How to Choose Your First Short-Term Rental: The JoCo-Harnett-Cumberland-SoWake Edition

So we've talked about building your real estate empire with various rentals but we haven't really focused on the growing fad (and revenue opportunity) of short term rentals. With websites like VRBO or AirBNB, these properties are booming and in certain parts of our area, they can be cash cows.  You've read the fancy guides about "cap rates" and "RevPAR," but you’re not investing in a ski chalet in Aspen or a condo in Miami. You’re looking at the real heart of North Carolina—where the sweet tea is thick enough to pave a driveway and the "boom" you hear is either a gender reveal party gone wrong or a supersonic jet from Fort Bragg.

Here is how to choose your first short-term rental (STR) investment in the Johnston, Harnett, Cumberland, and Southern Wake corridor, translated from "Local Reality" guru.

Step 1: Define Your Investment Goals (and Tolerance for Pickup Trucks)

The Guru Advice: “Determine if you want passive income or a vacation home for yourself.” The Local Reality: “Determine if you want to rent to traveling nurses, soldiers, or people fleeing Raleigh traffic.”

• Southern Wake (Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Apex): Your goal here is "Suburban Domination." You are buying a house that looks exactly like the three houses to its left and right. Your target guest is a grandmother visiting her grandkids who isn't allowed to stay in the main house because she criticizes her daughter-in-law’s cooking.

  • Pro Tip: If you buy in Apex (The "Peak of Good Living"), you can charge an extra $50 a night just for the smug satisfaction the guest feels checking in.

• Johnston County (Clayton, Smithfield, Benson): You are looking for the "I want land, but I also want a Starbucks within 15 minutes" crowd. This is the "JoCo" hustler mindset.

  • The Vibe: You aren't buying a "vacation home." You’re buying a place for people to crash after Mule Days in Benson or a wedding at a barn venue that used to be an actual tobacco barn before Pinterest got ahold of it.

• Harnett County: Your goal is "Cash Flow via Commuters." You are targeting the brave souls who work in Raleigh but refuse to pay Wake County taxes, or military families transitioning to Fort Bragg.

  • The Risk: Ensure your "rustic retreat" isn't directly downwind of a chicken farm. That is a sensory experience no amount of shiplap can cover up.

• Cumberland County (Fayetteville, Hope Mills): You are here for the "Uncle Sam Dollar." Your bread and butter is military housing (TDY) and traveling medical professionals.

  • The Goal: A fence. Your number one amenity is a tall privacy fence.

Step 2: Research the Market (Like a Nosey Neighbor)

The Guru Advice: “Analyze occupancy rates and seasonality.” The Local Reality: “Count how many Bojangles are within a 5-mile radius.”

• The "Commuter Corridor" Metric: In Southern Wake and Western Johnston, demand is inversely proportional to the construction on I-40. If the highway is backed up (which is always), your occupancy goes up because people just give up and rent a place to sleep rather than drive home.

• The "Fort Bragg" Factor: In Cumberland and Harnett, your "seasonality" isn't summer/winter. It’s "Deployment/Homecoming" and "PCS Season" (Permanent Change of Station). If 20,000 troops just got back, your occupancy is hitting 100%.

• The "State Fair" Radius: If you are in Garner or Southern Raleigh, your October is booked solid. Charge double for anyone who brings home a giant stuffed banana; they will knock over a lamp.

Step 3: Pick the Right Property Type

The Guru Advice: “Choose between a condo, a single-family home, or a unique stay.” The Local Reality: “Choose between an HOA nightmare or a trailer with 'potential'.”

• Southern Wake: You are legally required to buy a Craftsman-style home with HardiePlank siding.

  • Warning: The HOAs in Holly Springs have satellites that can detect a blade of grass growing 1 millimeter too high. Make sure your STR is even allowed, or you will receive a strongly worded letter from a board member named "Karen" (statistically probable).

• Johnston County: Look for a "Barndominium." It’s the JoCo version of a penthouse. If you can put a chandelier in a metal shed, you can charge $300 a night to a couple from Cary pretending they are "roughing it."

• Cumberland County: Brick ranch. Indestructible. 1970s chic. It survives hurricanes and rowdy tenants. If it has a sunken living room, list it as "Mid-Century Modern" and add 20% to the price.

• Harnett County: Go for the "Secluded Cabin" (read: a double-wide on 2 acres).

  • Marketing: "Secluded" sounds better than "The pizza delivery guy can't find us."

Step 4: Run the Numbers (The "Sweet Tea" Index)

The Guru Advice: “Calculate mortgage, utilities, and cleaning fees.” The Local Reality: “Factor in AC repair and landscaping for kudzu removal.”

• HVAC is Life: In these counties, if your AC breaks in August, it is considered a violation of the Geneva Convention. You need a dedicated HVAC guy on speed dial. He should be the godfather of your children.

• Pest Control: We have bugs here that carry away small pets. Your "Palmetto Bug" budget (fancy word for giant flying roach) needs to be substantial, especially in the wooded parts of Harnett and Johnston.

• The "Mudding" Tax: If you have a gravel driveway in Cumberland or Harnett, someone will try to drive a lifted truck through the mud when it rains. Budget for gravel replenishment.

Step 5: Understand Regulations (The "Good Ol' Boy" Network)

The Guru Advice: “Check city zoning laws.” The Local Reality: “Know who to call at the permit office.”

• Raleigh/Southern Wake: They have rules. Lots of them. Permits, taxes, limit on guests, noise ordinances. They treat an STR permit like a security clearance.

• Harnett/Johnston: The rules are... "fluid." Usually, as long as you aren't running a meth lab or a tiger sanctuary, the neighbors won't care. However, if you upset a neighbor in JoCo, they won't call the police; they will just park a tractor in front of your driveway.

• Cumberland: They want their tax money. Pay the occupancy tax, and nobody gets hurt.

Final Verdict: Where to Buy?

• For the Risk-Averse: Southern Wake. High entry price, but your property value will appreciate faster than a teenager's insurance premiums.

• For the Cash-Flow King: Cumberland. Lower entry price, high rental demand from the military. Just make sure the house isn't in a flood zone (Hurricanes Fran and Matthew taught us that lesson).

• For the "Up and Comer": Johnston (Clayton). It’s practically Raleigh now, but you can still find a deal if you don't mind hearing construction noises 24/7.

• For the Wild Card: Harnett. Cheap land. If you build it, they will come... mostly because they got lost looking for the Lillington courthouse.