Locals look to U.S. political conventions to make a buck off their apartments and homes
Skift Take
Not that we're going to tell Mr. Weiss how to do his job, but writing a story about political conventions and apartment rentals without making even the tiniest reference to Airbnb seems a little sloppy, doesn't it?
For Dustin Read, the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Charlotte seemed like a surefire way to make extra money.
An estimated 35,000 people — from delegates and journalists to scores of protesters and police — will be flocking to North Carolina's largest city to attend the three-day convention in early September. He figures some of those visitors might want a bigger place to stay than a cramped hotel room with no backyard.
So a few months ago, Read listed his three-bedroom, two-bathroom house as a short-term rental. His price: $7,000 a week.
"There are a lot of people coming to Charlotte and this was a good way to make money. Why not?" said Read, the director of real estate at the University of North Carolina Charlotte's Belk College of Business. "A lot of people felt the same way....But the closer you get to the convention, the more you see people looking for last minute bargains."
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="378"] In this photo taken Aug. 10, 2012, James Griffin of Tampa stands in the living room of his condo in the city's downtown. Griffin is asking $1,250 a night to rent his home for the Republican National Convention. The only offers he's had so far are from protesters wanting to spend $100 a night. Photo by AP Photo/Tamara Lush.[/caption]
It's a similar situation in Tampa, host city for the Republican National Convention: homeowners looking to make a quick buck
