, garage game room, STR-ready. 1hr to Knoxville. Peaceful, secluded, and full of potential. View Post.

🏖️ $575K each | Panama City Beach, FL: Two 2019-built duplexes, each w/ two 2BD/2BA units. STR potential ~$30K/side. One fully rented, one has vacancy for owner/tenant. $95K total annual income. View Post.

⛰️ $624.9K | Pigeon Forge, TN: 2BD/2BA cabin in Covered Bridge Resort w/ mountain views, hot tub, game tables, & strong STR history. 4 miles to town, no steep roads, fully updated & guest-ready. View Post.

🏔️ $775K | Tabernash, CO: Updated 3BD/2BA mountain home on 1.04 acres in Grand View Highlands. STR-ready, fully furnished, near Winter Park & lakes. Wood stove, scenic views, gear room, no HOA. View Post.

🌊 $875K | Bradenton, FL: Renovated 4BD/3BA, 2350 sqft in The Sanctuary at Perico Isles. Pond views, screened lanai, loft + office, resort amenities. Near Anna Maria Island. $24K furnishings included. View Post.

🌊 $1.8M | Jacksboro, TN: 3BD/3.5BA (setup as 4BD) lakefront home in Big Creek on Norris Lake. 3840 sqft, private dock, 2-car garage + toy storage, STR potential, gated community, minutes to marinas. View Post.

🚤 $2.1M | LaFollette, TN: Massive 6BD lakefront home on Norris Lake w/ 6972 sqft, 240' shoreline, private dock, lift, & jet ski ports. Wraparound porch, finished basement, bonus rooms, & new roof. View Post.

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Boost Your Bookings: How Airbnb's New Price Transparency Can Make (or Break) Your STR Business

🏆 Airbnb’s Shift: How Transparent Pricing Could Make or Break Your Bookings in 2025

In 2019, the European Union launched a quiet revolution that would fundamentally reshape how travelers book accommodations. The mandate was simple yet profound: force complete pricing transparency across online platforms, with a laser focus on eliminating hidden fees that had long frustrated consumers.

The Guest-Centric Revolution

At STR Scout, we've long advocated a fundamental truth: guests make decisions based on total cost per night. Period. Guests don't want to solve equations or play detective to understand what they'll actually pay. They want clarity, simplicity, and honesty.

The Transparency Turning Point

What began as an EU regulatory requirement has now become a global movement toward pricing honesty. The journey reveals a critical insight: opacity hurts both guests and hosts.

Recent research from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) reveals just how profoundly transparency affects market behavior. When Airbnb implemented greater price transparency in Europe, hosts significantly adjusted their pricing strategies in response. Many had been obfuscating true costs through artificially low nightly rates paired with high cleaning fees. Once total costs became visible, this strategy collapsed, forcing a market-wide repricing.

U.S. Hosts: You're Next

Although the U.S. rollout has been slower, the shift is now regulatory reality.

In December 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized new rules requiring full price disclosure—including all mandatory fees like cleaning and service charges—on platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO. These rules go into effect in April 2025, meaning hosts will soon have no choice but to play by the new rules.

This isn’t just an Airbnb policy shift—it’s a federal mandate.

Key Findings from the Landmark EU Study

Building on these insights, the comprehensive EU study revealed just how pricing transparency restructured the market:

• Cleaning Fees Exposed: Listings visible to EU travelers saw a 2–4% reduction in cleaning fees.

• Pricing Strategy Disruption: Listings without cleaning fees adjusted base rates by 5–6%.

• Market Inefficiencies Corrected: Hosts who underpriced were revealed by comparison-based transparency tools.

Airbnb's Response: From Toggle to Transformation

In 2022, Airbnb launched a critical feature: a total price toggle, allowing guests to cut through the clutter. That toggle has since evolved into a default UI change in multiple markets. In the U.S., the platform is preparing for full implementation by April 2025 to comply with FTC regulations.

The Bottom Line Is the Bottom Line

At STR Scout, our data confirms what researchers have shown: guests compare based on total cost, not base rate. When forced to calculate added fees, many guests simply abandon your listing.

A guest-centric pricing strategy acknowledges this and makes your total cost easy to understand—upfront, transparent, and frictionless.

The Transparency Toolkit

Key platform updates hosts must now understand:

• Full price display across search results

• Detailed breakdown of all fees

• Search algorithms prioritizing total price competitiveness

The Perceived Affordability Equation

Economists call it δᵢ (delta-i)—the shift in perceived value when price transparency increases. In plain terms: when guests can see the whole cost clearly, they feel more confident booking.

Strategic Implications for Hosts

Here’s what winning hosts are doing now:

✅ Holistic Pricing

• Optimize for total price, not just your base rate.

• Understand how your listing compares to similar total prices.

• Monitor changes using real-time pricing tools.

✅ Fee Management

• Keep cleaning fees realistic and proportionate to your property size and service level.

• Factor in how fees impact short vs. long stays.

• High fees = lower visibility + fewer bookings.

✅ Adaptive Pricing

• Superhosts adjust prices based on seasonality, demand, and competition.

• Use data-driven tools to stay ahead.

• Avoid reactionary discounts that kill margin without boosting occupancy.

The Future: Total Transparency

What began as a European policy is now U.S. law by April 2025. This is not a trend—it’s a permanent market reset.

What Hosts Need to Know

• Transparency is no longer optional

• Total cost per night is the new guest filter

• Competitive positioning requires real-time adaptation

• Guest-centric pricing builds trust and conversion

Stay Ahead of the Curve

At STR Scout, we're developing AI-powered pricing tools to help hosts navigate and analyze real-time Airbnb pricing, monitor competitors total cost per available night (in real-time), and thrive in a transparent “total cost per night” guest-centric world.

The STR rental market has changed. Have you?

📎 Sources: Airbnb, EU Report, UNLV Research, FTC Press Release on Junk Fees Rule

Keeping Your Hand on the Pulse of STR, Airbnb, and Real Estate Markets

🏠 Houston could join other Texas cities in regulating short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO. The potential regulations come as the city seeks to balance the growing STR market with neighborhood concerns about noise, parking, and safety issues. Officials are considering requiring permits, collecting hotel occupancy taxes, and implementing other measures similar to those in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. Link

🏙️ Battle over short-term rentals has reignited at Atlanta City Hall as officials debate enforcement strategies for the city's STR ordinance. The contentious discussions center around whether to hold property owners or booking platforms accountable for violations, with some council members pushing for stricter platform responsibility while others favor targeting individual operators for compliance issues.

🚨 Raleigh police are investigating a double shooting that occurred at a short-term rental property, raising concerns about safety and oversight in the local STR market. The incident, which left two people injured, has prompted renewed calls for stronger regulations and screening processes for STR properties in residential neighborhoods to prevent similar incidents.

🌴 Maui won't be converting vacation rentals to long-term housing anytime soon despite the ongoing housing crisis and recovery efforts following the Lahaina wildfire. County officials cite complex legal and regulatory hurdles that have slowed implementation of conversion plans, disappointing advocates who had hoped for quicker action to address the island's critical housing shortage.

⛳ Masters Tournament accommodations are still available with 12 Airbnb spots remaining for golf fans heading to Augusta. The available rentals range from $1,200 to $4,000 per night, reflecting the premium pricing typical during the prestigious tournament when local housing demand reaches its annual peak.

📊 Unpacking Q4 earnings, Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) demonstrated resilience with both revenue and earnings exceeding analyst expectations. Despite facing headwinds from international travel fluctuations, the platform reported impressive growth in active listings and continued expansion in new markets, signaling strong fundamentals that have analysts optimistic about the company's 2025 outlook.

🌊 Report indicates Maui's short-term rental ban would bring significant economic shocks to the island's economy. The study suggests the proposed restrictions could result in substantial job losses, reduced tax revenues, and ripple effects throughout the tourism sector, prompting officials to reconsider the scope and timing of implementation to mitigate potential economic damage.

⚜️ New Orleans short-term rental license lottery opens April 6, offering operators a chance to secure coveted permits in the city's strictly regulated market. The limited number of available licenses has created intense competition among property owners eager to participate in the lucrative tourism economy while complying with the city's comprehensive regulatory framework.

🏔️ In one of Utah's fastest-growing resort areas, short-term rentals are reaching a turning point as local officials implement new regulations to balance tourism demand with community needs. The Park City region has seen explosive growth in vacation rentals, prompting measures to cap STR density and enhance enforcement of existing rules to preserve neighborhood character.

🏘️ Redfin's analysis reveals the hottest neighborhoods of 2025, highlighting emerging markets that offer strong investment potential for STR operators. The report identifies suburban communities with good schools, outdoor amenities, and reasonable commutes to major employment centers as particularly attractive to both homebuyers and potential short-term rental guests.

🏡 February real estate market report for Brevard County shows buyers gaining leverage as inventory rises. The Space Coast region is experiencing a shift toward more balanced market conditions with increased listings, longer days on market, and more negotiable pricing, creating potential opportunities for investors looking to enter or expand in the STR market.

💰 The "loonie effect" on Southwest Florida real estate has reached new lows as Canadian buyers retreat from the market due to unfavorable exchange rates. The Canadian dollar's weakness against the USD has significantly reduced purchasing power for traditionally strong northern investors, cooling demand in popular vacation rental markets like Naples and Fort Myers.

🏜️ Texas homeowners are rushing to sell in one city as market conditions shift dramatically. The surge in listings reflects growing concerns about sustainability of recent price gains and rising carrying costs, potentially creating buying opportunities for STR investors seeking to enter previously competitive neighborhoods.

📉 Florida and Arizona towns are experiencing significant real estate price corrections, with some vacation destinations seeing double-digit percentage drops. The cooling follows years of pandemic-fueled price escalation and comes as higher interest rates dampen investor enthusiasm for secondary home markets popular with STR operators.

🏗️ New home sales data shows unexpected resilience in the housing market despite elevated mortgage rates. The Commerce Department reported stronger than anticipated sales figures for newly constructed homes, suggesting underlying demand remains robust even as affordability challenges persist across many prime STR markets.

📊 Concern about a major market decline is growing among investment professionals as economic indicators flash warning signs. Analysts point to stretched valuations, shifting monetary policy, and geopolitical tensions as potential catalysts that could impact both broader markets and real estate investment vehicles.

💸 A looming risk to the US economy has emerged in the form of tightening credit conditions, according to leading economists. Banks have grown increasingly cautious about lending, particularly for commercial real estate and investment properties, potentially restricting capital flows to the STR sector.

📈 Inflation concerns persist as the Fed's rate cut cycle, which began six months ago, coincides with resurgent price pressures. The timing of monetary easing may have been premature, with new data suggesting inflation remains more entrenched than previously thought, complicating property financing and investment decisions.

💵 US consumer spending rose in February while core inflation remained firmer than expected, according to the latest economic data. The resilient consumer sector continues to support travel and tourism spending, offering a positive signal for STR operators despite broader economic uncertainties.

✈️ Hawaii's travel crisis grows amid corruption allegations, resignations, and potential defunding risks. The state's tourism authority faces serious challenges that could impact visitor numbers and marketing efforts, creating additional headwinds for an already stressed vacation rental market recovering from recent natural disasters.

🍁 Canada-United States travel patterns are evolving as currency fluctuations and changing border policies influence cross-border tourism. Recent developments have altered traditional visitor flows, with implications for vacation rental operators in popular destinations frequented by Canadian travelers.

🇵🇹 Portugal issues travel warning for the US, advising its citizens about potential safety concerns when visiting certain American cities. The unusual advisory from a European ally highlights international perception issues that could affect inbound tourism trends and demand for vacation rentals in affected areas.

The STR market remains dynamic—stay agile, informed, and ready to adapt to emerging opportunities.

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