Vacation rental as a selling point: what to show and what not to promise
Published 7 Oct 2026 · ProMLS Realty
Many buyers of a Puerto Vallarta condo ask the same question: can I rent it? A developer who answers with an honest number, its period and how it was calculated earns more trust than one who promises a percentage. This guide shows what to publish and what to leave out.
What real occupancy looks like
Casa Loro Azul is a vacation rental building with 10 units in Puerto Vallarta. Its booking records show how much a single property can change from one season to the next:
| Period | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Nov 2024 – Mar 2025 · high season | 72.1% |
| Nov 2025 – Mar 2026 · high season | 71.1% |
| May – Sep 2025 · low season | 16.8% |
| May – Sep 2026 · low season | 69.9% |
| Full year 2024 | 39.9% |
| Full year 2025 | 39.3% |
Source: Booking records of Casa Loro Azul, Puerto Vallarta (10 vacation rental units), as of 7 Oct 2026. Nights of confirmed bookings divided by the nights available in the period (10 units x days). Cancelled bookings are excluded. Owner blocks and maintenance periods are not removed from the available nights, so the figures are conservative.
The high season, November to March, was around 71–72% in both years. The low season, May to September, went from 16.8% in 2025 to 69.9% in 2026. September 2026 includes a maintenance period. In 2026 the operator ran promotions aimed at the domestic (Mexican) market, which had not been done before. The data does not prove that is the whole explanation.
What this teaches
- Season matters more than the average. A full-year figure hides a very strong winter and a weak summer. Show both.
- Low season can be worked. In this building it improved a lot in one year; its operator attributes it to a change in how it was marketed, not to a change in the market. Do not promise it.
- Occupancy is not income. These figures count nights, not rates. A full building at a low rate earns less than a half-full one at a high rate.
- One property is one data point. It is an example of a method, not a forecast for your development.
What to put on the development page
- The building's rental rules: whether short-term rental is allowed, the HOA rules and who manages it.
- An estimator with visible assumptions: nightly rate, occupancy by season and costs, all editable, none hidden.
- Real data when you have it, with the period, the source and how it was calculated, as in the table above.
- A link to the tax basics. Rental income has tax obligations in Mexico. Link to a source such as the rental taxes guide on Condos Vallarta and tell buyers to confirm with their own tax advisor. Do not give tax advice on the page.
What not to promise
- A return or a "guaranteed" occupancy.
- A single percentage with no period.
- Another building's numbers presented as your own.