Buying a South Haven Rental: Cite $39,291, Never Average

Jacob Mishalanie
17 hours ago
10 min read

Short-term rental lodging interior or exterior, South Haven stay 8

Most South Haven listings get marketed as a generic Lake Michigan stay. That pitch could describe a dozen other towns, and it wastes what actually sets City of South Haven, Van Buren County, Michigan apart. Guests who typed South Haven are looking for South Haven Lighthouse, North Beach, Black River harbor, downtown shops — not Saugatuck, and not St. Joseph. 546 active listings sit on this extract. Write the town you can actually walk. Keep the listing specific. A vague water caption loses the booking.

Typical listings here earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, AirROI trailing twelve months through July 2026. The average night was $543. Occupancy was 32.3 percent. Revenue per available night was $194. Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Active supply moved 14.9 percent. Do not average in Saugatuck at $48,084 on 294 listings. That is a different town. Leave St. Joseph as a different market. Do not mix those towns. Treat this as a small sample, not a blended coast.

The three strongest months are August, June, and July. August is the busiest. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago, then Indianapolis. Typical stay is 3.9 nights, booked about 79 days ahead. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. AirROI Low is a scrape Terri holds still show up in this sample. Confirm the live desk before you advertise.

DSCR on Thirty-Nine Thousand 291

That heading is the useful way to read South Haven, not a dashboard label. Guests come for South Haven Lighthouse. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Lake Michigan caption. Do not write Saugatuck copy onto a South Haven address. Do not use St. Joseph as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in South Haven Remote Stays and DIY vs Hire in South Haven. Typical listings earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, at $543 a night and 32.3 percent occupancy. August is the busiest month. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Supply moved 14.9 percent. Keep St. Joseph ($27,986 a year) on its own line. A 63.7-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph South Haven Lighthouse. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Do Not Average Saugatuck Forty-Eight Thousand 084

That heading is the useful way to read South Haven, not a dashboard label. Guests come for North Beach. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Lake Michigan caption. Do not write Saugatuck copy onto a South Haven address. Do not use St. Joseph as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in DIY vs Hire in South Haven and Who Books a South Haven Rental. Typical listings earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, at $543 a night and 32.3 percent occupancy. August is the busiest month. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Supply moved 14.9 percent. Keep St. Joseph ($27,986 a year) on its own line. A 63.7-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph North Beach. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

City Versus St. Joseph Travels With the Parcel

That heading is the useful way to read South Haven, not a dashboard label. Guests come for Black River harbor. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Lake Michigan caption. Do not write Saugatuck copy onto a South Haven address. Do not use St. Joseph as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Who Books a South Haven Rental and South Haven Tourism Data. Typical listings earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, at $543 a night and 32.3 percent occupancy. August is the busiest month. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Supply moved 14.9 percent. Keep St. Joseph ($27,986 a year) on its own line. A 63.7-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph Black River harbor. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Year Over Year Is Minus Here

That heading is the useful way to read South Haven, not a dashboard label. Guests come for downtown shops. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Lake Michigan caption. Do not write Saugatuck copy onto a South Haven address. Do not use St. Joseph as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in South Haven Tourism Data and Complete Visitor's Guide to South Haven and the Lighthouse. Typical listings earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, at $543 a night and 32.3 percent occupancy. August is the busiest month. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Supply moved 14.9 percent. Keep St. Joseph ($27,986 a year) on its own line. A 63.7-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph downtown shops. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

546 Cards Grew 15 Percent

Read more in Complete Visitor's Guide to South Haven and the Lighthouse and What It Costs to Start a Legal South Haven STR Stay. Typical listings earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, at $543 a night and 32.3 percent occupancy. August is the busiest month. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee.

Watch-Year Honesty Travels With the Deed

Read more in What It Costs to Start a Legal South Haven STR Stay and South Haven STR Report 2026. Typical listings earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, at $543 a night and 32.3 percent occupancy. August is the busiest month. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Supply moved 14.9 percent. Keep St. Joseph ($27,986 a year) on its own line. A 63.7-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph North Beach. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

License Travels With a New City Deed

Read more in South Haven STR Report 2026 and Market a South Haven Stay. Typical listings earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, at $543 a night and 32.3 percent occupancy. August is the busiest month. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Supply moved 14.9 percent. Keep St. Joseph ($27,986 a year) on its own line. A 63.7-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph Black River harbor. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

What a Buyer Packet Should Carry

Read more in Market a South Haven Stay and South Haven STR Rules. Typical listings earned about $39,291 last year from 546 active rentals, at $543 a night and 32.3 percent occupancy. August is the busiest month. February is the slowest. Most guests arrive from Chicago. Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Supply moved 14.9 percent. Keep St. Joseph ($27,986 a year) on its own line. A 63.7-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph downtown shops. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a typical South Haven STR year on this extract?

AirROI lists about $39,291 from 546 listings for August 2025 through July 2026, updated 2026-08-08. Average night $543. Occupancy 32.3 percent. Year over year is minus 15.3 percent. Do not average Saugatuck $48,084. Do not use St. Joseph $27,986 as this town.

Can I average Saugatuck into this year?

No. Saugatuck published $48,084 from 294 listings. Those desks do not cancel into one Lake Michigan year. Cite $39,291 from 546 South Haven listings only.

Which months are strongest in South Haven?

The three strongest months are August, June, and July. August is the busiest. February is the slowest. Occupancy for the year is 32.3 percent. Typical year is $39,291 from 546 listings.

Where do guests come from?

Chicago is first, then Indianapolis. Typical stay is 3.9 nights, booked about 79 days ahead. Superhost share is 56.6 percent. Occupancy here is 32.3 percent. Typical year is $39,291.

Does a low-regulation label mean there is no local permit?

No. That label is a scrape. The live stack is Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. City two-class short-term rental license. Confirm the current fee on the city schedule. Do not invent a fee. Saugatuck is another town. St. Joseph is another market. Cite $39,291 from 546 listings.

Is a 30-night minimum the same as occupancy?

No. 63.7 percent of listings (348 of them) set a 30-night minimum. Those numbers are not the same. Typical stay is 3.9 nights.

What should a buyer packet carry?

Cite $39,291 from 546 listings, strongest months August June July, slowest month February, origin Chicago, stay 3.9, lead 79, and Call the STR coordinator at 269-637-0791. Label Saugatuck $48,084. Label St. Joseph $27,986. Do not average those years.

Is St. Joseph the same market as South Haven?

No. St. Joseph published $27,986 from 76 listings. Keep that on its own line. South Haven is $39,291 from 546 listings, with February as the slowest month. Confirm current rules directly before marketing another town's numbers as this stay.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

South Haven listings marketed with St. Joseph's numbers or crowd sell the wrong stay to the wrong guest. That mismatch shows up in bookings, not just the spreadsheet.

Send the parcel before the listing goes live, and we will build South Haven copy from South Haven's own $39,291 extract, not Saugatuck's.

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