Steve Marquis did not stumble into short-term rental success.

Before buying his first Gulf Shores property, he was running seven or eight pro formas a day, studying markets, comparing opportunities, and trying to find the right investment. But once he finally bought his first condo, the real work started.

In this episode, Sarah and Annette sit down with Steve to talk about how he went from teacher to real estate agent to short-term rental investor, and how he used a data-driven approach to outperform his original revenue projections.

Steve shares why he chose Gulf Shores, how he renovated and repositioned his first beach condo, and why small family-friendly amenities helped him stand out in a market full of generic beach listings.

He also breaks down how he learned to track booking windows, stop panic-dropping rates too early, build a remote team, market to snowbirds, use email to encourage repeat guests, and keep pushing revenue without chasing 100% occupancy.

If you have ever wondered whether your property can make more than the market data says it can, this episode is a reminder that the right mix of numbers, positioning, systems, and guest experience can keep raising the ceiling.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why Steve chose Gulf Shores over more expensive beach markets
How he used pro formas to evaluate investment opportunities
Why family-friendly amenities helped his condo stand out
How booking window data changed his pricing strategy
Why revenue matters more than chasing 100% occupancy
How he manages properties remotely from Ohio
Why he plans to keep building in one market
How email marketing and direct bookings can increase guest lifetime value

Resources Mentioned:

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