Where to Search for Your STR in 2026

Where should you buy a short-term rental in the Poconos?Lake Harmony? Albrightsville? Long Pond? Tobyhanna? Pocono Lake?A listener planning his first Poconos STR realized pretty quickly that choosing the right area is more complicated than finding a house close to a ski resort. Township regulations, HOA rules, occupancy limits, registration fees, local politics, property values, and even the size of the surrounding STR market can completely change the risk and potential of an investment.In this episode, Jeremiah breaks down the five townships he focuses on when searching for short-term rental properties in the "Western Poconos:" Kidder, Penn Forest, Tunkhannock, Tobyhanna, and Coolbaugh.We get into Lake Harmony, Towamensing Trails, Indian Mountain Lakes, Brier Crest Woods, Emerald Lakes, Arrowhead Lake, Locust Lake Village, Pocono Country Place, Pocono Farms, Camelback and several other communities along the way.Jeremiah also explains his “dartboard” analogy for understanding Poconos STR demand, why a larger house in the right market can sometimes be more interesting than a property in the center of a tourist destination, and why he believes investors should focus less on finding the “best town” and more on finding a property with strong marketability, value, and manageable risk.Finally, we cover some of the biggest red flags Jeremiah watches for before buying an STR, including restrictive HOAs, areas where vacation rentals are rare, communities dominated by primary residences, and places where regulations have already been challenged or tightened.If you’re considering buying an Airbnb or vacation rental in the Poconos, this episode will give you a much better framework for deciding where to start your search, and what to investigate before you go under contract.