Agreed. Also, if this could STR, I believe the price of the home would be 25% higher and it would have sold very quickly. Remember, you only need a license for stays less than 30 days. A property like this might make an interesting mid-term rental.

In our market, those for sale that are active STR in turnkey condition are selling for as much as a 20% :STR Premium" over non-STR homes, and they those sell very fast. I looked through the properties that rate 10 on your scale and almost all have a significant deficiency like a septic system that is too small, so in reality the ROI should not based on real estate bedroom count, but a lower septic-legal bedroom count. One example is 178 Comanche in Arrowhead Lake. Legal for 5 bedrooms for primary home, but legal for 3 bedrooms for STR.

@Julia Raizen Very different submarkets in the Poconos. Very suburban feel on the eastern end (by NJ) and it gets rural as you head west. We have 4 ski areas and there are clusters of vacation homes (townhomes) near 3 of them and Lake Harmony is a bit of a party-town. County seats (4) have their own small town vibe and a couple of places like Big Bass Lake and Arrowhead Lake have their own identity. We focus on 16 areas: https://poconovacationhomesales.com/properties/

Looks like this just went pending. Emerald Lakes is a nice place for STR and demand is strong. Key to success here is catering to the overflow from the nearby Kalahari Resort and Convention Center. When dance competitions, cheerleading competitions and regional events happen in the convention center, local bookings rise. Pet friendly has a huge impact as people who need to be at the convention center and need to bring the dog will pay a premium. HOA has $2500/year guest fees + the regular HOA fee ($1280) plus the township has license and inspection fees around $750. Township also requires you also have a commercial insurance policy/rider which adds some added cost. 3 BR = 8 person maximum occupancy so I imagine 3rd party data points you to increasing bedroom count as the road to profit. In general 3 Bedrooms have fallen out of fashion for most investors here which I see as an opportunity. Today 3 + 3 = 5. For the price of a 5 BR you could buy two 3's and if they are close buy, you might even market the two as one. Demand is very strong for large homes here, unfortunately over 70% of the homes are 3 BR models.

@Akaash Mishra Over 95% of the homes that are good for STR in the Poconos are in HOA/POAs. They bring support to your business and certainly have some challenges. You might like our Top 10 STR Communities in the Poconos - https://poconovacationhomesales.com/2025/10/31/top-10-str-friendly-communities-in-the-poconos/ We try to keep the gossip out and use client success in our opinions.

@Rainie Graham I'm a realtor, so I always see both sides of challenge/opportunity. When you are near a busy road, the neighbors will be less concerned about noise that comes from your guests. The neighbors close up their houses, have their own noise reduction so your guests will be less likely to be a nuisance and you'll face less complaints. In a community in our market that backs up to I-80, we see vacation rentals putting in pools because normally pools are problematic with neighbors, but when you have Interstate 80 in your back yard, who cares about some kid sounds!