Inauguration 2013 Rental Prices in Washington D.C. Reach $10,000 for a 4-Day Stay

President Obama's 2013 inauguration is going on now in Washington, D.C., and for those who live there, be glad. You don't have to pay for a place to stay. For those traveling to the nation's capitol for the event, we feel for you. If you've opted for a rental during your stay, you're paying inauguration rental prices of up to $10,000.

That beautiful bedroom you see at left? That's from a HotPads.com inauguration listing asking $10,000 for a four-day stay, from Jan. 19 to 22. Don't get us wrong, it sounds nice: It's a 1,050-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom luxury condo with all-new furnishings and a full kitchen, and the building -- right across the street from the White House -- has a gym, concierge service and a rooftop patio. But $10,000? Really?

Germantown Patch reported on the exorbitant prices, finding a slew of Craigslist ads looking for tourists to rent out spaces during the inauguration. We found other listings asking anywhere between $2,000 and $8,000 for just a few days during the events in D.C. It's curious that homeowners would try their hand at such high rental prices because Obama's 2013 inauguration isn't expected to be the hubbub that his 2009 inauguration was. In 2009, 2 million people flocked to D.C. -- but this year, only 600,000 to 800,000 are expected, the Associated Press reported.

It's not that there aren't any deals out there for a place to stay during the inauguration. We did find this townhouse rental for $100 to $175 a night (all booked up now, of course). But for the higher end of the inauguration rental market, is anyone actually finding a renter to pay those astronomical prices? A couple of D.C. blogs say it's highly unlikely -- because it wasn't even happening in 2009. The Hill Is Home and DCist both said that, even though it's true that tons of homeowners were putting up their homes for rent during the 2009 inauguration to make a quick buck, they didn't hear of anyone who was actually successful in renting their home. We're guessing that $10,000 is just a bit much for most people, even if it does afford a chance to see history. It's the economy, stupid.

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