Self-manage or use a manager?
Self-managing is cheaper on paper. Price your own time and the revenue a manager adds, and the answer often changes.
%
Messages, check-ins, cleaners, pricing, problems. Most owners underestimate this.
%
Pricing tools, more channels, better photos and reviews. 5–15% is common; 0 is a fair test.
Self-managed, after your time
$49,600
260 hours a year, worth $10,400
With a manager
$52,800
$66,000 revenue, $13,200 fee
Manager comes out ahead by
$3,200
Once your time is priced in
Break-even fee
24.8%
A manager charging less than this beats self-managing
Illustrative. Fees and commissions vary by contract and change over time; nothing here is financial advice.
How it works
- Self-managed net = your revenue − (hours a week × 52 × what your hour is worth).
- Managed net = your revenue × (1 + the manager's revenue lift) − the fee on that revenue.
- Break-even fee = the fee percentage at which both come out equal. A manager charging less than it beats self-managing once your time is counted.
Questions
- Where does the revenue lift come from?
- Dynamic pricing, more booking channels, professional photos, faster replies and better reviews. Ask a manager what their portfolio averages against self-managed homes in the same area; 5–15% is common, but it is not guaranteed.
- What about my own stays?
- The tool ignores them. If you block the home for yourself, both options lose the same nights.