Graduation · Lesson 64 of 66
Pick Your Path
Self-manage, co-host or full-service — decided on your hours, your distance and your tolerance, not on the fee.
5 min read +10 XP
You have met all four options. Here is how to actually choose, and it is not by comparing percentages.
Three questions that decide it
- How far away are you? Not in miles — in whether you can be at the front door within an hour. That is the line, and it is also a permit condition in many Central Florida jurisdictions.
- How many hours can you actually give it, and when? Three to five a week is the volume. The problem is never the volume; it is that the hours pick themselves.
- What is your hourly rate worth? Self-managing a $60,000 house saves roughly $9,000 against a co-host and costs about 200 hours. That is $45 an hour, before the 11pm calls.
The framework
| Your situation | The answer |
|---|---|
| Local, time available, want the margin | Self-manage |
| Local but time-poor, or travel a lot | Co-host at 10–20% |
| Out of state, one or two units | Co-host — and budget it from day one |
| Out of state, want it genuinely passive | Local full-service, 18–25% |
| Multiple markets, no local network | National, 25–35% |
Capiche? Two things to check before you sign anything.
The two questions that reveal the real price
Then read the termination clause before anything else. Notice period, whether they keep the listing and its reviews, and what happens to bookings already on the calendar.