Why focused mid-term rental market research matters
Mid-term stays (30–180 days) aren’t the same market as nightly tourism or standard long-term rentals — good mid-term rental market research shows the right market has one or more of these demand drivers: hospitals, corporate offices, construction projects, universities, insurance placements, or a steady flow of relocations. The wrong market costs you vacancy and time.
Do the research so your first unit in a new market hits target occupancy within months — not years.
Quick overview: what to measure (minimum viable dataset)
Collect this for each candidate city / neighborhood:
- Lead signals
- Monthly searches for city + “furnished monthly” or “corporate housing” (Google Trends / Keyword Planner).
- Number of active listings for 30+ days on MiniStays / Airbnb / Furnished Finder.
- Demand drivers
- Hospitals, large employers, universities, seasonal events, construction projects.
- Price comps
- Actual published monthly rates (30/60/90+ tiers) on MiniStays and Airbnb (use 28+ day filter).
- Zillow / Craigslist / Facebook Marketplace furnished monthlies.
- Occupancy and velocity
- Average time-to-book on similar listings (how many days listings sit live).
- Reviews cadence (how many bookings per listing per year, approximated).
- Regulatory & ops friction
- Local short/mid-term rules, HOA restrictions, required business or lodging licenses.
- Typical turnover logistics (parking, building rules, cleaners availability).
- Unit economics
- Estimated ARPU, turnover cost, utilities, insurance, local taxes.
Collecting these six data points gives you a defensible yes/no for a market test.
Step-by-step mid-term rental market research process
Follow this 8-step routine. Each step takes 15–60 minutes per market if you stay focused.
- Pick target markets (3 max). Start with places you can visit or manage cheaply.
- Scan demand drivers. Make a one-page map: hospitals, top 10 employers, universities, and major events. If you see 2+ strong drivers, keep the market.
- Scrape price comps. Pull 10–15 comparable listings (same bed/bath, furnished, 30+ min stay). Record 30/60/90 monthly rates and what’s included.
- Estimate velocity. Look at listing age, review dates, and calendar block patterns to infer turnover and speed-to-book.
- Check regulations. Call city/town code or check their website for lodging/short-term registration rules and taxes. Note HOA quirks if condo.
- Talk to local partners. Message 2 local cleaners and 1 relocation/HR contact at a big employer to check demand realism. Ask about typical stays and seasonality.
- Model unit economics. Build a 12-month P&L using conservative occupancy (70–80%) and include a 10–15% vacancy buffer.
- Run a micro-test listing. List one representative unit for 30+ days on MiniStays and 1 other channel, with clear published tiers. Measure leads and conversion over 6–8 weeks.
If the micro-test delivers leads and a reasonable conversion rate, scale with SOPs and the Systems & Ops checkpoints from the playbook.
Tools & sources that work for mid-term rental market research
You don’t need fancy tools. Use:
- MiniStays — primary source for real mid-term listings and demand (start here).
- Airbnb — use the 28+ day filter to see long-stay listings.
- Zillow / Craigslist / Facebook Marketplace — local furnished listings and pricing.
- Google Trends + Keyword Planner — search interest by region and season.
- Hospital directories, Chamber of Commerce, LinkedIn — employer lists and contacts.
- Public records / city websites — licensing and taxes.
- Spreadsheets — a single comparative sheet with columns for market, comps, velocity, drivers, and P&L.
Pro tip: track everything in one Google Sheet with a Market Score (0–100) so you can compare markets objectively.
Sample quick P&L (one-line template)
Use this simple formula per unit per month:
Projected revenue = Published monthly rate × expected occupancy%
Expenses = mortgage/lease + utilities + cleaning per turnover × turnovers + platform fees + insurance + vacancy buffer
NOI = Projected revenue − Expenses
If NOI is negative under conservative assumptions, walk away or adjust pricing/furnishing plan.
How to run a low-cost market test
- Furnish minimally but well (good mattress, workspace).
- List only one unit with clear 30/60/90+ tiers.
- Set competitive entry pricing (70% of monthly nightly equivalent is a common starting point).
- Allow instant messages and request proof early (ID / purpose).
- Record leads, conversion rate, and days-to-book for 6–8 weeks.
- If you get >4 qualified leads and 1–2 bookings, expand SOPs and add the second unit.
This micro-test saves you from buying in a false-positive market.
Checklist: what to deliver before you add a second unit
- Market score ≥ threshold you define (e.g., 65/100).
- Micro-test: at least 4 qualified leads in 8 weeks and 1 booking.
- SOPs: listing template, check-in, turnover.
- Local ops: vetted cleaner and handyman with references.
- Legal: basic licensing and tax steps confirmed.
- Financials: 12-month P&L showing target NOI with 10–15% vacancy.
If you have all of the above, you’re ready to scale to 2–5 units following the Systems & Ops rules from the Mid-Term Rentals Scale Playbook.
Second-last paragraph — tieback to the playbook
Market research isn’t a one-off. Treat it as a systems step in your playbook: document market scorecards, save test-listing results, and keep an ops checklist that maps to your scaling SOPs. Those Scale / Systems / Ops records make replication predictable when you add a second city or hand the project to a VA.
Final steps & where to list your micro-test
Run the micro-test on MiniStays (it’s built for 30+ day demand) and mirror to one other channel to compare conversion. If the test validates, clone SOPs, hire local vendors, and use the rest of the Mid-Term Rentals Scale Playbook — Systems & Ops to onboard new units.
Start your market test and list on MiniStays → https://ministays.com
