PERSPECTIVE: Ways to make money on the inauguration

News and Messenger (Prince William County)
Published: November 21, 2008

» SUMMARY: Some Prince William County residents stand to make a nice profit on the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Barack Obama is going to be the 44th president of the United States of America, and everybody wants to see him be inaugurated. Hotels are booked solid as far as three hours away from Washington, D.C., and ordinary people are putting up their homes for cash to benefit those Obama watchers who were not able to get a hotel room in time.

More than 30 Prince William County homes are listed on craigslist for lodging for the inauguration. A room in Manassas is open for $100 a person a night. Reasonable, eh? How about $25,000 for a week at a seven-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot house in the city? 

For those of you looking for additional ways to make money while renting out your houses for the inauguration, we offer the following “suggestions”:
n Include in your offer a “blue collar” experience charge.

For $500, tell your guests that they can scrub the bathroom, do the dishes, vacuum the carpet and wash the windows. 

nOffer the option of access to your personal petting zoo.

Do you have cats? Dogs? Parrots? After your out-of-town guests return home from the inauguration, let them play with the family pet. After they hand over that C-note of course.

- Full spa facilities available.

You think your guests might want to use the bathroom or take a shower? Well, it’s going to cost them $200.

- Don’t forget the charge for access to the entertainment room.

If your guests want to watch recaps of the inauguration on the nightly news, they are going to have to fork over $50 to use your television.

So, as you can see, just because someone is paying you to stay at your house, doesn’t mean they should get a pass on the “hidden fees.”  All of that kidding aside, we think it’s great that ordinary people see a business opportunity coming from Obama’s election. Our foray into humor is meant to communicate one thought: don’t get carried away.

— News and Messenger
(Prince William County)