Financing a Grand Haven, MI Rental: Build Your DSCR on This Year, Not

Jacob Mishalanie
Aug 19
6 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

A DSCR (debt service coverage ratio) packet for a Grand Haven, Michigan short-term rental purchase should be built on Grand Haven's own extract — $28,473 typical annual revenue on 199 listings, ADR $349, occupancy 39.2 percent, RevPAR $142 — not a neighboring town's more favorable year. This page is not legal advice and not a loan offer; it's a guide to keeping the underwriting numbers honest.

Neighboring Michigan towns have their own separate, real figures: Spring Lake at about $24,261, Ferrysburg at about $42,020, and Muskegon at about $27,274. Each is worth citing as a labeled comparison if relevant — none belongs blended into Grand Haven's income line.

The full picture: peak-3 months are August, July, and June, with January as the hole and November in the low stretch. Stay length is 4.7 nights, lead time is 78 days, and year over year revenue moved minus 9.6 percent on this vintage. This is not legal advice.

The Grand Haven extract, in full

Typical year is $28,473 on 199 listings. ADR is $349, occupancy is 39.2 percent, and RevPAR is $142. Peak-3 months are August, July, and June, with January as the hole and November in the low stretch. Stay length is 4.7 nights, with a 78-day booking lead.

These figures are the income story a lender can put next to the note. Unsalted Vacations holds 31 listings in this sample, with professionally managed share at 28.1 percent overall — that manager presence is competition context for the market, not a second revenue line to add into the underwriting.

Year over year, this Grand Haven vintage moved minus 9.6 percent. Soft revenue on its own isn't a reason to borrow a higher figure from a neighboring town's market — it's a reason to stress-test the note honestly against the real numbers.

Keep Spring Lake, Ferrysburg, and Muskegon on their own labeled lines

Spring Lake published about $24,261, and Ferrysburg published about $42,020 — both real, separate figures for real, separate Michigan towns. If a comparison is useful context in a packet, cite each by name and figure; never average either into Grand Haven's $28,473.

Muskegon published about $27,274 on its own separate extract. As with Spring Lake and Ferrysburg, this is a distinct town's number and shouldn't be filed as Grand Haven income.

A DSCR packet that needs a neighbor's richer year to clear the debt coverage ratio is already underwriting the wrong property. If the numbers don't work on Grand Haven's own $28,473, that's the answer the lender needs — not a reason to substitute a better-performing nearby town's figure.

City versus township: confirm which desk owns the deed

Grand Haven city and Grand Haven Charter Township are different administrative desks, and a DSCR packet that hides this distinction is incomplete before the first ratio is even calculated. City Desk sits at 519 Washington Street.

Named-district rules filter which beach parcels can certify as city short-term rental stays. If a specific parcel fails that filter, the loan memo shouldn't dress it up as an unqualified city 'yes' — confirm the actual certification status for the specific deed before finalizing any packet.

Existing certificates may continue and transfer along whatever rules path covers the specific parcel — this is a detail worth confirming with the relevant city or township desk directly rather than assuming based on a neighboring property's status.

Tax remittance and stay-length settings are separate from DSCR

Tax remittance for stays under thirty days is handled through a separate remittance desk — it's not a land-use permit, and it's not a DSCR line item. Keep this fact and the market's actual occupancy figure as two separate pieces of information.

Eighty-eight listings in this sample set a 30-plus-day minimum stay, at 44.2 percent — the most common minimum-stay setting in the market. That setting is a stay-length policy choice, not evidence of filled January occupancy; don't convert it into a revenue assumption for the note.

Stress-test the note against real, named risks: a soft January, a possible certification denial for a specific parcel, and a listing gallery that doesn't clearly differentiate the property from a generic Grand Rapids-area rental. Those are concrete, nameable risks — more useful for underwriting than a vague 'market risk' line.

What explains demand — and what doesn't move the ratio

Guests typically arrive from Chicago, with many making the drive through Grand Rapids. The Coast Guard Festival and general beach-week visitor traffic are real demand drivers worth mentioning in marketing materials — they're demand color, not occupancy figures, and they're not debt service.

None of this changes the core numbers: ADR remains $349, and occupancy remains 39.2 percent, regardless of festival attendance or visitor headcount. A lender packet that tries to pad $28,473 with festival attendance figures is building on the wrong foundation.

Keep origin information (Chicago, via Grand Rapids) on its own line as color explaining who books — and keep the actual published market year ($28,473, 199 listings) as the separate income line a lender actually needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the typical annual revenue for a Grand Haven, MI short-term rental?

About $28,473 on 199 listings, with ADR $349, occupancy 39.2 percent, and RevPAR $142, on the August 2025 through July 2026 vintage. Year over year revenue moved minus 9.6 percent.

Can I use Ferrysburg's or Spring Lake's revenue figures in my Grand Haven DSCR packet?

Only as clearly labeled, separate comparisons — never blended into Grand Haven's own number. Spring Lake published about $24,261 and Ferrysburg about $42,020, each a real figure for a distinct, separate Michigan town.

What's the difference between Grand Haven city and Grand Haven Charter Township?

They're separate administrative desks with potentially different rules on which parcels can certify as short-term rentals. A DSCR packet needs to confirm which jurisdiction actually covers the specific parcel in question — City Desk is at 519 Washington Street.

Does the Coast Guard Festival or beach-week traffic boost my occupancy number?

Not directly in the underwriting sense. These are real demand drivers worth mentioning in marketing, but they don't change the core ADR ($349) or occupancy (39.2 percent) figures used for actual debt service coverage calculations.

Does an 88-listing 30-plus-day minimum stay setting mean January is fully booked?

No. That 44.2 percent minimum-stay setting is a host-chosen stay-length policy — a separate measurement from actual occupancy. January remains the identified hole month in this market's calendar regardless of how many listings set that minimum.

Where do most guests booking a Grand Haven rental come from?

Most guests arrive from Chicago, often via a drive through Grand Rapids. This origin pattern is useful demand context, but it's separate from — and doesn't change — the core underwriting figures.

What are the peak and low months for this market?

Peak-3 months are August, July, and June. January is the identified revenue hole, with November in the broader low stretch.

Is tax remittance for short stays the same as a land-use permit?

No — tax remittance for stays under 30 days is handled by a separate remittance desk, distinct from land-use or certification permitting. Keep these as separate line items rather than combining them in a DSCR packet.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

A DSCR packet that needs Ferrysburg's or Spring Lake's revenue to clear the ratio is already underwriting the wrong town. Grand Haven's own extract — $28,473, 39.2 percent occupancy — is the number that belongs on the note.

We help independent hosts and buyers in Grand Haven build financing packets on this town's own numbers, with neighboring towns' figures kept clearly labeled and separate. This is marketing guidance, not legal or lending advice — bring your specific packet to crestcove.co or call (256) 998-7502 to talk through what belongs on the page.

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