Almond, North Carolina Short-Term Rental Market
Almond, NC short-term rentals averaged $251 a night at 58.1% occupancy in June 2026.
Quick Answer: Almond, North Carolina is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the North Carolina Mtns market area is 58%. average monthly revenue in the North Carolina Mtns market area is $3,793. average daily rate in the North Carolina Mtns market area is $251. the top operator in the North Carolina Mtns market area is Evolve with 725 listings. market score is 70/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the North Carolina Mtns regional market, which includes Almond. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Almond.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Almond, NC is an unincorporated community of just 366 residents on Fontana Lake in Swain County, in far western North Carolina near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The short-term rental market associated with Almond spans the surrounding area, including the tourism hub of Bryson City about 8 miles away. Listing-level inventory counts, bedroom mix, channel mix, and market-score benchmarks in this data set are currently tracked at a shared regional level rather than measured uniquely for Almond, so this profile omits those figures rather than present regional numbers as if they were Almond-specific.
In the most recent month of data (June 2026), the average daily rate across all listings was $250.89 and average occupancy was 58.12%. Average monthly revenue per listing was $3,793, with standalone houses averaging $4,036 a month and entire-place listings averaging $3,843, both ahead of the $2,628 average for apartment-style listings.
Year over year, occupancy rose 3.2 percentage points to 58.12% and revenue climbed 3.1% to $3,793, even as the average daily rate slipped 1.5%.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32% | $183 | $1,842 |
| Feb | 41% | $181 | $1,882 |
| Mar | 47% | $187 | $2,363 |
| Apr | 47% | $194 | $2,450 |
| May | 49% | $205 | $2,533 |
| Jun | 61% | $230 | $3,558 |
| Jul | 68% | $226 | $4,162 |
| Aug | 56% | $218 | $3,422 |
| Sep | 49% | $207 | $2,750 |
| Oct | 61% | $212 | $3,426 |
| Nov | 49% | $213 | $2,819 |
| Dec | 46% | $208 | $2,732 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in North Carolina Mtns market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the North Carolina Mtns market as a whole, which includes Almond, so these counts are not Almond-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 725 | 35,200 | ★ 4.76 |
| 2 | Vacasa | 463 | 17,166 | ★ 4.47 |
| 3 | Yonder | 118 | 3,770 | ★ 4.71 |
| 4 | Rumbling Bald Resort | 112 | 412 | ★ 4.35 |
| 5 | Bryson City Cabin Rentals | 112 | 1,406 | ★ 4.64 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Almond?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,999 |
| 2 bed | 3,826 |
| 3 bed | 3,374 |
| 4 bed | 1,423 |
| 5 bed | 766 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $253 |
| Luxury | $433 |
| Professionally Managed | $290 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,628 |
| Entire Place | $3,843 |
| House | $4,036 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 27.2% |
| vrbo | 11.8% |
| both | 61% |
Investment Analysis
Zillow housing data, typical home value, median sale price, median list price, and days to pending, is not published for the Almond market in this data set, so a gross rental yield against home value cannot be calculated here. Investors should pull county-level comparable sales directly from Swain County records or a local agent before underwriting a purchase.
What is available points to a market with real cash-flow upside on the operating side. Average monthly revenue per listing rose 3.1% year over year to $3,793 despite a 1.5% dip in average daily rate, with the gain coming entirely from a 3.2-point increase in occupancy to 58.12%. Pricing tiers show a wide spread: the all-listing average daily rate of $250.89 compares to $290.15 for professionally managed listings (about 16% above the all-listing average) and $433.45 for the luxury tier, a 73% premium over the market average, suggesting room to move a standalone house or lakefront property into a higher tier.
On the regulatory side, Almond carries one of the lightest-touch STR regimes in this data set: no operating permit or business license is required, only registration to collect Swain County’s 6% room occupancy tax.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Guests book Almond short-term rentals an average of 59.5 days in advance, and the average length of stay is 4.19 nights. That lead time gives operators several weeks to adjust pricing ahead of both the June-through-July summer peak and the October fall-foliage surge, rather than relying on last-minute discounting.
A roughly 4-night average stay is consistent with a market built around multi-day outdoor trips, whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River, boating and fishing on Fontana Lake, and hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, rather than single-night stopovers. At that stay length, a fully booked calendar works out to roughly 87 turnovers a year, and since there is no state or county permit fee to budget for here, cleaning and turnover costs are the main per-booking overhead operators need to plan around. The nearly 60-day booking window also lines up well with the platform’s occupancy tax filing cycle, giving operators time to reserve funds for the monthly remittance rather than scrambling at the filing deadline.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Almond is unincorporated and falls under Swain County rather than a municipality, and Swain County is among the more permissive jurisdictions for short-term rentals in western North Carolina. There is no county zoning ordinance regulating short-term or vacation rentals, no operating permit, and no business license required to run an Airbnb or VRBO. North Carolina’s Vacation Rental Act (GS Chapter 42A) and GS 160D further limit local governments from requiring rental registration or permits as a condition of operating.
The one mandatory compliance step is tax registration: operators must register with Swain County and collect and remit a 6% county room occupancy tax, raised from 4% following 2023 state legislation, filed monthly by the 20th of the following month. Operators renting more than 15 days a year must also obtain a North Carolina sales tax ID and collect roughly 7% in combined state and local sales tax, and North Carolina law requires a written vacation rental agreement with each guest.
There is no owner-occupancy requirement, no primary-residence requirement, and no known cap on nights per year. The real constraints are physical rather than regulatory: much of the area sits on Fontana Lake shoreline or mountain terrain subject to Swain County watershed protection, flood, erosion, and septic rules, so buyers should confirm parcel-level requirements with the county Land Use and Building Inspections offices before purchasing. Overall enforcement is rated minimal and centers on occupancy-tax collection rather than operational policing.
Market Comparison
Almond’s 58.12% average occupancy in the latest month runs above the roughly 55% median occupancy typically seen across the broader US short-term rental market, while its $250.89 average daily rate sits well above the roughly $220 national median, a combination of above-average demand and above-average pricing power tied to the area’s lake and national park setting.
Property manager rankings and total listing counts for this market are tracked at a shared regional level rather than distinctly for Almond, so this profile omits a market-specific operator breakdown rather than present shared data as Almond-specific.
Frequently Asked Questions About Almond, North Carolina
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