El Dorado Hills, California Short-Term Rental Market
El Dorado Hills STRs averaged $149/night at 65.4% occupancy in April 2026, with VHR permit access constrained by a countywide 500-foot buffer rule.
Quick Answer: El Dorado Hills, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 69%. average monthly revenue is $3,155. average daily rate is $167. the top operator is Ready to book with 66 listings. market score is 64/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Sacramento regional market, which includes El Dorado Hills. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to El Dorado Hills.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
El Dorado Hills is an affluent, master-planned community of approximately 51,026 residents in unincorporated El Dorado County, roughly 25 miles east of Sacramento. The short-term rental market here totals approximately 4,391 listings, with entire-place rentals making up 3,286 (74.8%), private rooms accounting for 1,101 (25.1%), and 4 shared-room units.
In April 2026, the all-listings average daily rate was $149.27 and occupancy reached 65.4%, generating a RevPAR of $97.65 and average monthly revenue of $2,604. Year over year, occupancy edged up 0.4 percentage points while ADR declined 1.4% and revenue declined 2.1%, continuing a trend of modest ADR compression since the 2024-2025 period.
Airbnb is the dominant distribution channel, with 2,913 listings exclusive to that platform, 145 on VRBO only, and 1,333 on both. By bedroom count, 1-bedroom units lead the market (2,074), followed by 2-bedroom (850), 3-bedroom (825), 4-bedroom (474), and 5-bedroom or larger (168). The market’s StaySTRA total score is 64.0 out of 100, with rental demand (80.7) the highest sub-score and revenue_growth (56.0) the lowest.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59% | $113 | $1,912 |
| Feb | 65% | $117 | $1,947 |
| Mar | 68% | $122 | $2,277 |
| Apr | 67% | $124 | $2,213 |
| May | 69% | $132 | $2,472 |
| Jun | 72% | $138 | $2,656 |
| Jul | 72% | $130 | $2,589 |
| Aug | 69% | $127 | $2,466 |
| Sep | 68% | $125 | $2,268 |
| Oct | 66% | $131 | $2,348 |
| Nov | 61% | $123 | $2,095 |
| Dec | 62% | $124 | $2,157 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in El Dorado Hills
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ready to book | 66 | 5,746 | ★ 4.72 |
| 2 | STEYYA Luxury Vacation & Corporate Rentals | 56 | 1,068 | ★ 4.45 |
| 3 | Capital City Beauty | 54 | 1,241 | ★ 4.19 |
| 4 | Evolve | 48 | 1,350 | ★ 4.67 |
| 5 | Arthouse Short Term Rentals | 44 | 3,527 | ★ 4.72 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in El Dorado Hills?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,074 |
| 2 bed | 850 |
| 3 bed | 825 |
| 4 bed | 474 |
| 5 bed | 168 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $195 |
| Luxury | $295 |
| Professionally Managed | $212 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,560 |
| Entire Place | $3,710 |
| House | $3,261 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 66.3% |
| vrbo | 3.3% |
| both | 30.4% |
Investment Analysis
El Dorado Hills presents an unusual investment profile: high occupancy and high home values create a compressed gross yield picture. The typical home value is $920,215 (Zillow estimate, April 2026 snapshot), and the median sale price is $924,167. At April 2026’s average monthly revenue of $2,604, an investor projecting $31,249 in annual gross revenue against a $920,215 acquisition price would see an implied gross yield of approximately 3.4% before expenses, management fees, and vacancy adjustments.
ADR by tier shows the spread available to investors who move up-market. The all-listings ADR of $149.27 rises to $172.37 for entire-home listings, $180.46 for professionally managed properties, and $243.89 for luxury-tier units. The luxury tier commands a 63.4% premium over the market average, suggesting that top-tier positioning can materially improve returns.
Entire-place listings average $3,025 per month and houses average $2,674, both above the all-listings average of $2,604. Apartments average $2,273. A critical investor consideration is supply access: the county’s 500-foot buffer rule between permitted VHRs (discussed in detail under Regulatory Summary) constrains new permit issuance and means some parcels near existing permits are not eligible for new STR permits.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
El Dorado Hills guests book an average of 28.9 days in advance, a relatively short planning window that reflects the market’s primarily regional visitor base from the Sacramento metro area. Guests book roughly one month out, giving operators about 4 weeks of actionable pricing flexibility before arrival.
Average length of stay is 4.87 nights, suggesting a blend of weekend getaway guests and travelers on 5-7 night stays, possibly including Red Hawk Casino visitors, Folsom Lake recreation groups, and corporate travelers in the Sacramento area. A nearly 5-night average stay implies operators could effectively use 4-night minimums to align with the dominant booking pattern while reducing turnover costs.
For pricing strategy, the combination of a 29-day booking window and moderate seasonal swings means that dynamic pricing tools calibrated to 3-5 week forward demand signals will be most effective. The relatively low ADR ($149.27 all-listings average) relative to housing costs means that pricing precision has a meaningful impact on overall yield.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
El Dorado Hills is unincorporated El Dorado County, so short-term rentals are governed by the county’s Vacation Home Rental (VHR) ordinance administered by a dedicated county VHR Division. Any rental of a dwelling for 30 consecutive days or less requires a VHR permit before advertising or operating, plus a county business license and Transient Occupancy Tax registration. Only one VHR permit is allowed per parcel. VHRs cannot be operated in non-habitable structures, accessory structures, guest houses, or accessory dwelling units.
The VHR permit application fee is approximately $760, plus a technology fee of approximately $31 and a fire inspection fee. Permits and business licenses must be renewed annually. Hosted rentals, where the property owner remains in residence during the guest stay, are exempt from the VHR permit requirement.
The county’s Transient Occupancy Tax for the west slope (including El Dorado Hills) is 10%. There is no cap on annual rental nights and no owner-occupancy or primary-residence mandate for non-hosted rentals.
The most significant constraint for new investors is the countywide 500-foot buffer between permitted VHRs, which was extended to the west slope (including El Dorado Hills) in 2024. A parcel within 500 feet of an existing permitted VHR is ineligible for a new permit and is placed on a waitlist. As of 2024, the west slope had approximately 140 active VHR permits with roughly 227 parcels on the waitlist. Investors should verify current waitlist status and buffer applicability with El Dorado County before acquiring a property for STR use.
Market Comparison
El Dorado Hills’ April 2026 occupancy of 65.4% is above the US STR median of approximately 55%, reflecting strong regional demand from the Sacramento metro market. However, the all-listings ADR of $149.27 is well below the US median of approximately $220, reflecting the market’s suburban character and modest nightly rate potential relative to coastal or resort markets.
The rental demand sub-score of 80.7 is the market’s strongest indicator, suggesting above-average guest demand relative to available supply. The revenue growth sub-score of 56.0 and investability score of 52.7 are both in the moderate range, consistent with a suburban market facing ADR headwinds and supply-side constraints from the VHR permit system.
Among professional operators, Ready to Book leads the local market with 66 listings and 5,746 reviews (4.72 average rating). STEYYA Luxury Vacation and Corporate Rentals manages 56 listings (4.45 rating), and Capital City Beauty operates 54 listings (4.19 rating). Evolve manages 48 listings (4.67 rating) and Arthouse Short Term Rentals manages 44 listings (4.72 rating). The top 5 operators collectively manage 268 of approximately 4,391 total listings, representing about 6.1% of market inventory.
Frequently Asked Questions About El Dorado Hills, California
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