Our Sedona Vacation Rental Income 2021
As happens far too often, I’ve let months go by without a post. My goal of writing decently often has nothing to do with demand for my skills (which is minimal) or blog revenue (which is non-existent) and everything to do with the fact that I just like the creative outlet. So here we are, back discussing the #1 thing that brings people to this site – the fact that we built and own a vacation home in Sedona, Arizona.
You may recall that we launched our vacation rental in 2020, and like everything else that year, owning a newly-built vacation home was a nightmare. Travel-shaming became a national pass time (until it suddenly wasn’t) because travel wasn’t AT ALL safe (until it suddenly was), and our vacation rental numbers remained solidly in the red for a good chunk of the year. Many of our neighbors in Sedona adopted a truly breathtaking xenophobia toward anyone not from their tourist-dependent town.
But by 2021, the mobs of angry anti-travelers had decided we could all leave our house as long as we sported a homemade cloth mask, and travel resumed with only mild to moderate levels of shaming involved. Those of us who owe mortgage payments on short-term rental properties rejoiced.
Our 2020 Sedona vacation rental income numbers are here.
Read on for the 2021 vacation rental income deets by month.
Important note: These income numbers are AFTER the professional cleanings/turnover, weekly landscaping, 20% management fees to the local office that handles everything for us, maintenance (appliances, etc.), and any other incidental expenses on the property. Our mortgage payment is not subtracted here, but all costs specific to it being a well-kept vacation rental are.
January: $6,518.
February: $0. We had a single long-term renter from January through early March, and we gave him a good deal. His rent posted in January.
March: $5,656.
April: $6,017.
May: $5,892.
June: $4,721.
July: $1,735. The only month that performed noticeably worse than the corresponding month in 2020. I hope it feels ashamed of itself. In general, though, the hotter months in the desert Southwest are less popular with tourists. The secret is out that spring and late fall are the best times to be here.
August: $3,378.
September: $3,697.
October: $6,732. Our highest monthly income in 2021. Apparently people really love that fall foliage in West Fork.
November: $4,707.
December: $5,362.
We did use the property ourselves several times throughout the year, including over several popular weekends, which of course means we had no revenue from those times.
Total income, that is, money deposited to our account after cleaning, maintenance, and management expenses, was $54,415. Better than our 2020 numbers… Plus in 2021 no one told us we were going to kill people by encouraging travel to Sedona, or told us we needed 3 days between guests at our property because of germs.
Our management company tells us they are expecting an increase in revenue of 10% or more in 2022 (and a minimal increase in travel-shaming). We’ll see if they’re correct!
Interested in booking our place? Book directly through Foothills Management for the best rate. We’d love to host you!
