Sherrills Ford, North Carolina Short-Term Rental Market
Sherrills Ford, NC lake-house rentals averaged $643/night at 64.5% occupancy in June 2026.
Quick Answer: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 64%. average monthly revenue is $11,061. average daily rate is $643. the top operator is AvantStay with 83 listings. market score is 76/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Lake Norman regional market, which includes Sherrills Ford. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Sherrills Ford.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Sherrills Ford, an unincorporated Lake Norman community in Catawba County, posted a $643 average daily rate and 64.5% occupancy in June 2026, generating $11,061 in average monthly revenue per listing, among the highest revenue figures in this comparison set. Property type matters here: houses averaged $12,370/month, entire-place listings $11,651/month, while the smaller apartment segment (a minority of the market) trailed at $3,286/month. Year over year, occupancy slipped 0.8 percentage points and ADR fell 9.3%, though average revenue still rose 2.2%, suggesting longer stays or a shift toward larger, higher-revenue homes offset the softer nightly rate.
The market carries about 1,429 active listings, split fairly evenly across bedroom sizes: 232 one-bedroom, 250 two-bedroom, 393 three-bedroom (the largest bucket), 266 four-bedroom, and 288 five-bedroom. Nearly all supply, 1,331 listings (93%), is entire-place; the remaining 98 are private rooms. Channel data shows 869 listings on both Airbnb and Vrbo, 434 Airbnb-only, and 126 Vrbo-only.
Sherrills Ford sits on Lake Norman’s northwestern shore, roughly 40 minutes from Charlotte, and draws boaters, anglers, and weekend lake-house renters rather than long-haul tourists. Its investability score of 87.24 and revenue growth score of 90.19 (both out of 100) rank among the strongest in this batch, and its total market score of 75.66 reflects solid year-round fundamentals for a lake-recreation market, with a seasonality score of just 44.83 meaning demand is meaningfully concentrated in summer.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33% | $206 | $2,191 |
| Feb | 49% | $209 | $2,420 |
| Mar | 53% | $246 | $3,310 |
| Apr | 53% | $296 | $4,011 |
| May | 55% | $370 | $5,055 |
| Jun | 65% | $469 | $7,756 |
| Jul | 69% | $443 | $7,919 |
| Aug | 61% | $416 | $6,663 |
| Sep | 50% | $344 | $4,618 |
| Oct | 51% | $307 | $4,446 |
| Nov | 47% | $300 | $3,722 |
| Dec | 40% | $270 | $3,304 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Sherrills Ford
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AvantStay | 83 | 3,033 | ★ 4.82 |
| 2 | Southern Charm Retreats | 71 | 1,983 | ★ 4.91 |
| 3 | Evolve | 49 | 1,523 | ★ 4.59 |
| 4 | StayLakeNorman | 48 | 1,244 | ★ 4.87 |
| 5 | Wishlist | 31 | 1,244 | ★ 4.94 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Sherrills Ford?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 232 |
| 2 bed | 250 |
| 3 bed | 393 |
| 4 bed | 266 |
| 5 bed | 288 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $676 |
| Luxury | $1,247 |
| Professionally Managed | $1,126 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $3,286 |
| Entire Place | $11,651 |
| House | $12,370 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 30.4% |
| vrbo | 8.8% |
| both | 60.8% |
Investment Analysis
Sherrills Ford’s typical home value is $497,820, with active for-sale inventory at 66 homes and a median list price of $638,317; a median sale price and sale-to-list ratio were not published for the latest snapshot. Using the average listing’s $11,061 monthly revenue, annualized to $132,730, that computes to a gross yield of roughly 26.7% against the town’s typical home value, an unusually high figure that most likely reflects a mismatch between typical home value (which covers all Sherrills Ford housing) and the larger, premium lakefront properties that actually generate STR revenue in this market. Investors should underwrite against comparable lakefront listing prices, not the townwide typical value.
Rate tiers show a wide premium ladder: the all-listings ADR of $643 rises to $676 for entire-home-only rentals, $1,126 for professionally managed listings (75% above the all-listings average), and $1,247 for the luxury tier (94% above). That spread signals significant upside from professional management and larger, amenity-rich lakefront homes. Revenue growth score of 90.19 out of 100 is among the highest in this batch, even with the year-over-year ADR pullback. There is no STR permit or license requirement in unincorporated Sherrills Ford, though private HOA covenants, common in Lake Norman subdivisions, are the more practical constraint and should be checked property by property before purchase.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Sherrills Ford guests book an average of 77.4 days ahead of arrival, giving owners a roughly 11-week pricing window to adjust rates as lake-season demand firms up. That lead time is consistent with planned lake-house getaways rather than spontaneous trips.
Average length of stay is 4.6 nights, near a full work-week, typical of multi-night lake vacations rather than single-weekend stays. The combination of a long lead time and a nearly week-long average stay points to lower turnover-driven costs per dollar of revenue relative to markets that see frequent 2-3 night stays, though it also means a canceled or unbooked multi-night block during peak summer weeks carries more revenue risk than in faster-turnover markets. Investors modeling cash flow should note that with occupancy concentrated in June through August, a single lost multi-night booking in peak season has an outsized impact on annual revenue compared with markets that spread demand more evenly across shorter stays.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are permitted in Sherrills Ford, an unincorporated community governed by Catawba County rather than a city ordinance. No permit or registration is required (permit_required is false), and there is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence mandate. Catawba County has publicly discussed STR regulation (county commissioners weighed the topic around 2021) but has not adopted a dedicated short-term-rental ordinance; standard county zoning under the Unified Development Ordinance applies instead.
The main tax obligation is the county’s 6% room occupancy tax, administered through the joint city-county Tourism Development Authority, on top of North Carolina state and local sales tax (4.75% state plus roughly 2.25% county). Enforcement is rated minimal given the absence of a targeted county ordinance.
The most practical constraint for investors is not government regulation but private HOA covenants, which are common in Lake Norman lakefront subdivisions and can restrict or prohibit short-term rentals independent of county rules. Investors should confirm zoning compatibility with Catawba County Planning & Parks and review subdivision/HOA restrictions before purchasing, since the regulatory climate could tighten if the county revisits STR rules. No maximum-nights-per-year cap was found.
Market Comparison
At 64.5% occupancy and a $643 ADR, Sherrills Ford runs well above typical US short-term rental benchmarks (roughly 55% occupancy, $220 ADR), reflecting its position as a premium Lake Norman second-home and vacation-rental market rather than a budget destination. The market’s investability score of 87.24 out of 100 and rental demand score of 69.53 both support that read, and the total market score of 75.66 places it among the stronger markets in this batch.
Property management here is dominated by boutique and regional operators rather than the largest national platforms. The top 5 managers, AvantStay (83 listings, 4.82 rating), Southern Charm Retreats (71 listings, 4.91 rating), Evolve (49 listings), StayLakeNorman (48 listings), and Wishlist (31 listings), together control 282 of the market’s roughly 1,429 listings, about 20% of total supply. Notably, four of the five carry average ratings above 4.8, suggesting guest satisfaction runs high across the market’s professionally managed segment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
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