🔥 Top 10 Trending STR Home for Sale

🏡 STR Scout | Wednesday Edition — May 20, 2025

This week’s highlights:

🔥 STR Classifieds – Explore the Top 10 most popular trending STR deals, ranging from $275K to $3.25M.
📰 News Nuggets – Airbnb’s summer party crackdown, Spain bans 65,000 Airbnb listings, Florida property values dip, and more.
💰 Pacaso – This week’s sponsor is a market leader in vacation home co-ownership, offering a unique, private, and truly passive investment opportunity.

Let’s dive in 👇

— The STR Scout Team

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Trending now on the largest Facebook STR buyer/seller markeplace. 

🏖 Southeast

🔹 View Details | $435k | Flowery Branch, GA
1900s farmhouse on 1.67 acres. Zoned AR3 with Airbnb/agritourism potential. 4BD/2BA, turnkey with barn, hen house, and fenced yard. Near Lake Lanier and Braselton.

🔹 View Details | $797k | Kissimmee, FL
Luxury 4BD/3BA home in Formosa Gardens with pool, low HOA, near Disney. Upgraded systems, large lot, gated. STR-ready with strong community appeal.

🔹 View Details | $3.25M | Clearwater, FL
Boutique 13-room motel + zoning for 11 more units. $230K NOI, 7.09% cap. Renovated, near beach and spring training. Strong RevPAR, ready to scale.

🏔 Mountain & Lake

🔹 View Details | $275k | Pigeon Forge, TN
Turnkey 1BD condo sleeps 4. Across from The Island, walkable to attractions. Fully furnished with HOA covering most maintenance. STR or second home ready.

🔹 View Details | $589k | Pigeon Forge, TN
1BD+loft/2BA, 1,352 sqft log cabin. Game room, 2 decks, proven Airbnb income. Fully furnished and ready to go, serene setting near Gatlinburg & Dollywood.

🔹 View Details | $789k | Blue Ridge, GA
2BD designer cabin in Aska Adventure Area. Fully renovated, furnished, $73K gross in 2024. Stunning views, solid bookings, creative financing welcome.

🔹 View Details | $845k | Sevierville, TN
4BD/3BA cabin in Pigeon Forge. $114K gross in 2024, turnkey, owner-managed with history. Prime location, solid investment return potential.

🔹 View Details | $195K | French Lick, IN
1BD/1BA fully furnished yurt on 2 acres near Patoka Lake and French Lick Resort. $27K avg annual revenue with no marketing. Great reviews, low overhead, cleaner willing to stay.

🧭 Northeast & Midwest

🔹 View Details | $797k | Pocono Lake, PA
Large 4BD/4BA + bonus rooms on 3 acres. Prior $200K/year Airbnb. Game rooms, furnished, seller offering adjacent lot free. High-demand STR area.

🌴 Beach & Tropics

🔹 View Details | $899k | Villas, NJ
3BD/2BA A-frame just steps to the beach. Turnkey 5-star Airbnb with bookings in place. Sold furnished, large lot, expansion potential, Cape May sunsets.

Skim trending STR headlines shaping Airbnb, housing, and investing—stay current, catch the signals, know what’s driving the market

AIRBNB UPDATES

🏠 Airbnb cracks down on summer holiday parties with enhanced anti-party technology ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The company announced it will expand its existing tech-based party prevention system to identify potentially high-risk reservations and block them before they're confirmed. Airbnb reports their anti-party measures have already led to a 55% year-over-year reduction in party reports across the US and Canada since implementation began in 2022.

🌴 Airbnb Experiences faces significant challenges as the company works to expand this portion of its business model. Despite initial excitement, the product has struggled with issues including host acquisition difficulties, quality control problems, and increasing competition from specialized platforms. Industry experts suggest Airbnb needs to refine its strategy to better integrate experiences with its core accommodation business.

🚫 Memorial Day weekend will see increased enforcement of Airbnb's anti-party policies across the United States. The company has deployed specialized systems to identify potentially problematic bookings, with particular focus on one and two-night reservations during the holiday period. Property owners welcome these measures, which have demonstrably reduced property damage and neighbor complaints in vacation rental communities.

🏖️ Spain blocks 65,000+ Airbnb listings as crackdown escalates ahead of summer travel season. Spain’s Consumer Affairs Ministry has ordered Airbnb to remove over 65,000 listings nationwide for failing to provide registration details required by regional laws. The move underscores a growing regulatory backlash against short-term rentals as cities like Barcelona and Madrid grapple with housing affordability and overtourism. Officials cited consumer protection and transparency as key drivers, warning other platforms could face similar scrutiny if they don't comply.

🏙️ Florida home prices are dropping rapidly in many areas, creating opportunities for potential vacation rental investors. Miami-Dade County has seen median prices fall by 10.2% compared to last year, with similar trends in Orange, Hillsborough, and Broward counties. Real estate analysts attribute this cooling to rising mortgage rates, increased inventory, and changing migration patterns affecting the once red-hot Florida housing market.

🌊 Mexico's tourism authorities issued a mixed safety update for popular vacation destinations, declaring Cabo San Lucas safe for travelers while announcing a permanent closure of a major Riviera Maya attraction. The contrasting situations highlight the regional differences in security conditions across Mexico's tourist areas. Visitors planning short-term rental stays should research current safety information for their specific destination carefully.

🏄 Americans planning Mexico vacations face new safety concerns as the US State Department raised travel advisories for several popular tourist regions. The updated guidance comes after recent incidents affecting foreign visitors, including in areas previously considered relatively secure. Short-term rental operators in affected regions report some booking cancellations as travelers reconsider their vacation plans.

🏘️ Real estate agent migration trends show an increasing divide between high-cost and affordable markets. Agents are increasingly relocating to states with lower living costs and strong housing markets, particularly in the South and parts of the Midwest. This migration parallels broader population shifts and could affect service availability for vacation rental investors in both hot and cooling regional markets.

⛷️ A local billionaire wants to buy Park City Mountain Resort from Vail Resorts and build a gondola connecting it to Alta ski area. This potential acquisition could dramatically change Utah's ski tourism landscape and impact short-term rental markets in both areas. The ambitious proposal would create one of North America's largest interconnected ski areas, potentially increasing demand for vacation rentals across the entire region.

🏝️ Hawaii's housing market exhibits bizarre quirks despite ongoing affordability challenges, including surprising $500,000 bargains in certain areas. The state's complex market features extreme price variations between islands and neighborhoods, with some vacation rental-heavy areas showing particular volatility. Investors note that understanding these hyper-local trends is crucial for successful short-term rental operations.

🏢 Austin's housing inventory climbs as sales slow, creating new opportunities for potential vacation rental investors. April data shows available housing stock up 23% from last year while sales declined by 12%, signaling a market shift. Real estate analysts suggest this cooling could benefit buyers after years of intense competition and could present strategic acquisition opportunities for short-term rental operators.

📈 Google News reports shifting consumer preferences affecting travel and accommodation choices as economic conditions evolve. The article highlights changing patterns that could impact everything from booking windows to price sensitivity for vacation rentals. Short-term rental operators should closely monitor these emerging trends to adjust their strategies for maximum competitiveness.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

📊 Home inventory growth and inflation continue to reshape the housing market nationwide. Available listings increased 28.3% year-over-year in April, the largest jump since 2019. Market experts suggest this inventory expansion, coupled with persistent inflation and high mortgage rates, is creating a complex environment for both traditional homebuyers and investment property purchasers.

📉 States with the most foreclosures show concerning trends for housing market stability. New Jersey, Illinois, and Delaware lead the nation in foreclosure rates, with one in every 2,309 housing units facing foreclosure proceedings nationwide. Market analysts note that while current rates remain below historic crisis levels, the steady increase may signal broader economic challenges affecting housing affordability.

🏙️ Home foreclosures are coming back after a period of pandemic-related protections and relatively strong housing market performance. Recent data shows foreclosure starts increased 14% in April compared to March, with bank repossessions up 11% from the previous month. Housing experts attribute this rise to the combination of high interest rates, inflation, and the expiration of pandemic-era safeguards.

💼 Layoff notices increase amid economic uncertainty in Orlando and throughout Florida. Several major employers have announced workforce reductions, potentially signaling broader economic concerns that could impact tourism and the short-term rental market. Economic analysts suggest these employment trends could eventually affect vacation property demand in the state's tourism-dependent regions.

💰 Tariffs are beginning to impact consumer spending and economic sentiment as price increases work their way through supply chains. The effects are particularly noticeable in home goods, electronics, and construction materials – all sectors relevant to short-term rental operators. Market observers warn that continued inflationary pressure could dampen discretionary spending, potentially affecting vacation travel demand.