Investment analysis
Vacation-rental pro-formas, benchmarked to the zip code
Model a short-term rental in seconds. ADR and occupancy benchmarked to the local market, a 12-month seasonal revenue projection, and the return metrics investors actually ask for.
Updated June 2026 · one of 17 tools in the RealtrAI workspace
The challenge
- !Generic STR estimators average occupancy across the year and hide the slow season.
- !Building a pro-forma by hand in Excel takes an hour and breaks the moment an assumption changes.
- !Buyers want cap rate, cash-on-cash, and IRR in one place, not three different tools.
- !ADR guesses pulled from memory do not survive a sophisticated investor's questions.
- !Switching financing terms means re-keying the whole model.
What it does
- ✓Benchmarks ADR and occupancy to the property's zip code instead of a national average.
- ✓Projects revenue month by month so peak and off-peak seasons are explicit.
- ✓Computes cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and IRR from the same inputs.
- ✓Lets you override benchmarks with real host data when you have it.
- ✓Recalculates instantly when you change price, rate, or operating costs.
- ✓Outputs a one-page pro-forma you can put in front of a buyer the same day.
Inside the tool
Every capability, included.
How the numbers hold up
Benchmarked to the market, not a national average
A pro-forma is only as credible as the ADR and occupancy behind it. The VR Calculator benchmarks both to the property's zip code, so a Naples vacation rental and a mountain-town cabin are not modeled on the same assumptions. When you have real host data, override the benchmarks and the rest of the model updates around it.
Zip-code ADR
Average daily rate pulled for the local market, not a blended national figure.
Zip-code occupancy
Occupancy benchmarks that reflect how the specific area actually books.
Your data wins
Override ADR and occupancy with host history when you have it, and the projection follows.
Seasonality made visible
Twelve months, not one blended number
Short-term rentals live and die on the calendar. A single annual occupancy figure hides the months that carry the property and the months that drain it. The 12-month projection shows revenue rising and falling across the year, so a buyer sees the cash-flow risk before they close, not after.
Peak season
See the months that drive the bulk of annual revenue.
Off-peak
Understand the slow stretch and whether the property still covers debt service.
Break-even
Know the occupancy needed each month to stay cash-flow positive.
Returns investors recognize
Cap rate, cash-on-cash, and IRR from one input set
Different investors lead with different metrics. Some want cap rate, some want cash-on-cash, the sophisticated ones want IRR over a hold period. The VR Calculator computes all three from the same purchase price, financing, and operating assumptions, so you are never reconciling numbers across separate tools.
Cap rate
Net operating income against purchase price for a quick yield read.
Cash-on-cash
Annual pre-tax cash flow against the cash actually invested.
IRR
Time-weighted return across the hold, including financing effects.
Connected across the workspace
One source of truth.
BRRRR Analyzer
When a buyer is weighing a short-term rental against a buy-rehab-rent-refinance play, run both models on the same property and compare returns side by side.
Investor Pitch
Drop the VR Calculator pro-forma straight into an investor pitch so the deal narrative and the numbers tell one story.
Listing Writer
Once a vacation-rental deal pencils out, generate the listing in the Vacation rental tone to market it to the next investor.
How it works
Adopting vr calculator.
Enter the property
Drop in the address or zip code and the calculator pulls ADR and occupancy benchmarks for that market.
Set your assumptions
Add purchase price, financing terms, furnishing budget, and operating costs. Override benchmarks if you have host data.
Review the projection
Read the 12-month seasonal revenue curve and the cap rate, cash-on-cash, and IRR computed alongside it.
Share the pro-forma
Export a one-page underwriting model and hand it to your buyer the same day.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Where do the ADR and occupancy benchmarks come from?
They are benchmarked to the property's zip code so the model reflects the local short-term-rental market rather than a national average. If you have real host data, you can override either figure and the rest of the pro-forma recalculates around it.
Why model 12 months instead of one annual number?
Short-term rentals are seasonal. A single blended occupancy figure hides the slow months that can put a property underwater. The month-by-month projection shows peak and off-peak revenue so a buyer can see the cash-flow risk before they close.
Which return metrics does it calculate?
Cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and IRR, all from the same set of inputs. That covers the three numbers investors most commonly ask for without switching tools.
Can I change financing terms and see the impact?
Yes. Adjust the down payment, interest rate, or loan term and the model recalculates cash flow and returns live, so you can compare scenarios in seconds.
Is the output ready to share with a buyer?
Yes. The calculator produces a clean one-page pro-forma you can hand to an investor without rebuilding it in a spreadsheet.
Get started
Try VR Calculator free for seven days.
It is one of 17 specialist tools in your RealtrAI workspace. No credit card.