A Louth-based property management team — not a national platform
Sos Stays — sós is the Irish word for a break — manages short-term rentals for owners who'd rather keep the income than run the admin. We're based in Co. Louth, and Bellurgan's day-to-day point of contact, Keena Duffy, is based right here in Dundalk.
We're not a national platform managing hundreds of postcodes from a call centre. We currently manage Rathescar Grove Guest House near Dunleer — a farmhouse guest house already live on Booking.com, Airbnb and direct booking — plus one further property in the corridor. That's two properties under active management today.
We're deliberately growing slowly: only two further properties are being onboarded this year. Bellurgan would be joining a small, closely-managed portfolio where every property gets real attention — not disappearing into a large one.
A 95/100 market score in a market that's actively rewarding houses like yours
AirDNA scores the Dundalk/Cooley corridor highly for this property type — and the comparable listings back it up. Eleven nearby short-term rentals were pulled as direct comps for Bellurgan's configuration.
| Comparable Listing | Beds | Occupancy | ADR | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 bed holiday apartment — Birch | 2 | 73.6% | €203.3 | €27,200 |
| Cheerful 2 bed cottage beside the sea | 2 | 84.8% | €150.5 | €28,600 |
| Cáda House, Luxury accommodation | 3 | 57.6% | €203.4 | €38,400 |
| Feather Finegan's Cottage | 3 | 68.4% | €173.0 | €38,200 |
| Authentic Irish Cottage, Ballymascanlon | 3 | 58.2% | €150.2 | €30,500 |
| Arcadian Retreat | 1 | 72.3% | €119.9 | €30,100 |
AirDNA rates this projection "Medium confidence" — one tier above what we started with for our first property. The comp set is real and local, but no model replaces a live booking calendar. Treat the figure as a working estimate, not a guarantee.
The market swings hard — and that's exactly what management is for
Aggregate house-type revenue across the corridor, July 2025 to June 2026. Self-managed hosts tend to price flat through this — professional management prices with the season.
Corridor-wide house revenue, by month
Aggregate market revenue (€), all house-type STR listings, Dundalk/Louth/Meath corridor
Two honest scenarios, built from the comp data itself
Rather than one hopeful number, here's the realistic range — from the AirDNA projection itself up to what strong comparable 2-bed performers in this market achieve. Commission is calculated at Sos Stays' 20% floor rate on gross booking revenue.
Both scenarios clear the current rental income once commission is applied. Excellent is AirDNA's own single-point projection at 53.7% occupancy — a Medium-confidence market model. Outstanding reflects what the strongest comparable 2-bed listings in this exact market achieve, implying roughly 71% occupancy at a similar nightly rate. This excludes consumables and STR-specific running costs, which we'll walk through properly on the call.
The case for switching isn't only about what it earns
The scenarios above already show STR clearing the current rental income. But the fuller case for Bellurgan rests on three things together — income, flexibility, and effort.
Higher income ceiling
A fixed tenancy pays the same every month, in season and out. STR income has a real ceiling above that — the Excellent and Outstanding scenarios both clear it, and pricing can flex with demand rather than staying flat all year.
The property stays yours to use
A long-term tenancy hands over full use of the property for the length of the lease. With an STR, owners can block off dates for personal use, family visits, or selling the property with vacant access — a tenant can't be asked to leave on short notice.
Zero day-to-day effort
Sos Stays handles listings, pricing, guest messages, and cleaning coordination end to end. There's no tenant management, no chasing rent, no cleaning rota to run — Karen's involvement is a monthly statement, not a second job.
A second Sos Stays property in the same region compounds, it doesn't compete
Bellurgan wouldn't be our first listing in this corridor. Rathescar Grove, our first managed property, is a 25-minute drive away — and that proximity works in Bellurgan's favour from day one.
When a guest is overflow-full at Rathescar Grove, or searching dates that don't fit, we can point them to Bellurgan — and the reverse holds too. Two managed properties in one corridor means Sos Stays can cross-refer directly, something a lone self-managed listing can never do.
It also means shared local credibility: one guest-facing brand, one review reputation building across two properties, one team that already knows the local cafés, walks, and tourism contacts to route guests through.
Every property added to the corridor makes every other property in it slightly easier to fill.
Bellurgan already ticks the boxes guests search for
Amenity presence across the eleven comparable listings — the features driving bookings in this exact market.
Why Bellurgan reads as a winner before a single booking
A story-led aesthetic
"Contemporary Irish Farmhouse" is a search-friendly archetype — distinctive cladding, sharp lines, a real point of view. It photographs like a listing that already knows what it is.
A market that's actively growing
House-type STR revenue across the corridor has broadly climbed year over year in the trailing data — this isn't a market Bellurgan would be entering late.
Full management, zero admin
Sos Stays runs listings, pricing, cleaning coordination and every guest message. Karen keeps ownership and control — we run the day-to-day.
The nine things Sos Stays handles, day one onward
This is the same operating model running Rathescar Grove today — nothing untested, nothing theoretical.
Dynamic pricing
Nightly rates adjusted continuously to demand, season, and local events — not a flat rate set once and left.
Multi-platform listing
Live across Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and direct via sosstays.ie — one calendar, synced everywhere.
Professional photography
Listing photography built around the property's real character — not generic stock-style shots.
Guest communication
Every enquiry, booking message, and in-stay question handled directly — owners are never the contact.
Cleaning & turnover coordination
Cleaning scheduled around every checkout, at cost, with a set turnaround standard — no owner involvement.
Local & tourism promotion
Outreach to regional tourism boards, community pages, and nearby attractions to build organic visibility.
Review & reputation management
Post-stay follow-up and review management to build the trust signals that drive future bookings.
Maintenance coordination
Day-to-day upkeep handled directly, with a clear spending threshold before anything needs owner sign-off.
Monthly owner statements
A clear monthly statement and payout — full visibility without needing to manage any of it directly.
A first-year plan built around the Dundalk region
Same phased approach we run for every Sos Stays property — sequenced around this specific market's seasonality, not a generic template.