vacation home
Thinking of Buying a Vacation Home You Can Rent Out? Run These Numbers First
Fell in love with the Golden Isles on vacation and wondering if rental income could pay for a place of your own? Here's an honest worksheet to run before you buy.
By Dewey "DJ" Snipes · October 20, 2026
It happens every summer. Someone spends a week on St. Simons or Jekyll, rides bikes to the pier, watches the sunset over the marsh, and on the drive home asks: what if we bought a place here and rented it out when we're not using it?
It's a great question. A lot of people do it, and a lot of them love it. But the ones who are happiest ran the numbers honestly before they bought.
Here's how to do that.
The demand side looks good
Beach vacation demand on the Southeast coast has held up well.
Two cautions. Those are peak-season numbers from other markets, not annual numbers for the Golden Isles. Winter here is quieter. Always ask for real rental history on the specific property or ones just like it.
The cost side has gotten heavier
A simple worksheet
Here's an example to show how the math works. These are example inputs, not a forecast — replace each one with real numbers for the property you're looking at.
Example purchase
- Price: $500,000
- Down payment: 25% ($125,000)
- Loan: $375,000 at 7.4%
- Principal and interest: about $2,596 a month, or about $31,200 a year
Example rental income
- 140 booked nights a year at $300 a night = $42,000 gross
- Minus a 25% management fee = $31,500
Stop there for a second. In this example, after management, the rent covers the mortgage payment and almost nothing else. You still have:
- HOA dues (if it's a condo or in a managed community)
- Property taxes
- Insurance — homeowner's or HO-6, wind, and flood if needed
- Utilities, internet, and streaming
- Furnishing, linens, and replacing what guests break
- Repairs and maintenance — salt air is hard on everything
- Booking platform fees
That doesn't mean it's a bad idea. It means you should plan for rental income to help pay for the place, not pay for all of it. The people who are happiest with a Golden Isles vacation home bought it because they wanted to be here — and the rental income made it possible.
Local rules to know before you buy
- Glynn County requires a short-term rental certificate for stays under 30 days on St. Simons and other unincorporated areas. You'll also register to collect and remit taxes. Check current requirements with Glynn County before you buy.
- Georgia sales tax and local lodging taxes apply to short-term stays. These are usually added to the guest's bill, but you're responsible for collecting and paying them.
- Association rules come first. Many condo associations and some neighborhoods limit or ban short-term rentals. Read the documents before you make an offer.
- Jekyll Island is different. Jekyll is state-owned land managed by the Jekyll Island Authority, and homes there sit on long-term leases. Ask how that affects financing and rentals.
Questions to answer before you buy
- How many weeks a year do you want to use it? Every week you use it is a week it isn't earning.
- Will you self-manage or hire a local company? Get a written fee schedule.
- Can you cover the costs in a slow year without stress?
- Does your lender see this as a second home or an investment property? The answer changes your rate and down payment.
- Have you talked to your tax professional about how rental income and use affect you?
The short version
Strong demand, higher costs, and real local rules. A Golden Isles vacation home can be a wonderful thing to own — just buy it with honest numbers, not vacation math.
If you're starting to look, I'm glad to help you compare condos on St. Simons, cottages, and homes around the island, along with what each one can realistically rent for. You can also browse condos at SSICondos.com and island homes at ListSSI.com.
New Construction & Coastal Home Specialist
Market figures are from the sources named in each #DATA box and were current when this was written. Small markets produce noisy monthly numbers, so use them as context, not as a price for any one property. Engel & Völkers Golden Isles; each office is independently owned and operated.