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Super Bowl Renters Seek Tampa Bay Bucks

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By SHANNON BEHNKEN

sbehnken@tampatrib.com

Published: November 8, 2008

Updated: 11/08/2008 12:11 am

TAMPA - Thousands of football fans will converge on the Tampa Bay area for Super Bowl week in February, and they'll need a place to stay.

How about your house?

Kathy and Reid Evans, who live in Riverside Heights, just a short drive from the stadium, thought the idea was ridiculous at first, but then they looked into how much money they could make.

The couple have their two-bedroom, 1,300-square-foot home listed with a local rental company. They hope to get $5,000 for the week.

"For me it's kind of just a check-it-out thing," Kathy Evans said. "If it works, it'll be a cool windfall."

The Evanses aren't alone. All across the Bay area, homeowners with bungalows, condos and mansions are hoping to cash in on the Super Bowl. Some are seeking a few thousand dollars for the week. Others are asking up to $20,000 for a day.

Why the flurry of rentals? Home rentals weren't popular when Tampa hosted the Super Bowl in 2000, but the ease of listing homes on the Internet has lured some to give it a try. Especially in this troubled economy, homeowners say it's too tempting not to explore the possibilities.

In Tampa, which has an overabundance of mostly empty condominium buildings from the real estate boom a couple of years ago, anxious owners with furnished units look at the Super Bowl as an opportunity to make a little cash.

Homeowners in previous host cities have had success in recent years, and that has spurred dozens of companies to pop up with promises to help connect Super Bowl fans with homes to rent. They have their signs, some homemade, stuck in medians along Dale Mabry Highway and throughout South and West Tampa. Some of the companies are local; others are Internet-based and travel every year with the Super Bowl.

A Different Approach

Jessica Carlson's company has listed the Evans' home on www.ajhomerentals.com. She and a friend decided to start the company after looking into renting her own home for the game.

Carlson used to work in the hotel business and thought football fans would be more likely to rent private homes if it came with the kind of service found in a hotel. So their business includes maid service and a 24-hour concierge.

They list homes for free on their Web site and then charge the client $300 when - and if - the home rents. They also charge renters 10 percent of the rental fee for their services. They have 70 listings so far, ranging from small bungalows to luxury condominiums.

"We think renters will like it because they want to be taken care of, like in a hotel, with fresh towels and the trash emptied," Carlson said. "Clients want to have their home checked on every day."

Gio Kebberri hopes to rent his two-bedroom Channelside condominium for $26,000 for the week. He had planned to be away from town for a few days, he said, and decided to extend it if he can get a renter. He has listed the home with an online rental company.

"This place is total luxury," he said. "There's a pool and hot tub, and I'm trying to get four tickets to the game to include in the package."

With so many homeowners getting into the rental game, how likely are they to find renters?

None of the companies interviewed would share their success rate; many don't even know how many of their clients find renters.

Christine Karpinski of Home Away.com, a Web site that helps homeowners rent their homes for vacations and events, said home rentals are popular. Some clients list vacation homes year-round, and Karpinski said she has seen a spike in recent years of primary homes rented for sporting events such as the Super Bowl.

"It's definitely not for everyone," she said. "It may be easy money, but you have to be the kind of person who doesn't mind people looking in your cabinets."

Steve Latham of BowlGameRentals.com started his business four years ago when the Super Bowl was in Houston. Since it's Internet-based, he advertises online and along roadways in the host city every year.

Last year, he had more than 100 homes listed on his site. He said he doesn't follow up to find out how many actually rent their homes. Listing fees range from $225 to $425. His business, he said, has grown each year.

"It seems that more people are finding out they can make money renting their homes," he said. "It's mind-boggling what people are willing to spend" to stay in a host city during Super Bowl week.

Renting homes may work for some homeowners, but Amanda Holt, spokeswoman for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl host committee, said she does not recommend it. Some rental companies could scam homeowners looking for quick cash, she said. Some charge hefty fees to list homes on Web sites, but the clients end up getting nothing in return if the home doesn't rent.

"The hotel inventory is great here," she said. "We don't feel home rentals are in high demand, and we encourage anyone thinking about renting their home to be cautious."

Mansions Have Appeal

The exception, she said, are mansions suited for parties. She said the committee keeps a list of such venues in case there's interest.

The demand for such homes is high, said Toni Everett, a real estate agent with The Toni Everett Co. in Tampa. Many are located along Tampa's Bayshore Boulevard and near Pinellas County beaches, she said.

"Some celebrities and people with the NFL want a nice home for big parties," Everett said.

Although she didn't handle home rentals during Tampa's Super Bowl in 2000, Everett said she decided to try it this year because she received so many calls from well-heeled clients.

Just any old home won't do.

"These homes have to be outfitted to the nines," she said.

Her agents screen homes to make sure they're the right fit for a Super Bowl home rental. They have to include such luxuries as granite countertops and large-screen televisions. They also have to be fairly new homes, preferably built since 2000.

Luxury will cost. The cheapest weekly rental she has: $15,000 for a condominium.

One client is Matt Geiger, a former pro basketball player with a 28,000-square-foot mansion in Tarpon Springs. Featured in the movie "The Punisher" a couple of years ago, it has a swimming pool, spa, guest house, tennis courts and a game room.

The asking price depends on the length of time the client stays and their plans for the home, he said. It could swing from $50,000 to $250,000.

"We decided to just take a vacation," Geiger said. "The downstairs is designed well for entertainment, so I think the house will be appealing to people who want to host parties."

Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.

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