Vetted like it's my own money going in.
I work Sevier County every day and pull numbers directly from active short-term rental owners in my network. Below is the cost stack a Pigeon Forge short-term rental actually carries, and the season swing that decides whether the payment works. Then we run it on your specific property.
The cost stack
What a Pigeon Forge short-term rental really costs to run.
These are current market ranges for Sevier County, not a quote on any one property. Every deal I bring you gets these lines filled in with that property's actual figures before you make an offer.
Management split
20% to 30% of gross
Full-service Smokies managers usually land here. Self-manage and you keep it, but you own the guest messaging, turnovers, and 2am calls.
Cleaning / turnover
$120 to $250 per turn
Scales with bedroom count and hot tub. Guest-paid cleaning fees rarely cover the whole cost once deep cleans and linen replacement are counted.
Occupancy + sales tax
Roughly 12% to 13% of nightly revenue
State sales tax plus local occupancy tax in Sevier County. Platforms collect some of it, not always all of it.
Utilities + internet
$250 to $500 per month
Hot tubs, heat pumps, and winter heating on a ridge push this to the top of the range.
Hot tub service
$100 to $200 per month
Nearly every competitive listing has one. Budget chemicals, service visits, and a cover replacement every couple of years.
Insurance (STR policy)
$1,800 to $4,000 per year
A short-term rental policy, not a homeowner's policy. Quoting it as homeowner's is the most common way a pro forma understates cost.
HOA / road maintenance
$0 to $2,500 per year
Steep private roads get graded, graveled, and plowed. Ridge properties carry the highest end of this.
Maintenance + capex reserve
8% to 12% of gross
Decks, stain, HVAC, roof, and the furniture guests wear out. Year two is when this shows up, and it is the line item flyers skip.
Run it yourself
Real net calculator. Gross in, truth out.
Put in the price and the gross income a listing claims. This applies the cost stack above and shows what would actually land in your pocket after the mortgage. Change any assumption to match a real quote you have.
Your numbers
30-year fixed, principal and interest only.
Use the listing's number if you want to test it.
Cost assumptions
Prefilled with midpoints from the Sevier County ranges above. Change any of them to match a quote you already have.
Set to 0 if you plan to self-manage.
What you'd actually keep
Real net, per year
-$16,681
-$1,390 per month
Cash-on-cash
-7.9%
Implied booked nights
259 / 86 turns
71% occupancy
Cash-on-cash assumes your down payment plus roughly 3% of price in closing costs. It does not include furnishing, licensing, or photography before your first booking.
At these numbers the property does not cover itself. That is not automatically a no, but it means you are funding it out of pocket every month, including a slow January. Worth a call before you write anything.
Have Angel run this on a real listingThis is an estimating tool using current Sevier County ranges, not an appraisal, a lending quote, or a guarantee of income. Every property behaves differently by ridge, road access, bedroom count, and amenities.
Estimates only. This tool is a planning aid, not financial, tax, legal, lending, or investment advice, and not an appraisal, pre-approval, or guarantee of income or value. Run your own numbers with your lender, CPA, and attorney before you commit. Full disclaimer.
Seasonality
The year isn't flat. Your mortgage is.
Peak · Jun to Aug, Oct
75% to 90%
Typical occupancy
Summer families and leaf season. October is often the single strongest month of the year here.
Shoulder · Apr to May, Sep, Nov to Dec
50% to 70%
Typical occupancy
Spring break, Thanksgiving, and the Christmas lights run carry these months.
Slow · Jan to Mar
25% to 45%
Typical occupancy
This is the stretch that breaks over-leveraged buyers. Your payment has to survive it without peak-season money.
Ranges reflect how professionally managed Sevier County short-term rentals typically perform. Individual properties vary widely by ridge, road access, bedroom count, and amenities. Nothing here is a guarantee of income.
What you get
- 01Gross revenue built from how comparable properties actually book here, not a pro forma.
- 02Every line above filled in with that property's real figures, including year-two capex.
- 03Occupancy and nightly rate modeled by ridge, road, and season.
- 04Payment stress-tested against a slow January, not just a cap rate.
- 05Properties sourced for you if you don't have one picked out yet.
- 06Honest walk-aways: if it doesn't pencil, you'll hear it from me first.
Free · No obligation
Send a listing link, get the real net in 24 hours.
Bring me any short-term rental you're considering, or let me source them for you. Either way I'll run the cost stack above against that property and show you the net you'd actually keep. No obligation, no list signup.
Usually replies the same day.
Next step
Let's talk before you sign anything.
Usually replies the same day.