Houstonians looking to rent their homes, cash in on Super Bowl week

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houstonians are hoping to cash in on Super Bowl LI and are listing their homes for rent for thousands of dollars. Hotel rooms are selling out even though the game is still months away and there should be 8,000 rooms ready for the big game.

Danielle and Jason Johnston joked about listing their Rice Military-area home on Airbnb until they saw the asking prices on the website.

"We just looked for fun and it was oh wow! This is going for a lot!" she exclaimed.

"I saw the price and I was like wow, that's a lot of money. Then I clicked on the price and it was per night. I thought it was the entire week!" Jason added.

They may have the last laugh if they are able to get their $27,000 asking price. With four bedrooms and 2.5 baths, they can host 10-12 people and believe their home is in a prime location near Washington Avenue bars and restaurants and less than eight miles from NRG.

Jason said he priced it competitively based on other homes in the area and thinks it could appeal to corporations.

They've rented the home for two practice weekends ahead of the big game and have made minor tweaks after each stay. They only rent to people with positive Airbnb reviews and meet face-to-face while giving over the keys.

"Minimize the risk as much as you can. If you minimize the risk as much as you can, whatever is going to happen is going to happen," Jason explained.

Houston homes listed on Airbnb are going for as little as $100 per night for a single room to several thousand dollars per night during Super Bowl week. The game is set for February 5, 2017 at NRG Stadium.