Short-Term Rental Realtors in Grand Rapids & West Michigan
We help buyers find, analyze, design, and launch profitable short-term rentals across West Michigan—without relying on hype, guesswork, or generic advice.
Short-term rentals are operating businesses, not just houses. We underwrite them on realistic revenue, seasonality, zoning, and design — the factors that decide whether an Airbnb or VRBO actually performs.
See our city-by-city West Michigan short-term rental rules guide for permits, caps, fees, and taxes in each lakeshore town.
Who We Help Buy Short-Term Rentals
Some of our clients are buying their first short-term rental and want a property that can carry itself without a second job attached to it. Others already own doors and are adding a lakeshore property to smooth out a long-term portfolio. A third group buys from out of state, drawn by West Michigan pricing but unable to walk a house, meet a contractor, or judge a street from a listing photo.
In every case the job is the same: decide whether this specific property, in this specific town, under this specific ordinance, will produce the revenue the purchase price requires. That is an underwriting question, not a decorating question.
How Our STR Underwriting Works
Revenue projection from comparable listings
We build a projection from what genuinely comparable properties earn — same town, same sleeping capacity, same tier of finish — and we model it by season instead of annualizing a good July. Then we subtract the real costs: cleaning, platform fees, utilities, insurance, taxes, maintenance, and reserves.
Layout, capacity, and design review
Nightly rate follows sleeping capacity, common-space quality, and photographs. We look at whether a floor plan can be adjusted to add a comfortable bedroom, whether the living space works for a group, and which amenities the local market actually books. Our STR design and setup work picks up where the purchase leaves off.
Regulation and risk check
Before an offer, we confirm what the municipality permits: whether whole-home rentals are allowed, whether there is a cap or waitlist, what the annual license costs, and what lodging taxes apply. Our West Michigan STR rules guide documents all of it for 15 markets, verified from primary sources.
Stress-test the deal yourself
You can run any property through our free Deal Analyzer to compare short-term and long-term returns before you talk to us.
West Michigan Markets We Buy In
The lakeshore towns carry the strongest seasonal rates: Saugatuck, Douglas, South Haven, Holland, Grand Haven, Pentwater, and Ludington. Each has a different ordinance and a different shoulder season, and those two things move returns more than the purchase price does.
Inland, Grand Rapids and Muskegon trade peak nightly rate for year-round demand and lower entry prices. If you want the neighborhood-level view, see our Grand Rapids realtor page or the broader West Michigan realtor page.
Why Investors Trust Us
- Featured on CNBC — our investment approach and short-term rental work have been featured on CNBC.
- Five Star Real Estate — we're licensed Michigan agents with Five Star Real Estate brokerage.
- We own what we recommend — we run our own active short-term rental portfolio, including a lake house doing $25K+ in peak monthly revenue.
Frequently asked questions
How do you underwrite a short-term rental before I buy it?
We treat it as an operating business. We look at market fit, property fit and layout, realistic revenue based on comparable listings, renovation ROI, guest experience, and risk factors like seasonality and local regulation — then we build a projection you can stress-test in our free Deal Analyzer.
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in West Michigan?
In most West Michigan municipalities, yes — and the requirements vary by town, from simple annual licenses to caps and waitlists. Our West Michigan STR rules guide breaks down permits, caps, annual costs, and lodging taxes for 15 markets, all verified from primary sources.
Why do so many short-term rentals underperform?
Most are bought emotionally and designed like personal homes. Bedroom configurations are unoptimized, common spaces are not social, photos do not convert, and amenities do not match what the local market actually books. Design and layout are revenue levers, not decoration.
Next Steps for STR Buyers
Jamie & Sarah | Investor Realty ·
616.401.7994 ·
Book a free call