Acquisition · Pre-buy
Market score tool.
Score a city 0–100 across regulation, RevPAR economics, and saturation. Live A–D grade and risk flags.
Market profile
Score
Overall
64C
Mixed signals — proceed with diligence.
Flags
- Gray-zone regulation — rules are evolving; subscribe to local news.
How it works
Three sub-scores, each 0–100. Regulation maps {open: 100, gray: 65, restricted: 35}. Economics is RevPAR ÷ 200 (capped at 100). Saturation maps {low: 100, medium: 60, high: 30}. Weighted average: 40% regulation, 40% economics, 20% saturation.
How to use this calculator
- Look up the city's average ADR and occupancy on AirDNA / Mashvisor.
- Check the city's STR ordinance (search "[city] short-term rental ordinance").
- Pick the saturation tier from your gut feel of the market.
- Read the grade and the flags.
FAQ
Is this Airbnb profitable in [my city]?
Three signals matter — regulation, economics, saturation. This tool weights them 40/40/20. Phase 3 ships per-city pages with these inputs pre-filled from a hand-compiled cities.json.
Why weight regulation 40%?
A great revenue market with a forthcoming STR ban is a value trap. Regulation can flip a deal overnight; economics rarely does.
How do I know my market's saturation tier?
AirDNA labels markets low/medium/high in their dashboard. You can also eyeball it: 200+ active STRs in a small city is high; 50–200 medium; under 50 low.
Why is RevPAR scaled to $200?
Roughly the inflection point above which STR economics reliably beat long-term rental. $200 RevPAR ≈ ~$300 ADR at 65% occupancy, which is the launch-cluster median in 2026.
Read the deep-dives
-
Reading an STR ordinance before you buy: the 7 questions every buyer should answer
STR regulations vary by city, evolve fast, and can kill a deal at closing. Seven questions to answer in writing before you submit an offer.
Read · 6 min
-
Analyzing Airbnb comps before you buy: how to read three listings honestly
Three listings, four data points each. The framework underwriters and seasoned hosts use to estimate revenue without buying an AirDNA subscription.
Read · 6 min
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