Buying a Jamestown, RI Rental? Underwrite on $29,691, Not a Neighbor's

If you're evaluating a short-term rental purchase in Jamestown, Rhode Island, the first rule is simple: underwrite on Jamestown's own numbers, not a neighboring town's. This market's sample shows typical annual revenue of about $29,691 from 92 listings, an ADR of $440, 31.4 percent occupancy, and RevPAR of $153. Year-over-year revenue moved minus 9.6 percent, while active supply grew plus 9.5 percent.

That's a real, specific deed-year snapshot — not a neighbor blend and not a number borrowed from a nearby state. Harpswell, Maine published $29,110 in a separate market sample; despite the similar-looking figure, that's a Maine number describing a different market entirely, and it doesn't belong in a Jamestown underwriting packet.

Little Compton, another Rhode Island coastal town, published its own separate figure ($31,744 from 71 listings). It's a real Rhode Island market, but a different one with its own clerk and its own calendar — worth citing as a labeled comparison, never averaged into Jamestown's number. This is not legal advice.

The Jamestown deed-year numbers

Typical annual revenue on this Jamestown market sample is about $29,691 across 92 active listings. ADR is $440, occupancy is 31.4 percent, and RevPAR is $153. Year-over-year revenue moved minus 9.6 percent, while active supply grew plus 9.5 percent over the same period.

Reading supply growth and revenue decline together matters: more listings entered this market while occupancy and per-listing revenue softened. A buyer who reads the 9.5 percent supply increase as pure demand growth, without weighing it against the minus 9.6 percent revenue trend, is mixing two different signals.

Professionally managed share here is 25 percent, with STAY Newport appearing on 2 listings. Superhost share is 52.2 percent. Those figures describe how the current listing base operates — they don't offset the underlying supply and revenue trend on their own.

Why the calendar matters as much as the annual total

Peak season in Jamestown runs August, then June and September. January is the clear low point, with occupancy lowest that month. A buyer packet that only quotes the $29,691 annual figure without describing this seasonal pattern is incomplete — the annual number is an average across a calendar with real peaks and real gaps.

The typical guest here books about 101 days ahead for a 4.9-night stay, most commonly arriving from New York, then Boston. That lead time and stay length describe demand patterns worth understanding for pricing and calendar planning, separate from the annual revenue figure.

56.5 percent of listings (52 of 92) set a 30-night minimum stay requirement. That's a stay-length policy, not evidence of occupancy — occupancy for the year remains 31.4 percent regardless of how many listings choose a 30-night filter. If you're buying a property that already operates under this minimum, underwrite based on that specific operating model; if you plan to change it, you're modeling a different listing than the majority of this market's current supply.

The landmarks that explain demand — and don't change the numbers

Guests come to Jamestown for Beavertail Lighthouse, Fort Wetherill, East Ferry, and Mackerel Cove. These are the specific, real reasons a guest books here rather than a competing coastal town, and they're worth naming specifically in a listing description.

None of these landmarks changes the underwriting numbers. $29,691 typical revenue, 31.4 percent occupancy, and a 9.5 percent supply increase remain the figures to build a purchase model around — a well-photographed view of the lighthouse doesn't move any of them.

Use the landmarks to explain why a guest from New York booked 101 days ahead for this specific town. Use the numbers to actually underwrite the purchase. Keep those two categories of information separate in your own analysis, and in any packet you'd show a lender.

Registration costs to include in your underwriting

Town STR host registration in Jamestown runs $125 annually, plus per-bedroom fees. Confirm the current live rate directly with Jamestown Town Desk at 401-423-7200, since fee structures can be adjusted. Rhode Island's Department of Business Regulation (DBR) registration is a separate, required state-level filing — it doesn't replace the town registration, and the town fee doesn't cover DBR.

This page doesn't name additional fees — inspection costs, parking permits, or other charges — beyond the $125-plus-per-bedroom town figure and the DBR requirement, because no live source confirmed further specifics. Confirm directly with Town Desk before assuming any other cost applies.

Keep the registration cost, the DBR requirement, and the revenue underwriting figures on three clearly separate lines in your own analysis. Collapsing them into one blended 'cost of doing business' number makes it harder to spot if any one piece changes in a future year.

Don't let a neighboring town's number into the packet

Harpswell, Maine's $29,110 figure is a real number from a real market sample — but it's from a different state, a different coastline, and a different guest base. The fact that it's numerically close to Jamestown's $29,691 makes it more tempting to blend, not less risky to blend.

Little Compton, Rhode Island published $31,744 from 71 listings — genuinely the same state, but still a separate town with its own clerk, its own seasonal calendar, and its own market dynamics. Cite it, if relevant, as a clearly labeled separate comparison. Don't average it with Jamestown's figure to produce a blended 'regional' number.

If a broker packet you're reviewing mixes multiple towns' revenue into a single figure, that's worth sending back for clarification. The guest who searches for a Jamestown rental is looking for Jamestown specifically — Beavertail Lighthouse, Fort Wetherill, East Ferry, Mackerel Cove — and the underwriting should be just as specific to this one town.

Related Reading

More Jamestown, Rhode Island reading already live on Crest & Cove.

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• Jamestown STR Rules Start at Town Desk, Not a Scrape

• Jamestown Startup Cost Starts With the $125 Host File

• How Independent Hosts Should Read a Market Report

• First Photos: Airbnb Listing Order

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the typical annual revenue for a Jamestown, RI short-term rental?

On this market sample, typical annual revenue is about $29,691 across 92 active listings, with an ADR of $440, 31.4 percent occupancy, and RevPAR of $153. Year-over-year revenue moved minus 9.6 percent, while active supply grew plus 9.5 percent.

How much does it cost to register a short-term rental in Jamestown?

Town STR host registration runs $125 annually plus per-bedroom fees — confirm the current live rate with Jamestown Town Desk at 401-423-7200. Rhode Island's Department of Business Regulation (DBR) registration is a separate, required state-level filing on top of the town registration.

Should I average Jamestown's numbers with Harpswell, Maine's figures?

No. Harpswell's $29,110 figure comes from a completely different state and market. Despite the numerically similar figure, Maine and Rhode Island coastal markets have different guest bases, regulations, and seasonal patterns — don't blend the two into one underwriting number.

Is Jamestown the same market as Little Compton?

No — they're both Rhode Island coastal towns, but separate markets with separate clerks and separate figures. Little Compton published typical revenue of about $31,744 from 71 listings, a real but distinct number from Jamestown's $29,691 from 92. Cite both separately if relevant; don't average them.

When is peak season in Jamestown, and when is the slow period?

Peak season runs August, then June and September. January is the clear low point, with occupancy lowest that month. A purchase model should account for this seasonal pattern rather than relying solely on the annual average revenue figure.

Does a 9.5 percent increase in active supply mean demand is growing?

Not necessarily on its own. Supply grew 9.5 percent over the same period that revenue moved minus 9.6 percent year-over-year. More listings entering a market while per-listing revenue softens is a different signal than pure demand growth — read both figures together, not supply growth alone.

Does a 30-night minimum stay policy mean a property is fully occupied?

No. On this market sample, 52 of 92 listings (56.5 percent) set a 30-night minimum — a stay-length policy chosen by hosts, separate from occupancy, which remains 31.4 percent for the year regardless of how listings structure their minimum stays.

What landmarks explain why guests book Jamestown specifically?

Guests come for Beavertail Lighthouse, Fort Wetherill, East Ferry, and Mackerel Cove — the reasons a guest from New York or Boston books this specific town rather than a competing coastal market. These explain demand; they don't change the underlying revenue and occupancy figures used for underwriting.

How far in advance do guests typically book a Jamestown stay?

Guests typically book about 101 days ahead for a 4.9-night stay, most commonly arriving from New York, then Boston. This lead time is useful for pricing and calendar planning, separate from the annual revenue underwriting figure.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

A buyer packet that opens with a neighboring state's number is already underwriting the wrong town. Jamestown's own figures — $29,691 typical revenue, 31.4 percent occupancy, 9.5 percent supply growth — are the ones that actually apply here.

We help independent hosts and buyers in Jamestown build listing and underwriting packets from this town's actual numbers, without a neighboring market's figures sliding in to make the picture look better than it is. Bring your questions to crestcove.co or call (256) 998-7502.

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