Most investors open AirDNA, look at the numbers, and think they've done their research. They haven't.

In this episode, I sit down with my co-host and wife Elizabeth to pull back the curtain on the exact process we use to evaluate STR markets for our clients and ourselves.

We've been doing this for 10 years. We've survived the pre-COVID boom, the COVID collapse, and the post-COVID correction. And in that time, we've built a network, a process, and a level of market depth that most investors don't even know exists.

We break down:

Why AirDNA is a great starting point but will mislead you if you stop there, and how we layer in agent intel, property manager data, and on-the-ground conversations to get the full picture

The exact questions Liz asks every broker and property manager before recommending a single market to a client, including regulation landscape, price range fit, and occupancy opportunity

Why market selection is the one thing you can't get wrong, and how we've seen first-time investors struggle not because they operated poorly, but because they started in the wrong market

How Liz has analyzed close to 200 properties in just the first two months of 2025, and why that repetition is what separates real market knowledge from guesswork

The matching process we use to pair high-income clients with the right market for their budget, timeline, and risk tolerance, from $750K inland properties to $1.5M+ beach markets

Why the work doesn't stop once you find a property, and what it actually takes to go from closing to a fully optimized, revenue-generating STR

The bottom line: anyone can look at data. Very few people know how to read it, layer it, and act on it. That's the difference between guessing and knowing.

Track your STR hours the right way. STR Tax Loophole is our time tracking app built specifically for short-term rental investors. Document your qualifying activities, maintain clean records, and simplify your STR tax qualification. Start your free trial at www.thestrtaxloophole.com

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Track your STR hours the right way. STR Tax Loophole is our time tracking app built specifically for short-term rental investors. Document your qualifying activities, maintain clean records, and simplify your STR tax qualification. Start your free trial at www.thestrtaxloophole.com

The Real Reason We Know Which STR Markets Work (It's Not What You Think)