Over the summer I made nearly triple my interest+tax+ins in short term rentals.
Then in Oct and early Nov I got zero rentals despite dropping the price a lot.
I used this time to do a lot of renovations and improvements and have out of town family and friends stay, so it was not a total loss.
I had it listed at a somewhat high price for a long-term rental. I gave a lot of tours but had no takers over two months. Rather than cut the price, I just kept making the house better.
I rejected a few renters because they had multiple large dogs or otherwise gave me some bad vibes.
Finally last week I got a long-term tenant at my somewhat high asking price with one sweet and quiet medium sized dog. They’ve been very nice to deal with, I gave them their first week free in return for putting up with me finishing renovations that are in progress.
It is a relief to have it rented now, the short term rental was profitable but a giant hassle. More the constant “reservations desk” work with potential renters online and on the phone than dealing with the actual people in person. Customer service work dealing with semi-rich people (it was $320-400 a night plus tax) is no fun at all.