Heber, Arizona Short-Term Rental Market
Heber-Overgaard AZ STRs averaged $185/night at 32.2% occupancy in April 2026, with a July peak of $222 ADR and 70.5% occupancy.
Quick Answer: Heber, Arizona is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 59%. average monthly revenue is $3,799. average daily rate is $239. the top operator is Evolve with 234 listings. market score is 50/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Pinetop-Lakeside regional market, which includes Heber. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Heber.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Heber-Overgaard is an unincorporated Census-Designated Place in Navajo County, Arizona, situated at approximately 6,627 feet elevation on the Mogollon Rim. The permanent population is roughly 2,898, but the area’s housing stock is heavily second-home oriented: nearly 66% of units were second homes as of the 2010 Census, and the summertime population swells to an estimated 12,000. The market draws overwhelmingly from the Phoenix metro, approximately 144 miles south, as a high-country escape from summer heat. Primary visitor activities are trout fishing at Woods Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, and Black Canyon Lake, hiking along the Rim, hunting, and winter snow recreation.
The short-term rental dataset captures approximately 2,034 total tracked listings: 505 on Airbnb only, 233 on VRBO only, and 1,296 on both platforms. Entire-place units account for 2,022 of those listings, a near-total proportion consistent with the cabin-and-retreat character of the market. Private rooms total just 12. By bedroom count, three-bedrooms lead at 739 listings, followed by two-bedrooms at 572, four-bedrooms at 254, and one-bedrooms at 320. Five-plus bedrooms account for 147 listings, indicating a meaningful inventory of larger group cabins.
The latest data month is April 2026, historically the weakest month for this market. Occupancy was 32.2% and ADR was $185, yielding RevPAR of $59.63. Year-over-year, occupancy declined 7.5%, ADR rose 2.2%, and revenue fell 2.6%. The overall market score is 49.5, with investability at 67.7 and revenue growth at 67.2.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34% | $218 | $2,200 |
| Feb | 37% | $207 | $2,019 |
| Mar | 39% | $190 | $2,135 |
| Apr | 33% | $176 | $1,711 |
| May | 47% | $200 | $2,062 |
| Jun | 63% | $222 | $3,581 |
| Jul | 70% | $222 | $4,159 |
| Aug | 59% | $200 | $3,225 |
| Sep | 45% | $202 | $2,490 |
| Oct | 44% | $199 | $2,515 |
| Nov | 37% | $206 | $1,976 |
| Dec | 48% | $228 | $2,762 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Heber
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 234 | 11,536 | ★ 4.81 |
| 2 | Vacasa | 80 | 927 | ★ 4.78 |
| 3 | CoolVacay | 47 | 48 | ★ 4.65 |
| 4 | Greer Cabin Keepers | 44 | 327 | ★ 4.59 |
| 5 | Rim Lakes Vacation Rentals | 31 | 1,343 | ★ 4.79 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Heber?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 320 |
| 2 bed | 572 |
| 3 bed | 739 |
| 4 bed | 254 |
| 5 bed | 147 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $240 |
| Luxury | $398 |
| Professionally Managed | $252 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,955 |
| Entire Place | $3,804 |
| House | $3,985 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 24.8% |
| vrbo | 11.5% |
| both | 63.7% |
Investment Analysis
Heber-Overgaard’s investment case is built on low entry cost, a permissive regulatory environment, and a strong summer demand spike from the Phoenix market, offset by pronounced seasonal lows and a recent occupancy trend moving downward.
The 2025 full-year monthly average was $2,778 per month across all listing types. Using the typical home value of $387,581, annualized revenue of approximately $33,336 implies a gross revenue-to-price ratio of roughly 8.6% before operating costs, management, and seasonality-driven vacancy. The median list price of $472,833 and inventory of just 39 homes for sale at the April 2026 snapshot indicate a tight but thin resale market.
At the April 2026 data point, houses averaged $1,897 per month and entire-place units averaged $1,822. These figures reflect the trough period. Professionally managed listings averaged $181 per night in April, marginally below the $185 market-wide ADR, which is an unusual pattern suggesting professional management does not command a premium in this market. Luxury-tier listings reached $345 per night. Occupancy declining 7.5% year-over-year in April is a caution flag, though April is the seasonal low and the direction of the annual 2025 average (45.5% occupancy) suggests the full-year baseline is more stable. Investors should model summer revenue carefully: July historically averages 70.5% occupancy and $4,161 monthly revenue, but the offseason months average below $2,100.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
The average booking lead time in April 2026 was 33.0 days, approximately one month before arrival. This mid-range planning horizon is consistent with drive-market vacation travel from Phoenix, where trips are more opportunistic than long-haul destination bookings. Operators who keep availability and pricing current within a 30 to 45-day window are well-positioned to capture the dominant demand segment.
Average length of stay was 3.48 days, just under three and a half nights. This is a short-stay pattern that aligns with weekend and long-weekend getaways from the Phoenix metro. A two-to-three night minimum stay policy is appropriate for this market to match actual booking behavior without excluding demand. At $185 ADR with a 3.5-night average stay, a typical booking generates approximately $644 in gross revenue. Higher summer pricing and 7-night minimums for peak holiday weekends (July 4th, Labor Day) could materially improve revenue per booking during the brief peak season.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are clearly permitted in Heber-Overgaard. Arizona’s state preemption statute (A.R.S. 11-269.17, enacted via SB 1350) prohibits counties from banning STRs or restricting them based on rental classification, so Navajo County cannot impose a use-based prohibition. No dedicated Navajo County STR permit program was identified for unincorporated areas.
The one mandatory requirement for all STR operators is a state Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) license from the Arizona Department of Revenue, priced at approximately $12 per location per year with annual renewal. The TPT license number must appear in all property listings. Operators must collect and remit the transient lodging TPT rate of approximately 6.43%, composed of the 5.6% state base plus the Navajo County component, applied to short-term stays. No city tax applies to unincorporated Heber-Overgaard.
Counties retain the right to require an emergency contact, a minimum of $500,000 in liability or marketplace insurance, and enforcement of health, safety, fire, building, and nuisance codes applied uniformly. No owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement applies, and there is no statutory cap on annual rental nights. Effective January 1, 2025, Arizona ended TPT on long-term residential rentals of 30 or more days, but short-term lodging TPT remains in full effect. Enforcement is classified as minimal, consistent with the rural, unincorporated setting and absence of a dedicated county program.
Market Comparison
Heber-Overgaard’s April 2026 occupancy of 32.2% is well below the US STR median of approximately 55%, which is expected given that April is this market’s historical trough. The July peak of 70.5% exceeds the national median significantly, reflecting the intensity of summer demand concentration. The ADR of $185 is below the US median of roughly $220, consistent with a rural drive-market cabin destination.
The top operator by listing count is Evolve with 234 listings, 11,536 reviews, and a 4.81 average rating, a notably high rating for a large portfolio. Evolve accounts for approximately 11.5% of the roughly 2,034 total tracked listings, a meaningful market share. Vacasa holds second with 80 listings at a 4.78 rating and 927 reviews. CoolVacay manages 47 listings at a 4.65 rating. Greer Cabin Keepers, a regionally focused operator, manages 44 listings with a 4.59 rating and 327 reviews. Rim Lakes Vacation Rentals rounds out the top five with 31 listings, 1,343 reviews, and a 4.79 rating. The presence of region-specific operators (Greer Cabin Keepers, Rim Lakes) alongside national platforms indicates an established local vacation-rental infrastructure serving the Mogollon Rim market.
Frequently Asked Questions About Heber, Arizona
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