Need a place to stay in Austin?

Short term home-rentals in Austin used to be discreet, somewhat under-the-table deals; bands coming to SXSW needed a place to stay and folks in the know rented their house for a week while they camped at the in-laws. The band got a crash pad and the renters got help with the mortgage payment. Everybody came out ahead with the possible exception of the neighbors.
 
SXSW kept getting bigger, folks coming to the ACL fest added to the demand (ACL will span two weekends this year) and with the looming specter of no-hotel-rooms-at-all during Formula One week, short-term rentals suddenly became a big business, so much so that the all-wise city fathers got involved. After someone explained to the city council that shutting down short-term rentals was not nearly as lucrative to the city as was simply charging a "modest" fee to license such rentals, Austin is now a short-term rental hotspot. Consider these listings that just popped up for F1 week:

• One-week stay on a 40-acre Austin estate, complete with a helicopter landing site — $69,000.
• Luxury hacienda-style Lake Austin-area estate — $25,000.
• Dripping Springs-area ranch will provide an on-site chef and concierge services, plus a helicopter pad and other amenities — $35,000
• Five-bedroom house in the exclusive Rob Roy subdivision, complete with eight tickets in a large private suite at the start/finish line at the Circuit of the Americas track. Your choice of an S-Class Mercedes, a limo or an Escalade ESV with a 24-hour chauffeur for your stay, plus a full time housekeeper. Backyard outdoor entertainment includes a pool, swim-up bar and bocce ball court. A detached five-car garage can double as a private concert/party venue for up to 300 guests — $150,000 for the week.

Obviously, I need to cash in on this sweet deal, so I'm putting the house on the STR market for F1 week. Here's what I have to offer:

• Three bedrooms, two futons and a lumpy couch
• Only 6 miles from SH-130, the main thoroughfare to the Circuit of the Americas track
• Helicopter pad (if you can miss the big hackberry tree hanging over the back yard)
• Close to take-out Pizza Hut, Whataburger and Subway shop
• Free Wi-Fi, Cable TV and daily delivery of the Statesman (if the neighbor's dog doesn't get it first)
• Price is negotiable; make me an offer (Hint: use the listings above as a guideline)

Now I just need to figure out which of my relatives I can mooch off of for that week and we're in business.
 
I love this town!