Buying a Rockport, MA Rental? Underwrite on $36,871, Not a Connecticut

Jacob Mishalanie
Aug 21
5 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Empty covered porch of a shingle cottage facing a granite harbor, no people

Rockport, Massachusetts has its own real, specific underwriting year: $36,871 typical annual revenue on 199 listings, ADR $406, occupancy 40.8 percent, and RevPAR $167. That's the figure to build a purchase model on — not East Lyme, Connecticut's separate $39,022 number, which describes an entirely different state, town, and guest base.

Motif Number 1 and Bearskin Neck are genuine, specific landmarks guests search for when they think of Rockport — but visitor foot traffic at either location doesn't assign a loan or change the underlying occupancy figure. Keep landmark color and underwriting numbers in separate categories throughout your analysis.

This market saw year-over-year revenue move minus 8.2 percent, alongside active supply growth of 8.2 percent. That's one trailing year of data on this specific sample — a real number to work with, not a promise about what next year will print. This is not legal advice.

The Rockport underwriting numbers, in full

Typical annual revenue on this market sample is $36,871 across 199 listings. ADR is $406, occupancy is 40.8 percent, and RevPAR is $167. These are the figures to build a debt-service or purchase model around — not a 'corridor story' blending in a nearby or similarly-named market.

A packet that only quotes the $406 ADR figure without also citing the 40.8 percent occupancy rate is hiding half the picture — file both together, since ADR alone overstates what a property actually earns across a full calendar year.

199 listings is a meaningful sample size, but it's still a specific, bounded sample — watch it for what it is rather than treating it as evidence of a broader 'Cape Ann corridor average' that doesn't exist as a distinct dataset here.

The calendar: August, October, September peak; February and January the holes

The three strongest months are August, October, and September, with August the single busiest. February is the slowest month overall, and occupancy is specifically weakest in January. Write this actual calendar into any buyer packet rather than relying solely on the annual average.

Guests typically arrive from Boston, then New York, staying 4.5 nights with a 78-day booking lead. These are booking facts useful for calendar planning — they are not evidence for a purchase price, and this page doesn't attempt to derive one.

101 of 199 listings (50.8 percent) set a 30-night minimum stay. That's a stay-length policy choice, not proof of a filled February — actual occupancy remains 40.8 percent for the year regardless of how many listings adopt this filter.

Don't let East Lyme, Connecticut into a Rockport packet

East Lyme, Connecticut published its own separate figure of $39,022 on 108 listings — a real number, but for a different state, a different town, and a different clerk's jurisdiction entirely. If a lender or broker packet asks you to use 'the other town's rent roll,' that's a request to mix two unrelated markets, and it should be refused.

Rockport is Massachusetts; East Lyme is Connecticut. Two states, two town desks, two separate years of data. A shared landmark-style name recognition (like Motif Number 1 being a well-known Rockport image) doesn't create any actual connection to a Connecticut clerk's jurisdiction or dataset.

If you're evaluating multiple coastal New England markets for a purchase, keep each town's figures on entirely separate lines in your own analysis — Rockport's $36,871, and any other town's number, cited but never blended.

Registration and permitting: what's confirmed, what isn't

Rockport Town Desk sits at 34 Broadway, Rockport, MA 01966. Hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 8 to 4; Tuesday 8 to 6; Friday 8 to 1. Confirm current 2026 hours directly with the town before visiting or calling, since hours can be updated.

Massachusetts short-term rental operators register with the Department of Revenue, and statewide lodging tax applies. A dedicated Rockport-specific STR permit fee was not confirmed on a primary town page as of this research — don't assume or estimate one from a market-data scrape or a neighboring town's fee schedule.

Proposed 30-day minimum-stay changes are not a confirmed, live bylaw as of this research. Don't underwrite a purchase as if a proposal has already become binding policy — the 101 listings currently using a 30-night minimum are doing so as a voluntary platform filter under the current rules, not because of an adopted bylaw change.

The rest of the market picture

Professionally managed share is 21.1 percent, with Evolve holding 3 listings. Superhost share is 67.3 percent — independent hosts are still writing most of this desk's listings. A buyer expecting a fully professionally-managed rent roll should recognize that 21.1 percent represents a minority of the current market.

Read the professionally managed and Superhost percentages as a description of the current desk mix, not as a guarantee about how any specific property you're evaluating is or will be run.

Active supply moved plus 8.2 percent over the trailing period, alongside the minus 8.2 percent revenue trend. More listings entering the market during a softer revenue year is worth noting explicitly in a purchase analysis, rather than treating supply growth alone as a sign of rising demand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the typical annual revenue for a Rockport, MA short-term rental?

About $36,871 on this market sample, across 199 listings, with an ADR of $406, occupancy of 40.8 percent, and RevPAR of $167.

Should I use East Lyme, Connecticut's revenue figures for a Rockport purchase?

No. East Lyme is a separate town in a different state with its own figure ($39,022 on 108 listings). Don't blend or average it with Rockport's own $36,871 — they describe entirely different markets.

When is peak season in Rockport, and when is it slowest?

August, October, and September are the three strongest months, with August the busiest. February is the slowest month overall, and occupancy is specifically weakest in January.

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

A dedicated Rockport-specific STR permit fee wasn't confirmed on a primary town page as of this research. Massachusetts operators register with the state Department of Revenue regardless; confirm any additional local fee directly with Rockport Town Desk (34 Broadway, Rockport, MA 01966).

Has Rockport already adopted a 30-day minimum stay bylaw?

Not as of this research — proposed 30-day minimum changes were not confirmed as a live, adopted bylaw. Currently, 101 of 199 listings (50.8 percent) voluntarily set a 30-night minimum as a platform filter under existing rules.

Is the Rockport rental market mostly professionally managed?

No — professionally managed share is 21.1 percent (Evolve holds 3 listings), with Superhost share at 67.3 percent. Independent hosts represent the majority of this market's listings.

Was 2025-2026 a growth year for Rockport's rental market?

Revenue moved minus 8.2 percent year over year, while active supply grew plus 8.2 percent — more listings entered the market during a period of softer per-listing revenue.

How far in advance do guests book a Rockport stay?

About 78 days on average, for a typical stay of 4.5 nights. Most guests arrive from Boston, then New York.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Rockport's own underwriting year is $36,871 on 199 listings — not a borrowed figure from a Connecticut town three states away that happens to have a similarly large number. Name the failure mode the guest can check on the listing.

We help independent hosts and buyers in Rockport build purchase and marketing packets from this town's own numbers, without a differently-named market's figures sliding into the underwriting by mistake. Reach out at crestcove.co or call (256) 998-7502.

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