Rental homes filling up for F1 weekend

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Selling what is inside his house is nothing new for Warren Cullar. The artist's home is also his gallery. But selling the house itself -- rather, renting it -- is a different story.

"We thought we'd get in on the gravy train, too,” Cullar said. “But we put it at a fair price."

Warren and his wife Kitty plan to lease their place in Northwest Austin when Formula 1 races into town next month . For $595 a night, you get two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and 3000 square feet to spread out.

"We'll have a maid service,” he said. “We'll have one of our construction friends available 24 hours."

Short-term rental listings are pouring in online. They come from Austin and other Central Texas towns like Cedar Park, Kyle, and New Braunfels.

One Craigslist ad pitches a place 61 miles away from the track in Canyon Lake . They run anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a 10-person Hill Country villa for $7,500 a night .

It all depends how much you are willing to pay.

“For the weekend?” one woman asked when KXAN approached her in Downtown Austin. “Maybe $300 or $400."

"You could probably see it go as high as $2,500, $3,000,” another woman suggested. “I probably wouldn't go higher than that."

"I think Formula 1's out of my league,” a man said. “A little more than my family can afford."

Some homeowners set out on their own through sites like Craigslist, where one ad not only offers a place to stay but also shuttle rides to the airport for a $150 extra .

Some list with a Realtor, even posting video tours on YouTube . Others go through a service like Airbnb , Homeaway , or - like Warren and Kitty – Flipkey … something they hope will pay off.

"Probably go on cruise (with the money we make),” Kitty laughed.