Short answer: the average short-term rental in Buena Vista grosses about $39,600 a year — roughly $290 a night at about 46% occupancy, per AirROI's 2026 dataset. That's a solid mountain-town market, not a gold rush. But the average hides a wide range, and a 2026 licensing moratorium has changed the picture in ways most online calculators miss.
We've built homes here, run the trades ourselves, and we manage short-term rentals in town — so this isn't theory. If you own a home in the upper Arkansas Valley, or you're thinking about buying one, the first question is almost always: what would it actually earn as a vacation rental? Here's an honest, data-backed answer, including the regulatory reality that matters more here than almost anywhere else.
From AirROI's 2026 dataset (with AirDNA reporting similar numbers), the Buena Vista short-term rental market looks like this:
| Metric | Buena Vista (market average) |
|---|---|
| Average nightly rate (ADR) | ~$290 |
| Occupancy rate | ~46% (45.6%) |
| RevPAR (revenue per available night) | ~$133 |
| Gross annual revenue (typical listing) | ~$39,600 |
| Active listings in the market | ~360–530 |
| Supply growth (past year) | ~+42% |
One detail worth sitting with: even as the number of listings grew sharply, nightly rates and revenue still trended upward. That tells you demand for Buena Vista is outpacing the new supply — a good sign for owners who run their place like a real hospitality business rather than a part-time side project.
"Average" is a blunt instrument. A small studio with no view and a four-bedroom home with a hot tub, mountain views, and 200 five-star reviews are both "Buena Vista short-term rentals," and they earn nothing alike. Your number depends far more on the specifics below than on the market average.
Two similar-looking homes can earn thousands of dollars apart in a season. The levers that matter most here:
This is where Buena Vista differs from a generic income calculator, and where knowing the local rules genuinely pays off. The verified specifics, straight from the Town:
An artificial limit on supply, with demand still climbing, hands real pricing power to owners who already hold a license — scarcity works in your favor if you're already in. We'll also say the quiet part plainly: a cap like this rewards the stamp of permission about as much as how well you actually run the place, and it raises the bar for the next person trying to do what we did. To be fair, the town is balancing real trade-offs — long-term housing, neighborhood character — and trustees have framed this as a pause to get the policy right. There's no clean answer here, just trade-offs. Our take is simple: a responsibly run rental is a good neighbor, and good operation beats blanket restriction.
If you're new to this, don't count yourself out. Primary-residence rentals and the downtown exemption zones aren't capped at all, the waitlist moves, the moratorium is temporary with revisions targeted for fall 2026, and there's always the construction-and-handyman side of what we do if a rental isn't in the cards yet. The rules reward the people who understand them — which is exactly where a local manager earns their keep.
We'll be straight with you: a hands-on owner who lives nearby, prices aggressively, and delivers a flawless guest experience can run a great rental themselves. Owners hire us because doing all of that — consistently, every day, across every booking — is a real job. Good management tends to lift the number in four places: higher occupancy from active pricing and channel management, stronger rates around peak events, better reviews from reliable on-the-ground response, and lower long-run cost from catching maintenance early. We're local, we do the physical work ourselves where it counts, and we charge 20% of the nightly rate — rental revenue is paid directly to you through the platforms, and we invoice separately each month.
For context, here's our own lived data — not a market average. We've managed rentals in Buena Vista since 2019, we've hosted 800+ guest stays, and we've kept every owner we've ever taken on (100% retention so far). A home we manage holds a 4.95 rating across 38 reviews, another is an Airbnb Guest Favorite, and in peak summer our nightly rates run right in line with the market's ~$285. We share it because the honest number matters more than the rosy one — and these are real.
Market averages only get you so far. Tell us about your home — or one you're considering — and we'll give you an honest, property-specific estimate based on the local market and the current licensing rules.
Request a Free Estimate Call 719-626-8755About $39,600 gross per year on average (AirROI, 2026), at roughly $290 a night and ~46% occupancy. Well-run, well-located homes commonly exceed it.
Not a new one right now — a temporary moratorium paused new applications until about September 2026 (a pause to revise policy, not a ban). Primary-residence rentals and the downtown exemption zones aren't capped; other categories are percentage-capped with a waitlist. And existing licenses don't transfer when a property sells.
Per the Town: if you advertise exclusively on Airbnb, VRBO, or Evolve, generally no. List anywhere else and you must collect and remit sales tax with a Colorado sales tax license.
20% of the nightly rate for full-service management. You're paid directly by the booking platforms; we invoice monthly for our fee and any additional services.
Late spring through early fall — rafting season, fourteener climbers, and festivals like FIBArk. Winter and shoulder seasons are softer but bookable with active pricing.
Sources & further reading: Market figures from AirROI (2026 dataset) and AirDNA. Licensing details from the Town of Buena Vista official STR page and local reporting by Ark Valley Voice. Market data is third-party and provided for general guidance; rules change — verify current requirements with the Town of Buena Vista before making decisions.