Building A Pro Forma For A 6‑Bedroom Rental On 30A

Are you considering a 6-bedroom vacation rental on 30A but unsure how to forecast income and costs with confidence? You are not alone. High-end homes in Santa Rosa Beach can perform very well, yet results swing with seasonality, amenities, and management choices. In this guide, you will learn how to build a defensible, month-by-month pro forma tailored to 30A, understand every revenue and expense line item, and pressure test returns with a simple sensitivity analysis. Let’s dive in.

What your 30A pro forma should include

A solid pro forma for a 6-bedroom short-term rental covers the full guest revenue stack, all operating expenses, and clear outputs for returns.

• Gross booking revenue: ADR multiplied by occupied nights. This is the top-line rent before fees.
• Host payout: Gross booking revenue minus platform and management fees. This is the owner-side revenue before operating expenses.
• Net operating income (NOI): Host revenue plus any ancillary revenue minus all operating expenses. Use NOI for cap rate and cash flow before debt.
• Key outputs: Annual revenue, NOI, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, RevPAR (total rental revenue divided by nights available), and DSCR if financed.

Know the 30A market context

Santa Rosa Beach and the broader 30A corridor are premium coastal submarkets with strong summer demand, busy spring and fall weekends, and slower winters. Peaks around Memorial Day through Labor Day drive a disproportionate share of the year’s revenue, so you should model month by month, not just a single annual average.

What moves performance on 30A:

• Proximity to beach access and parking convenience
• Pool or spa and outdoor living space
• High-quality finishes and multiple living areas
• Clear policies for pets, parking, and maximum occupancy
• Local event timing for spring break, fall festivals, and holidays

Compliance and taxes to confirm before you buy:

• Walton County ordinances and any community HOA or CID rules for rental registration, permits, occupancy caps, parking, and noise.
• Florida state sales and local transient rental taxes, including how and when to remit.

Where to source current ADR and occupancy comps:

• Subscription market data providers used by STR operators such as AirDNA, AllTheRooms Analytics, Transparent, Mashvisor, KeyData, or STR.
• Active listings on major booking platforms and local property manager sites for qualitative rate and amenity anchors.
• Visitor trend and seasonality context from the local tourism organization for South Walton.

Build revenue month by month

Revenue modeling on 30A starts with seasonality. For each month, set:

• Nights available
• ADR for that month
• Occupancy percentage
• Nights occupied = Nights available × Occupancy
• Rental revenue = ADR × Nights occupied
• Cleaning fee revenue (if charged to guests)
• Ancillary revenue (pet fees, late checkout, damage waiver, add-ons)

Illustrative monthly revenue example

The figures below are hypothetical and for demonstration only. Replace them with local data before investing.

Notes:

• Peak summer months carry the year on 30A. Adjust ADR and minimum stays in your model to reflect this.
• For cleaning fees, model revenue per booking and expenses per turnover. If you average 5 nights per stay in peak and 3 to 4 nights in shoulder and off-season, bookings will cluster around summer.

Model platform and management fees correctly

• Platform host fees: Budget a percentage of rental revenue. A conservative planning range is 5% to 12%, depending on platform and contract. Some hosts see about 3% on certain platforms, but others pay higher under different pricing models.
• Payment processing: If you take direct bookings, include merchant fees around 2.5% to 3.5%.
• Property management: Full-service coastal STR operators commonly charge 18% to 35% of rental revenue depending on scope and amenity level.

Apply these fees to your monthly rental revenue to get your host payout. Example formula:

• Platform fees = Platform % × Rental revenue
• Management fees = Management % × Rental revenue
• Host payout = Rental revenue − Platform fees − Management fees + Cleaning fee contribution + Ancillary revenue

Estimate operating expenses with care

Include the following line items and use local quotes or set ranges where noted:

• Cleaning and linens: Large homes carry higher turnover costs. A 6-bedroom clean often falls in the $200 to $500 per turnover range. If you charge a cleaning fee to guests, net cleaning contribution is cleaning revenue minus cleaning expense.
• Utilities and waste: Electricity, water, gas or propane, internet, and cable often run higher for STRs due to HVAC, pool equipment, and laundry. Model monthly and adjust for seasonality.
• Pool and spa maintenance: Include a monthly service fee plus chemicals.
• Insurance: STR policies can cost more than standard homeowners insurance and may require endorsements. Get quotes specific to Walton County and flood zones.
• Property taxes: Pull current millage and parcel data from local sources and model annually.
• HOA or community fees: Some 30A neighborhoods have monthly or annual dues. Also check for special assessments and STR guidelines.
• Repairs and maintenance: Budget a reserve. For high-end 6-bedroom coastal homes, a range of $6,000 to $20,000 per year can be a reasonable planning placeholder, then validate with property age and systems.
• Capital expenditures: Furniture, HVAC, roof, decking, pool resurfacing, paint, and appliances. Many investors set $5,000 to $30,000 per year as a planning reserve based on asset value and age.
• Marketing and listing costs: Professional photography, website, paid ads, or premium listings if not included in your management agreement.
• Damage protection or bad debt reserve: Consider 0.5% to 1% of revenue or a fixed annual amount.

Important: This pro forma produces NOI before income tax. Work with a tax advisor to model federal, state, and local income tax treatment based on your ownership and use.

Run a sensitivity analysis

Your returns are highly sensitive to ADR and occupancy. Build a simple matrix to see how results change when these inputs move. The layout below is illustrative only.

Assumptions for illustration:

• Nights available = 365
• ADR scenarios: $700, $1,000, $1,400
• Occupancy scenarios: 35%, 55%, 75%
• Fees and expenses not shown here. This is gross rental revenue only.

How to use this:

• Apply your fee stack. For example, if platform plus management equals 31%, multiply any gross revenue by 69% to estimate host payout before operating expenses.
• Deduct operating expenses and reserves to reach NOI.
• If financing, subtract annual debt service to see cash flow and DSCR.

Your worksheet structure and key formulas

Build a simple workbook with three tabs: Inputs, Monthly P&L, and Sensitivity.

Inputs:

• Property details, nights available, seasonal ADR by month, occupancy by month
• Cleaning fee, platform fee %, management fee %
• Utilities, pool, landscaping, pest control, internet, supplies
• Insurance, property taxes, HOA
• Repairs and maintenance reserve, capex reserve
• Financing terms: loan amount, rate, amortization

Monthly P&L:

• Nights occupied = Nights available × Occupancy
• Rental revenue = ADR × Nights occupied
• Platform fees = Platform % × Rental revenue
• Management fees = Management % × Rental revenue
• Cleaning revenue and cleaning expense per turnover
• Other operating expenses (monthly or prorated annually)
• NOI = Rental revenue + ancillary revenue − platform fees − management fees − operating expenses
• Debt service (monthly)
• Cash flow before tax = NOI − Annual debt service

Summary outputs:

• Annual totals, RevPAR, gross yield, NOI margin
• Cap rate = NOI divided by purchase price
• Cash-on-cash = Annual pre-tax cash flow divided by cash invested

Sensitivity:

• 3 by 3 matrix for ADR and occupancy
• Optional rate and LTV grid for financing scenarios
• Optional capex shock rows for one-time replacements

What can move your results most

• Seasonality: Summer ADR and minimum stays drive a large share of revenue on 30A.
• Amenity set: Pools, spas, bunk rooms, and multiple living areas command higher ADR.
• Management quality: Dynamic pricing, housekeeping reliability, and guest service impact both occupancy and reviews.
• Regulatory and tax changes: Rules and tax rates can change. Confirm before you buy and re-check annually.
• Insurance and major capex: Coastal markets can see spikes. Carry reserves.

Due diligence checklist for Santa Rosa Beach buyers

Use this short list as you underwrite a purchase:

• Walton County STR registration requirements, permits, and any community-specific guidelines
• Current Florida transient rental tax rates and remittance rules
• HOA rules for parking, occupancy, exterior standards, and rental restrictions
• Seasonal ADR and occupancy from a reputable STR data provider for 6-bedroom comps
• Insurance quotes that include STR endorsements and, if needed, flood coverage
• Local property manager proposals with fee schedules and included services
• CPA guidance on depreciation, material participation, and income tax positioning

Ready to turn this framework into a property-specific plan? Request the owner worksheet, a revenue forecast, and an operations proposal tailored to your target home.

If you want a single-source partner who can help you acquire the right asset and operate it for performance, connect with Christopher Harper for a Request a Valuation & Turnkey Management Plan.

FAQs

What is a pro forma for a 6-bedroom 30A rental?

• It is a month-by-month forecast of revenue, expenses, and returns for a Santa Rosa Beach short-term rental that rolls up to annual NOI, cap rate, and cash flow.

How do I set ADR and occupancy for Santa Rosa Beach?

• Use recent month-level data from STR market vendors, check active comps for amenity and rate anchors, and reflect 30A’s peak summer and shoulder seasons.

What management fee should I budget on 30A?

• Full-service property management in coastal STR markets often ranges from 18% to 35% of rental revenue depending on scope and amenity level.

How do cleaning fees factor into the pro forma?

• Model cleaning fee revenue per booking and cleaning expense per turnover; the net can be neutral or a small positive depending on how you price it.

What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Walton County?

• Florida state sales tax and local transient rental taxes typically apply; confirm current rates and remittance rules before you take bookings.

How do I account for insurance and hurricane risk?

• Obtain quotes specific to the property’s location and flood zone, include them as annual lines, and keep a capex reserve for storm-related replacements.