Buying a Charlevoix, Michigan Rental in 2026: What the Numbers Say

Jacob Mishalanie
Aug 19
8 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

US-31 Pine River drawbridge opening over the channel, City of Charlevoix, Michigan

The City of Charlevoix STR sample runs 200 listings with typical annual revenue of $28,644, an average daily rate of $380, and 29.8 percent occupancy across the vintage from August 2025 through July 2026, with RevPAR of $132. That figure is down 11.5 percent year over year.

Charlevoix Township's $25,035 and Petoskey's $29,658 need to stay off this particular bid. The city and the township share a shoreline, not a spreadsheet, and blending their numbers into one underwriting figure produces a wrong number a lender will eventually catch.

This is not financial or legal advice. This guide walks through what the data actually supports, where the city's zoning and licensing rules apply, and why numbers that look adjacent, Charlevoix Township's and Petoskey's, need to stay off this particular bid rather than padding a buyer's model. This is not legal advice.

The City of Charlevoix Number: $28,644 a Year

The City of Charlevoix STR sample runs 200 listings with typical annual revenue of $28,644, an average daily rate of $380, and 29.8 percent occupancy across the August 2025 through July 2026 vintage, producing a RevPAR of $132.

That $28,644 figure is down 11.5 percent year over year - a real, named decline that any buyer underwriting a 2026 purchase should build into their model directly rather than assuming a flat or growing trend line based on an older or more optimistic figure.

Charlevoix acquisition fails when Traverse City costume comps replace what this specific driveway can actually keep overnight. Guests deserve, and a lender expects, the stay the gallery and house rules can actually hold, not a comp borrowed from a larger, differently positioned market.

The practical takeaway: anchor any Charlevoix city acquisition model to the $28,644 typical-year figure, the $380 ADR, and the 29.8 percent occupancy rate directly, and build the -11.5 percent year-over-year decline into a conservative forward projection rather than ignoring it.

Don't Let Township Numbers Into a City Bid

Charlevoix Township's $25,035 figure and Petoskey's $29,658 figure describe different markets entirely and should never be cited as supporting evidence for a City of Charlevoix bid, even though all three sit within the same general Northern Michigan lakeshore region.

, and confirm from the property's tax map, not the listing photos, which municipality actually holds the parcel before writing a bid - a property's marketing photos do not determine which jurisdiction's revenue data actually applies to it.

Both markets share August as a peak month, but a shared peak month is not a shared file - overlapping seasonality does not mean overlapping revenue, ADR, or occupancy figures, and a buyer should keep the two trend lines split when underwriting.

The practical takeaway: confirm the exact municipal jurisdiction of the parcel from the tax map before citing any revenue figure, and never let a township or neighboring-city number substitute for the City of Charlevoix's own $28,644 figure.

Zoning and Licensing Sit With the Parcel

Zoning and short-term rental licensing rules are tied to the specific parcel and its municipal jurisdiction, not to the general Charlevoix-area brand a listing might use in its marketing. A buyer needs to confirm the exact zoning designation before assuming a property qualifies for a rental license at all.

For a City of Charlevoix parcel, the Zoning Administrator's office can confirm the current cap count for a given residential zone directly at (231) 547-3265, and annual license renewal runs $300, with a separate initial registration fee.

For a parcel in the Township rather than the city, licensing runs through a different desk entirely, Township Hall, reachable at (231) 547-4611. Confirming which jurisdiction actually governs a specific parcel is a required step, not an optional one, before a buyer submits a bid.

The practical takeaway: call the correct desk, city Zoning Administrator at (231) 547-3265 or Township Hall at (231) 547-4611, based on the parcel's confirmed jurisdiction, before assuming any licensing cap or fee structure applies to a specific property.

Reading the -11.5 Percent Year-Over-Year Decline

A -11.5 percent year-over-year decline in typical annual revenue is a significant, real signal that a 2026 buyer should factor into their pro forma directly, rather than assuming the market will snap back to a prior year's stronger figure without evidence.

This decline sits within a broader pattern where the 200-listing sample count held steady on this vintage - meaning the drop in typical revenue is not simply explained by a flood of new competing supply, since the listing count itself did not meaningfully grow or shrink.

A buyer should ask what is actually driving this specific decline, softer nightly rates, softer occupancy, or a mix of both, rather than treating -11.5 percent as an unexplained abstraction, since the answer changes what a realistic 2026 or 2027 recovery might look like.

The practical takeaway: build the -11.5 percent decline into a conservative, not optimistic, 2026 revenue projection, and treat any assumption of a near-term rebound as something to verify against fresher data before underwriting a bid around it.

200 Listings, and a Supply Count That Held Steady

The 200-listing sample count held steady on this vintage. It is not a shrinking-listing stock story, and it is not proof the market is safe either - a stable listing count simply means the -11.5 percent revenue decline was not primarily driven by a wave of new competing supply flooding the market.

A buyer evaluating whether Charlevoix's short-term rental market is oversaturated or undersupplied should read this stable count as a neutral signal, not automatically as good news or bad news, and should weigh it alongside the ADR and occupancy figures directly.

Steady supply combined with declining typical revenue suggests demand-side softness, weaker occupancy, softer nightly rates, or both, is the more likely driver of the year-over-year decline than a supply glut, though a buyer should still confirm this with more current data before finalizing an underwriting assumption.

The practical takeaway: treat the steady 200-listing count as one input among several, not as either a red flag or a reassurance on its own, and read it together with the $380 ADR and 29.8 percent occupancy figures for a fuller picture.

The Township's Own Number: -37.9 Percent

Charlevoix Township's own year-over-year figure shows a much steeper decline, -37.9 percent, than the City of Charlevoix's -11.5 percent - underscoring why blending the two jurisdictions' data into one narrative would badly understate how differently each market has actually been moving.

A buyer who mistakenly applied the city's milder -11.5 percent trend to a township parcel, or vice versa, would be underwriting against the wrong trend line entirely, which is exactly the kind of error that surfaces later during a lender's own due diligence review.

This gap between the two jurisdictions' trend lines is itself useful information: it suggests something specific to the township, rather than a uniform regional downturn, is driving its steeper decline, and a buyer considering a township parcel should investigate that difference directly rather than assuming it mirrors the city.

The practical takeaway: keep the city's -11.5 percent and the township's -37.9 percent as two entirely separate trend lines in any underwriting model, and confirm a parcel's actual jurisdiction before applying either figure.

What a Charlevoix Buyer Packet Should Actually Carry

A Charlevoix buyer packet should carry the City of Charlevoix's own $28,644 typical annual revenue, $380 ADR, 29.8 percent occupancy, $132 RevPAR, and the -11.5 percent year-over-year decline figure, sourced specifically to the city sample, not a blended regional estimate.

The packet should also confirm the parcel's exact jurisdiction from the tax map, and cite the correct licensing desk and fee structure, city Zoning Administrator at (231) 547-3265 with $300 annual renewal, or Township Hall at (231) 547-4611, based on that confirmed jurisdiction.

Visitor-facing detail, like festival weekends or scenic photos of Round Lake, belongs in an appendix, not the T12 line. That material is genuinely useful for a marketing narrative, but it should not influence the actual revenue number a lender is asked to underwrite.

The full market report covers the year in more depth, and a financing-focused breakdown walks through the same numbers in lender order - a buyer should read both alongside this guide rather than relying on a single summary page for a purchase decision this size.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the City of Charlevoix's typical short-term rental revenue?

The City of Charlevoix sample shows typical annual revenue of $28,644 across 200 listings, with a $380 ADR and 29.8 percent occupancy over the August 2025 through July 2026 vintage, producing a RevPAR of $132. This specific figure is down 11.5 percent year over year from the prior vintage.

Can Charlevoix Township's numbers be used to support a City of Charlevoix bid?

No. Charlevoix Township's $25,035 figure and Petoskey's $29,658 figure describe different markets and shouldn't be blended into a city bid. Confirm the parcel's exact jurisdiction from the tax map itself, not the listing photos, before citing any revenue figure in an underwriting model.

Who handles zoning and licensing for a City of Charlevoix rental?

The city's Zoning Administrator's office, reachable at (231) 547-3265, can confirm the current cap count for a given residential zone. Annual license renewal runs $300, separate from a further initial registration fee. Township parcels instead run through Township Hall, at (231) 547-4611.

Why did City of Charlevoix STR revenue decline 11.5 percent year over year?

The decline occurred even though the 200-listing supply count held steady on this vintage, suggesting demand-side softness in ADR, occupancy, or both is a more likely driver than new competing supply. A buyer should confirm the specific cause with more current data before underwriting a rebound.

Is Charlevoix Township's decline the same as the city's?

No. Charlevoix Township's own year-over-year figure shows a much steeper -37.9 percent decline compared to the city's milder -11.5 percent decline. These are two separate trend lines, and a buyer should confirm a parcel's actual jurisdiction before applying either figure to their underwriting model.

Should visitor attractions like Round Lake influence the underwriting number?

No. Visitor-facing detail like festival weekends or scenic photos belongs in a marketing appendix, not the trailing-twelve-month revenue line a lender underwrites. That material is genuinely useful narrative context but shouldn't be allowed to influence the actual revenue figure used in a purchase decision.

Does a steady listing count mean the Charlevoix market is oversaturated or safe?

Neither conclusion follows on its own. The 200-listing count holding steady is a neutral signal, not proof of safety or oversaturation, and should be read together with the $380 ADR and 29.8 percent occupancy figures rather than treated alone as a standalone red flag or reassurance.

What should a Charlevoix buyer packet include before a bid?

The city's own $28,644 typical revenue, $380 ADR, 29.8 percent occupancy, $132 RevPAR, and the -11.5 percent year-over-year figure, plus the confirmed parcel jurisdiction and the correct licensing desk contact and fee structure that actually applies to that exact property.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

The City of Charlevoix's typical short-term rental year is $28,644, down 11.5 percent year over year - and Charlevoix Township's own decline runs steeper still, at -37.9 percent. The two markets share a shoreline, not a spreadsheet.

We help buyers keep Charlevoix acquisition numbers honest against the specific parcel's confirmed jurisdiction and actual revenue trend. Send us the listing and the tax map and we will flag any figure that belongs to the wrong municipality.

Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.