Buying a Wellfleet, MA Short-Term Rental: What the 2026 Numbers Actually Support

A Wellfleet short-term rental earned about $31,996 last year on the typical listing, drawn from a 246-listing AirROI sample covering August 2025 through July 2026. The average night booked at $434, occupancy sat at 39.6 percent, and revenue per available night came in at $192. Year over year, that revenue is down 11.5 percent. Those are the numbers to underwrite, not a blend with any other Cape or island market.

Wellfleet sits on the Outer Cape, inside the boundary of the Cape Cod National Seashore, with Cahoon Hollow Beach and the Beachcomber as its best-known summer draw. That geography is part of why a buyer packet for this parcel should stand on its own: this is a National Seashore-adjacent beach town with its own zoning quirks, its own oyster-industry day-trip traffic, and its own visitor calendar. None of that carries over from a comp in a different state.

The Revenue Baseline: $31,996 on 246 Listings

The $31,996 figure is the median annual revenue across 246 active Wellfleet listings, per AirROI's trailing-twelve-month extract from August 2025 through July 2026. The average nightly rate was $434, occupancy ran 39.6 percent, and revenue per available night (RevPAN) landed at $192. Active supply barely moved, 0.0 percent growth year over year, which means this is a mature, largely built-out market rather than one still absorbing new listings.

For underwriting purposes, RevPAN and median revenue are more defensible than a top-quartile listing's headline income, because they already absorb the vacancy and seasonality baked into a 39.6 percent occupancy rate. A lender or buyer working DSCR math should build the debt-service coverage ratio off the median or off RevPAN times available nights, not off a best-case competitor's listing screenshot.

In practice, that means dividing this property's projected net rental income, after cleaning, management, utilities, and insurance, by the annual debt service, and applying a conservative multiplier rather than the peak-month rate. Because the three strongest months here are August, July, and June, a lender who annualizes a July rate without a seasonality haircut will overstate coverage. This page does not invent a purchase price or a rate; it hands you the underwriting year so you can run your own numbers against it.

Keep Vinalhaven's $15,718 Out of This Underwriting

Vinalhaven published $15,718 in median revenue on 43 listings in the same AirROI window. Vinalhaven is a Maine island with a year-round population under 1,300, reached by ferry, with a market shaped by lobstering and a much shorter, more compressed booking season than Cape Cod's. It is not a substitute market for Wellfleet, and it should never appear on the same line of a buyer packet.

Blending the two produces a number that flatters or punishes the deal depending on which way you average, either overstating Wellfleet's coverage by folding in an unrelated island's off-season, or understating it by dragging a stronger Cape number down. A lender who asks for "the other town's rent roll" is, functionally, asking you to mix two different housing markets, two different regulatory regimes, and two different guest bases into one figure.

The cleaner structure: present Wellfleet's $31,996 on its own line, and if a Vinalhaven listing is genuinely part of the buyer's operating history, cite it separately as management track record, never as a revenue comparable for this parcel. Read more in Wellfleet vs Vinalhaven and Wellfleet vs Vinalhaven Desks for the fuller comparison.

The Parcel Decides the Comp, Not the Listing Scrape

Wellfleet's identity as a rental market is tied to its geography: Cahoon Hollow Beach and the string of Outer Cape ocean beaches along the National Seashore, Wellfleet Harbor and its working oyster grants, and the ponds scattered through the pine barrens inland. A parcel near the Seashore boundary carries different constraints, septic and well requirements, setback rules, and sometimes conservation restrictions, than one closer to town center on municipal services.

Bring the tax map and confirm parcel-specific restrictions with the assessor before you rely on a generic "Outer Cape" comp. A dedicated Wellfleet short-term rental permit fee was not confirmed on a primary town page as of this pass, Leave out unverified one, and do not assume it matches a neighboring town's fee schedule.

Guest demand also splits by location within town. A rental near Wellfleet Harbor draws oyster-tourism day-trippers and boaters; a rental near Cahoon Hollow or the other ocean beaches draws a beach-week family crowd with longer average stays. Match your marketing photography and listing copy to which side of town the parcel actually sits on, not to a townwide average.

Reading the 11.5 Percent Year-Over-Year Decline

Revenue fell 11.5 percent year over year across this 246-listing sample. That single-year move is worth flagging in a buyer packet, but it is not, by itself, a multi-year trend, it is one data point on one sample.

It also lines up with a broader, well-documented pattern: short-term rental revenue across many coastal leisure markets cooled from the 2021-2022 pandemic-era peak as supply normalized and travel patterns shifted back toward pre-pandemic norms. A decline that tracks the wider Cape Cod and New England coastal correction is a very different story from a decline specific to this one parcel or manager, and it's worth checking whether Wellfleet's drop mirrors nearby Outer Cape towns before treating it as a red flag unique to this listing.

For underwriting, that argues for a conservative multi-year average where one is available, rather than either the peak year or this single softer year in isolation. Do not smooth this dip by folding in Vinalhaven's $15,718, that only launders one town's decline with another town's unrelated baseline.

Supply and Management Concentration

Active supply held flat at 246 listings, 0.0 percent growth, which tells a buyer this market is not being diluted by a wave of new entrants. Professional management covers 27.6 percent of listings, and one company, Del Mar Vacations, manages 44 of the 246, close to a fifth of the entire active market.

That concentration cuts both ways for a buyer. It signals an established local management infrastructure, which can be reassuring if you plan to hire out operations. But it also means alternative full-service management options may be thinner than in a market with many small competing managers, worth a phone call to Del Mar and at least one competitor before you assume management costs and availability.

Superhost share sits at 56.9 percent, meaning a majority of competing listings already carry Airbnb's trust signal and review history. A new listing entering this market should budget for a real ramp-up period and higher early marketing spend to compete against an established, well-reviewed host base, not assume it will book at the townwide average from day one.

Treat 246 Listings as a Sample, Not a Census

Of the 246 listings in this sample, 155, well over half, set a 30-night minimum stay. That group behaves more like extended-stay or remote-worker housing than classic vacation rental, and it pulls the townwide occupancy figure in a direction that a pure short-stay beach rental should not assume applies to it directly.

February is the slowest month by a wide margin, consistent with an Outer Cape market that all but shuts down outside the warm season. A vacancy haircut that specifically names February, rather than a flat annual discount, gives a buyer packet more credibility than one that papers over the winter gap with an outside town's number.

Typical guest stays run 5.3 nights, and guests book roughly 95 days ahead on average, both useful for cash-flow planning, since that lead time gives an operator a real window to see a season shaping up before committing to seasonal staffing or supply orders.

Licenses Sit With the Town, Not the Deed

Wellfleet Town Hall is at 300 Main Street, Wellfleet, MA 02667, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The town maintains a short-term rental registration portal referenced on its newsflash page, but a specific permit fee amount was not confirmed on a primary town page as of this pass, call or visit before you promise a buyer a number.

In most Massachusetts towns, a short-term rental registration is tied to the operator, not the property, which means a license generally does not transfer automatically with the deed at closing. A new owner should plan to register with the town separately and, given the Outer Cape's reliance on private wells and septic systems, confirm whether a Board of Health inspection is required before the unit can legally list.

Start the registration conversation with Town Hall before closing, not after, so there is no gap between taking title and being legally able to list. Read What It Costs to Start a Legal Wellfleet STR Stay 2026 and Financing a Wellfleet Rental Without a Vinalhaven Year for the fuller cost and financing breakdowns.

What a Buyer Packet Should Actually Carry

A defensible Wellfleet buyer packet carries this year's AirROI extract on its own, $31,996 median revenue, 246 listings, August 2025 through July 2026, confirmation of Town Hall's current registration process, and a parcel-specific check for any Seashore-adjacent restrictions. Visitor spending data is context, not debt service; keep the two separate.

What it should not carry: Vinalhaven's numbers on the same line, an invented permit fee, or a projected future year presented as if it were confirmed. If a lender asks for a rosier coastal comp, decline to manufacture one, point them back to this sample instead.

Finally, verify the marketing and revenue assumptions with a local agent or appraiser and, if needed, a listing-strategy review before you submit the packet, a second set of eyes on the occupancy and seasonality math catches errors that a spreadsheet built once and never checked will not.

Frequently Asked Questions

What revenue number should I use to start a DSCR calculation for a Wellfleet property?

Start with $31,996, the median annual revenue across 246 active Wellfleet listings, AirROI's trailing twelve months from August 2025 through July 2026. RevPAN was $192 and occupancy ran 39.6 percent over that same window. Apply a seasonality haircut rather than annualizing a peak month, since this figure describes one underwriting year, not a purchase price or a guaranteed future return.

Why shouldn't a buyer average Wellfleet's numbers with Vinalhaven's?

Vinalhaven is a separate Maine island market that published $15,718 across 43 listings in the same window, a different state, season, and guest base entirely. Blending it with Wellfleet's $31,996 distorts the coverage ratio a lender or buyer relies on. Keep each town's figure on its own labeled line in any comparison document, and cite the specific sample size alongside the number.

Does location within Wellfleet actually change the comp?

Yes. A parcel near the Cape Cod National Seashore boundary can carry septic, well, or setback restrictions that a town-center parcel doesn't face. Confirm parcel-specific rules with the town assessor rather than relying on a townwide average for one specific address, since those restrictions can limit renovation or expansion plans a buyer might be counting on.

What does the 11.5 percent year-over-year decline mean for underwriting?

It's one year on a 246-listing sample, tracking a broader post-pandemic cooling seen across coastal leisure markets generally. Use a conservative multi-year average where one exists rather than treating a single down year as the new baseline, and never smooth this dip by substituting an unrelated town's number in its place.

What does the Del Mar Vacations concentration tell a buyer about the management market?

Del Mar Vacations manages 44 of the 246 active listings, close to a fifth of the market, while professional management overall covers 27.6 percent. That level of concentration signals real local infrastructure but also fewer competing management options than a more fragmented market would offer, so a buyer should call around and compare terms rather than assuming one firm's pricing is standard.

Why does the 30-night-minimum group matter for reading Wellfleet's occupancy figure?

155 of the 246 listings set a 30-night minimum, which means they function more like extended-stay housing than short vacation rentals. That group pulls the townwide occupancy figure in ways a genuine short-stay rental shouldn't assume applies to its own calendar, and February is the slowest month across the sample regardless of stay-length category. Separate the two listing types before comparing your own projected occupancy to the townwide average.

Does a Wellfleet short-term rental license transfer with the property at closing?

Generally no. Massachusetts short-term rental registrations are usually tied to the operator, not the deed, so a new owner typically has to register again. Do that at Wellfleet Town Hall, 300 Main Street, Wellfleet, MA 02667, open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and confirm whether a Board of Health inspection is required before the property can legally list.

What should a Wellfleet buyer packet include, and what should it leave out?

Include this year's AirROI figure, $31,996 across 246 listings, confirmed town registration status, and a parcel-specific restriction check for anything near the National Seashore boundary. Leave out Vinalhaven's numbers, any invented fee amount, or an unconfirmed future-year projection. A packet that cites only confirmed, town-specific facts holds up better under a lender's or buyer's scrutiny than one padded with assumptions.

Related Reading

More Wellfleet, Massachusetts reading already live on Crest & Cove.

• Wellfleet STR Report 2026: $31,996 on 246 Listings

• Market a Wellfleet Stay: Photograph Cahoon Hollow Beach by Name

• Wellfleet STR Rules: the hall the map names

• Wellfleet Shoulder: August Peak, February Hole, Not Vinalhaven

• Wellfleet Remote Stays: A 30-Night Minimum Is Not Occupancy

• DIY vs Hire in Wellfleet: Independent Hosts Still Own This Desk

• Who Books a Wellfleet Rental: Boston First, Then New York

• Wellfleet Tourism Data: Cahoon Hollow Beach Is the Walk, Not Occupancy

• Complete Visitor's Guide to Wellfleet, Massachusetts

• What It Costs to Start a Legal Wellfleet STR Stay 2026

• Financing a Wellfleet Rental Without a Vinalhaven Year

• Wellfleet vs Vinalhaven Desks: Wellfleet's Own Town Hall, Not the Neighbor

• Wellfleet vs Vinalhaven: Two Towns, Keep Those Years Apart

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

A Wellfleet listing that skips Cahoon Hollow Beach and the Beachcomber in favor of generic Cape Cod stock photos is selling the wrong town's summer. Guests booking this stretch of the National Seashore search for those two names specifically.

We build Wellfleet listing photos and copy around Cahoon Hollow Beach and the Beachcomber, the names guests are actually typing into search. That's a National Seashore-specific rewrite, not a generic Cape Cod template.

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