You, the Owner

You are the first character, and the one with the most say in how the rest of this goes. There are four ways to hold this job and they are genuinely different jobs.

Self-manage

Highest margin, and the only one that is definitely a job. Roughly three to five hours a week for one unit, unevenly distributed and mostly at inconvenient times. You keep everything — and you are the one on the phone at 11pm about a garage code.

Co-host

Typically 10–20% of gross. Local hands and local knowledge without handing over the asset or the guest relationship. For most out-of-state owners this is the right starting point, and the mistake is waiting until month four to admit it.

Local full-service management

18–25% of gross in Central Florida. You are buying back your time and their vendor bench. Read what is excluded: maintenance markups and mandatory linen programmes are where the real price lives.

National management

Often 25–35% all-in. Scale buys marketing reach and process; it costs you flexibility and local judgment. The cleaner who shows up has a scheduler between you and them.

Got it? Then the comparison that actually matters.

The real trade