Short Term Rentals

STR laws change yearly and vary wildly by city — some allow STRs with a permit, some cap the number of licenses, some ban them in residential zones outright. Denver requires the owner to live on-site; Breckenridge caps licenses by zone; unincorporated Summit County has different rules than the town itself. We track the regs across Denver metro and every Colorado mountain market we work in, so before you make an offer, you'll know exactly what the rules are — and whether they're likely to change.

Three things, ranked: location, pricing discipline, and guest experience. The best STRs sit in drive-to markets with year-round demand (Breckenridge, Keystone, Estes Park), are priced aggressively during peak weeks and flexibly in shoulder season, and run like a small hotel — fast messaging, spotless turns, thoughtful touches. The ones that fail almost always overpaid for a property that can't support the debt service, underestimated ongoing costs (cleaning, HOA, STR tax). STRs are not plug and play effortless income - it is a small business you are diving into. Which is an exciting endeavor for the right entrepreneurial owners!

First we'll need to answer your particular goals. Do you want to live in it full time (a house with a lock off is essential). Do you want to enjoy ski bunny life and hit up the Colorado mountains on your off weekends (let's plug you into an area that has STR licenses available). So that answer is so dependent on your goals that the right step is to talk with an agent about your goals and they'll set you up on a search. Homes you're interested in will be analyzed and evaluated for what you can expect from STR income.

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Same process as any purchase, with a few extra layers: second-home financing (usually 10-25% down) involves a deeper loan underwrite on seasonal revenue patterns. Your agent will help you understand the areas that are and are not friendly to STRs. Many areas will not allow for Airbnbs at all - so it's important to stay flexible. There are plenty of options out there in a variety of price points if you're open to different areas.

Yes! This is one of the most underrated plays in Denver. You can rent a basement apartment, ADU, guest suite, or even a room on Airbnb while occupying the primary residence. Denver allows this with an owner-occupied STR license (the host has to live on-site), which is much easier to secure than an unhosted commercial license. It's also the cheapest way to test whether you like being a host before you buy a full investment property.

There are very advantageiouos tax startaegies when it comes to STRs - BUT be sure to consult your accountant before purchasing an STR for these benefits alone. We generally recommend looking at the tax advantages as a bonus - not the only reason for purchasse. There are two main strategies: the "STR loophole" and cost segregation with bonus depreciation. The STR loophole lets you treat rental losses as active (not passive) if your average guest stay is under seven days and you materially participate — which can offset W-2 income in year one. Cost seg accelerates depreciation on the property's 5/7/15-year components, generating large paper losses. Both require real planning and a CPA who runs this playbook.

Plan on $5,000 to $30,000 above the down payment for a turnkey STR, depending on size and finish level. That covers furniture and decor ($10-25k), kitchen/coffee supplies and backup linens ($3-5k), professional photography ($500), city/state licensing. Properties sold with furnishings included can shave most of this — we flag those when we find them.

Typically 30-60 days from close. If the property is in an area that allows for quick permitting (this is common in some mountain towns) and furnished (we actively look for these), you can be live on Airbnb within 7-14 days of closing. If you're furnishing from scratch and the city has a permit waitlist, budget 4-12 weeks. Generally this is the right amount of time to furnish your STR and organize your management/cleaning team, but if you are eager to get listed online immediately you may need to temper those expectations.