Okay I’m a little behind on this news, but better late than never. On Friday, Mayor Adrian Fenty “announced an Executive Order, temporarily suspending the enforcement of city regulations that require residents to have a basic business license and a certificate of occupancy for short-term leasing agreements on residential property, making way for District residents to rent their homes during the Inaugural period,” according to a press release. Read More “Mayor to Inauguration Housing Money Grubbers: I Support You!” »

It seems like “real America” is trying get in on really, really “fake America’s” good fortune. Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort, located in Flintstone Maryland, near Cumberland is offering “a value-laden package for the upcoming Presidential Inauguration.” A note from the company’s publicist says the hotel “is within a two-hour drive of Washington D.C.” I beg to differ! Disregarding the fact that google maps says that Flintstone is actually a sliver of road beyond the two-hour drive, there’s no way that journey is going to be a quick jaunt. When you consider traffic coming from literally every direction ( I had maybe counted out the Cumberland Gap region—but not now), I’d say you’re going to need a few extra cd cases, a few more coloring books for the kids, a few more bathroom breaks than a two hour drive would necessitate. Plus you’ll also want to factor in the extra cost for gas for the 250 mile round-trip. If Rocky Gap still sounds like it’s for you, here’s some more info: Read More “Cumberland Maryland Wants Piece of Inauguration Housing Pie” »

Craigslister: Quinn Walker, 41

Offering: Two bedrooms in his Twining home for $600 per room a night. He will remain in the house that week.

Other Current Occupants: None.

Location: Close to the intersection of 29th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast.

Date posted: 11/19/2008

Responses: None.

Why: People told me “Why don’t you do it? You live so close to the Capitol,” says Walker. So he checked out what hotels were charging and decided to ask for a little bit less. “I knew people were trying to rip people off, so I said I would consider for the right person to rent out two of my bedrooms.” And who exactly is “the right person?” Walker envisions a family—maybe the parents in one bedroom and the children in another bedroom. He wouldn’t rent the rooms out to different groups. And he wouldn’t allow a crowd of ten coeds to sleep five to a room, though perhaps a group of courteous law students or grad students would be palatable. Read More “Inauguration Rental Report: Two $600 Bedrooms in Twining” »

Craigslister: Lydia Goring, 66.

Offering: $12,000 for five-bedroom Mount Vernon Square home for the entire inauguration week.

Other Current Occupants: Goring’s husband, Keith Burd, 55.

Location: Close to the intersection of 4th and M Streets NW.

Date posted: 11/16/2008

Responses: None. Luckily, a friend of a friend got in touch with Goring, offering to pay her asking price.

Why: Goring never considered renting out her home until other people repeatedly brought up the idea. “Thank goodness none of my friends called me and said they wanted to come,” she says. At 5,600 square feet, her house is plenty spacious with six bedrooms, though one will be locked as a storage space during the rental week. Her home is also a little more than a block from the brand new Safeway, two blocks from the Mount Vernon Square Metro, walking distance from the Chinatown area, Penn Quarter, and the National Mall. Plus Goring could use the cash at the moment. Read More “Inauguration Rental Report: The $12,000 Mount Vernon Square Townhouse” »

Craigslister: Katherine Johnson, 50

Offering: $2,500 for her Capitol Hill apartment with one bedroom.

Other Occupants: Daughter Danielle, 17

Location: Close to 11th and C Streets Northeast, just above Lincoln Park.

Special Requests: Absolutely none. Johnson’s advertisement lays it out as simply as possible: “Close to all events during inauguration week. You name the price. I am willing to match any offers you see anywhere.” That’s it.

Date posted:11/15/2008

Responses: Three e-mails from people inquiring about the advertisement. One woman from Brooklyn, a college professor with grown children, offered $500 a night to stay at the apartment for a week. No leasing papers signed yet.

Why: Johnson’s nephew, Kazeem Laja, 20, urged her rent out her apartment and posted the Craigslist advertisement himself “because I’m computer illiterate,” she says. “I just felt like he knew what to do because he’s an entrepreneur as well. He’s very business orientated. He goes to Howard Community College [in Columbia], plus he negotiates a lot of go-gos in Washington. He sells things over the internet. He has a part-time job at the airport. He’s involved in a lot of things.” Read More “Inauguration Rental Report: $2,500 Capitol Hill Apartment” »

Craigslister: Patrick Holway, 34

Offering: $12,500 Glover Park townhouse with two bedrooms and two bathrooms

Other occupants: Wife Stacey Holway, 32, and “really large dog” Gus.

Location: Benton Street, just west of Wisconsin Avenue.

Special Requests: No pets.

Date posted: 11/15/2008

Responses:Two e-mails: one from someone who just wanted to spend the night at the house and another from a group coming in for an inaugural event. The group was looking at a few options, and wanted to see some pictures of the house before committing.  Thus, no lease signed yet.

Why: “I read in the Post that people were renting camp grounds in West Virginia to come to the inauguration,” says Patrick Holway.  “So I figured if they’re that desperate, we should try putting our house up for rent. Friends of mine who lived in Atlanta did it during the Olympics. They made it worth their while—it was three to four grand a week. I told my wife that we could probably rent our home, and pay for a trip back to Mexico. Read More “Inauguration Rental Report: The $12,500 Glover Park Townhouse” »

Let me first apologize. If you’re sick of reading about inauguration rentals, then this blog probably irritated you in the past week. Thus far, I’ve followed (with four entries ) one girl’s attempt to rent out her Northwest townhouse, and I’ve constantly posted stories and figures I’ve found related to the inauguration crowds and outrageously high prices for rentals around the region.

Well this onslaught won’t be subsiding—at least not for the next week. Sorry.

Since all I ever have to report about real estate these days is depressing news, I’m clinging to this baby. But more importantly, there have been very few stories inquiring whether any Craigslisters are actually getting responses, negotiating deals, and signing papers.

So for the next few days, I’ll be posting reports from these people from around the city. No, it’s not definitive data. But it will give you a sense of what’s renting and what’s not. My guess is the “Not” category is dominating. Badly.

First up…

Craigslister: Peter Sherer

Offering: $15,000 for his historic Capitol Hill townhouse, with three possible bedrooms.

How many other occupants: One, Sherer’s wife

Location: Close to the intersection of Third Street and Constitution Avenue Northeast

Details: The advertisement describes “a stunning living room that seats 10,” a second floor that has a “cozy and quiet bedroom with a queen sized bed and its own full bath,” and an artist’s studio where an inflatable mattress could be situated. Upstairs, there’s a “master bedroom suite that was entirely renovated a few years ago.”

Special Requests: “No Children under 10 years old unless they are dependably well-behaved.”

Date posted: 11/13/2008

Responses…None.

Why in the first place: Sherer runs a company called Experience Matters, which coaches baby boom executives into new jobs and through the first stages of retirement. Although he hasn’t forwarded his posting to his network of clients, he’s imagining someone exactly like one of them to stay in his house. Read More “Inauguration Rental Reports: The $15,000 Capitol Hill Townhouse” »

The Inauguration Rental Chronicles follows the epic story of four roommates as they seek to rent out their Northwest townhouse for a glorious sum while battling the tides of waning consumer interest, pie-in-the-sky expectations, and an untested and entirely unknown market.

The last chapter of our story ended on a positive note. After three days on Craigslist, the group’s advertisement got a hit from a woman that wanted to bring 15 college students and two chaperons from St. Johns College in Patchogue New York to stay in the group’s four-bedroom home. (Yes, this number was somewhat worrisome. But perhaps it could be negotiated down.) After an initial e-mail, the respondent made several requests: “Can you send me photos? Another question, how far are you from the metro, restaurants and sites?”

This letter prompted one roommate, with gleaming dollar signs in her eyes, to draft an exuberant e-mail about nearly every business within a two mile radius. Here’s a snippet: Read More “The Inauguration Rental Chronicles, Part 4: Exuberant Exchanges After a Response” »

I must admit: with all the stories I’ve posted about inauguration rentals, I’ve started to mull over the process myself. And I quickly realized there was a lot to contemplate—and a lot to do. And a lot to worry about never seeing again: my furniture, my plates and glasses, my many sizable collection of sweatshirts (winter’s here—I need them!). The Washington Post’s Elizabeth Razzi took some time to consider all the things renters were doing poorly, and probably would do poorly in the future. I’ll do a roundup:

• You’re probably not putting enough time and effort into your advertisement, and no one’s paying attention to it: “There’s no excuse not to post interior and exterior shots of the home, including the all-important bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen. Craigslist doesn’t charge for posting photos, so I can’t fathom why so many people advertising their inauguration rentals haven’t bothered to include them.”
• The photos in your advertisement are likely terrible anyway: “Take some of the knickknacks out of the shots so it doesn’t look like renters will be crashing at grandma’s house for 20 grand.”
• You may have already posted your actual address in your Craigslist advertisement in which case people know about your big screen TVs and fancy appliances—and about the fact that you’re not going to be around for a week to properly lock up. “That’s a big mistake.” Read More “Six Reasons to Pull Your Craigslist Inauguration Rental Ad” »

NPR’s Michel Martin interviewed Congressional Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton on Friday about just how many people will be coming to D.C. for the inauguration, and how the city is bracing for the flood. The interview includes some useful numbers, and interesting thoughts from Norton about what Washington D.C. should do to ensure the event goes smoothly. Here’s a snippet of what may be to come:

Michel Martin: The largest crowd ever recorded on the mall was for Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 inauguration—at that time, the park service estimated that 1.2 million people came. The park service estimates 1 million people will come for this. Do you think that’s right?

Eleanor Holmes Norton: The park service is probably right if you’re talking about the number of people the mall will hold. My concern is the number of people coming without tickets, whatever tickets mean to them, with no place to stand. Read More “Eleanor Holmes Norton Talks Inauguration Numbers” »