Would-Be Landlords Still Waiting for Inaugural Payday

At least, that's what a lot of would-be landlords in Northern Virginia are hoping.

Rosie Wiedemer and her husband put their four-bedroom Alexandria house up for rent for $7,500 for five nights after hearing so much buzz and because they had been planning to go out of town that week anyway: "We were thinking of going to Great Wolf Lodge [near Williamsburg], but we decided that if we could rent out our house, we'd use that money to go away."

Like Turks and Caicos away. They have the frequent-flier miles; now they just need the rental to pay for the all-inclusive resort they'd like to visit. But so far, no takers.

Lincoln Gaffney heard about the "craze" and tales of people in Georgetown getting upward of $4,000 for two nights. "That's insane," he said. So he put his Arlington place up for rent for $800 for the weekend. "I've seen people ask for more in more outrageous locations," he said. So far, he hasn't received a single response. "But hopefully something will turn up," he said. "I wouldn't mind making a few dollars while I'm out of town."

Other would-be landlords are more pragmatic.

Maryellen Thorpe listed her Alexandria home on Homeaway.com and figured she and her family could head to their West Virginia cabin for the weekend. "If it doesn't rent, we will at least have gone through all our closets and have everything organized," she said, laughing. "It's a win-win situation."

Others don't plan to rent out their places at all.

"We are having guests from California and Florida for the inauguration," said Judy Parkins of Alexandria. "But we're not charging them."