Seattle remains to be one of the top Airbnb cities alongside San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in regards to having one of the highest Airbnb occupancy rates and listings. With nearly 2,000 Airbnb listings, Seattle has a 31% average Airbnb occupancy rate for 2015.
Why Seattle?
Seattle, also known as the Emerald city is known to be an amazing city for locals and tourists alike. Whether it is Seattle’s iconic Space Needle landmark, Pike Place Market, Mount Rainier or its world contribution to renowned coffee, this city is unique and in a league of its own. Seattle also provides outdoor recreational activities at your fingertips. Whether it be hiking or skiing the Olympic and Cascade mountains, there is an abundant amount of activities for the outdoor type. Kayaking and canoeing on the beautiful city lakes during the summer are simply a boater’s happy place.
Tourism Industry
As a result of what this amazing city has to offer, in recent years the city has increased in popularity as a tourist destination and its popularity is not stopping anytime soon. Overnight visitors to the city have increased by roughly 4 percent in 2014 to a whopping 19.2 million, creating an all-time record for the tourism industry.
Airbnb Market
Since Seattle has been very accepting of the Airbnb market due to lack legislation in place to regulate the company, this is a huge plus for tourists visiting the city. So what does this mean for the Seattle Airbnb market in a nutshell? Let’s take a look.
Like most cities, Seattle has a seasonal market where the peak revenue available lasts from June till September and demand for vacation rentals drop by over 50% in the winter. However, the market is relatively mature and somewhat experienced, where nearly 50% of Airbnb hosts have more than 10 reviews per listing. With experience by Airbnb hosts, comes a lot of tourists demanding vacation rentals. Around 40% of Seattle’s Airbnb units are designated as high-frequency vacation rentals, which means they are occupied by Airbnb guests an estimated 172 nights a year. Find out how much you can expect in rental income by using an Airbnb calculator.
Overall, Airbnb occupancy rates for Seattle neighborhoods vary with a starting range of 5% for neighborhoods like Pinehurst, while neighborhoods like Green Lake, First Hill, Bitter Lake, Ravenna, and Minor range above 40%.. Currently, two of the most popular areas in the city are located in the east side, where Green Lake alone has roughly 300 listings. Looking closer at Green Lake’s Airbnb listing, we see how properties are performing in Seattle. Green Lake has one of the highest Airbnb occupancy rates in Seattle with a select few of the properties having 100% Airbnb occupancy during prime months.
Seattle Still Growing
The good news is that the growth for this city does not seem to be slowing down. Over the past four or five years, more than 300 convention requests were turned away since space was not available on the requested dates. This could have brought the city an estimated $1.5 USD billion in business and a lot more tourists requiring rentals. Although a proposed $1 billion USD expansion of the convention center is currently in the planning stages, tourism is not only guaranteed but Airbnb rentals for the locals should be seen as a huge opportunity for extra income that should not be missed out on.
List of potential Airbnb investment properties in Seattle:
- 2010 NE 54th St Investment Property
- 140 N 101st St Investment Property
- 840 N 35th St Apt. 102 Investment Property
- 1104 10th Ave E Investment Property
- 2636 E Aloha St Investment Property
Are you considering an investment property? Use Mashvisor to discover hidden investment opportunities nationwide.