Renting Your Own Home During Tournament Week: A Homeowner's Playbook

Tournament Week, Then what? One week is a bonus, not a business plan. A typical week is $3.5k to $10k. The rental must be less than 15 days for your primary residence.

Renting Your Own Home During Tournament Week: A Homeowner's Playbook

You don't need to own a rental portfolio to participate in tournament week. If you own a home in the right part of Augusta, one April week can pay a meaningful chunk of your year. I've watched families do this well and I've watched it go sideways. Here's the difference, start to finish.

The Money, Realistically

Attributed ranges, not promises: Augusta-based Riverwatch Realty notes well-maintained homes can command roughly $3,500 to $10,000 for the week based on condition, amenities, and location. The Masters Housing Bureau publishes suggested price sheets, and most homeowners offer 3-, 4-, 5-, and 7-night stays. Business Insider has reported outlier properties clearing six figures — treat those as headline material, not a budget line.

The Prep Playbook

• Depersonalize hard. Family photos, medications, documents, mail — gone or locked. An owner's closet with a real lock is your friend.
• Condition is the product. Deep clean before, deep clean after. Photograph every room before guests arrive and after they leave; that's your damage documentation.
• Parking plan in writing. How many cars, and where exactly. This prevents the most common guest complaint.
• Technology. Fast internet, sign out of your streaming and email accounts, set up a guest Wi-Fi network if you're technical.
• House rules, in the contract. No parties, quiet hours, occupancy limits, trash procedure. Warm people respect a clear document; the others reveal themselves early.

The Adult Conversations

1. Insurance. Call your agent before you list. A standard homeowners policy is not written for rental use and coverage can vanish exactly when you need it. Ask about rental endorsements or a purpose-built policy.
2. Taxes. Under IRS §280A(g), renting your own home fewer than 15 days a year generally excludes that income from gross income. Real provision, real benefit, CPA question — confirm your specifics.
3. HOA and city rules. Read the covenants, and check current county rules on short-term rentals. They can change, and they have been changing.
4. Contract and money. Deposit up front, balance before arrival, cancellation terms in writing. Damage protection or a platform's guarantee beats a handshake.

What You Gain, and Give Up, on Taxes

The 14-day rule is real and worth understanding: under IRS 280A(g), renting your own home for fewer than 15 days in a year generally excludes that income from your gross income. The flip side is equally real: for that use you cannot deduct rental expenses and you do not depreciate the property.

Two things homeowners worry about unnecessarily. First, the federal capital gains exclusion for a primary residence (up to $250,000 single, $500,000 married, if you have lived there two of the last five years) is not broken by renting your home for a week or two. Second, the income does not require the paperwork of a rental business, though you should absolutely keep the written agreement, the payment records, and the dates. Confirm your specific situation with a CPA, and check that no local or state rule changes the answer.

Appreciation Angles for Owners

Beyond the rent, your home has two ways to gain value. Natural appreciation is the market's drift upward, historically low-to-mid single digits annually nationally, and not something to count on: locally the last twelve months ran flat to slightly down. Forced appreciation is what you can control, and the smart version for a homeowner is upgrades that pay twice: a parking pad or widened drive (guests and buyers both want parking), a second bathroom, landscaping and exterior lighting, a guest-ready finished lower level.

The rule that keeps you out of trouble: do not renovate for one week of renters. Renovate for what appraisers and buyers reward, and let tournament week pay you along the way.

The Honest Downsides

You are moving out for a week — staging one home and living out of a suitcase in another. Wear happens. The fridge dies at the worst moment (it always does). And after the guests leave, you spend a day returning your house to being yours. Most families who try it once consider it worth the trade. Some do it every year. A few decide the money isn't worth the disruption, and that's a perfectly good answer.

Or… Skip the Suitcase

If the conversation makes you realize your home's real value is on the sale side — this is the season when buyers who want tournament-week income are actively shopping. That's a different conversation, and a free one: create your account at nickjefftherealtor.com and request a consultation through the site, or call or text me at (706) 828-1791.

Not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Rental income varies and is not guaranteed. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Augusta National Golf Club or the Masters Tournament.

Sources & References

• Masters Housing Bureau (mastershousing.com) suggested rates and homeowner guidance
• Riverwatch Realty tournament-week rental pricing guidance
• IRS Publication 527 (Residential Rental Property) and IRS Code 280A(g) 14-day rule; confirm specifics with your CPA
• City of Augusta / Richmond County and your HOA covenants for rental restrictions; your insurance carrier for coverage requirements
• Not affiliated with or endorsed by Augusta National Golf Club or the Masters Tournament

Last verified October 2026. This guide is evergreen; I refresh the numbers ahead of each tournament season.

Nicholas Jefferson, Licensed Georgia Real Estate Agent | Realty ONE Group Visionaries | (706) 945-1267
📍 Serving Augusta, Evans, Grovetown, Martinez, Harlem, GA & surrounding areas
www.nickjefftherealtor.com · Equal Housing Opportunity