Pittsburgh Homeowners Eye NFL Draft as Once-in-a-Generation Payday
When Eli and Lyndsey Amour decided to build a bigger home near Pittsburgh International Airport, they couldn’t bring themselves to part with their old house perched on Mount Washington. So instead of selling, they did what a growing number of homeowners are doing these days - they turned it into a short-term rental.
“It’s in a niche area up there,” Eli said. “We’ve had it eight or nine years, and to be honest, we just didn’t want to give it up. So right now we’re trying the Airbnb thing.”
That decision might pay off in a big way this coming April, when the NFL Draft rolls into Pittsburgh. The three-day event, set for April 23-25, is expected to bring between 500,000 and 700,000 people to the city - a crowd size that could make it the biggest event Pittsburgh has ever hosted. And for homeowners like the Amours, it’s shaping up to be a golden opportunity.
“I would say definitely this will be the highest rate we’ve put for the night that we’ve done so far,” Eli said.
A Citywide Surge in Demand
According to Visit Pittsburgh, about 20% of visitors are expected to opt for short-term rentals like Airbnb or VRBO, while the majority will head for hotels. That’s a significant chunk when you consider that Allegheny County has around 19,000 hotel rooms, and the broader region offers close to 35,000. But when you’re talking about an influx of over half a million people, even that won’t be enough.
And the market’s already reacting. Rental prices across the city have been creeping up for weeks - and in some cases, skyrocketing.
Take a one-bedroom, one-bath unit within walking distance of Acrisure Stadium. In mid-October, when the Steelers were on the road, it went for $137 per night.
Fast forward a week, with the Packers in town, and the same place jumped to $778 a night. But during the NFL Draft?
That same unit is listed at an eye-popping $2,739 per night.
The Price of Prime Real Estate
If you think that’s steep, consider this: A classic Victorian home in Shadyside, just off Walnut Street, is listed at a jaw-dropping $20,752 per night during the draft. The four-bedroom, two-bath property sleeps 12, so if you can find 11 friends who don’t mind splitting the tab, it breaks down to about $1,730 per person, per night.
For a little perspective, that’s roughly what Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt earns every 22 minutes under his current $41 million annual salary. And it’s about half the cost of the designer suit Caleb Williams wore when he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Bears in 2024.
Playing the Pricing Game
Of course, setting the right price isn’t as simple as picking a number and hoping for the best. Demand can swing wildly depending on timing, events, and availability.
Price it too high, and you scare off potential guests. Too low, and you leave money on the table.
That’s where tools like Airbnb’s dynamic pricing software come into play. The platform adjusts rates in real time based on market demand, local events, and booking trends.
“I’m not some type of shark who’s out there trying to rent my house for some crazy amount of money,” Eli Amour said. “But, in the same sense, if supply is saying I could get a decent amount more, I’m probably going to follow that.”
The Amours typically don’t list their property more than three months in advance - a strategy that lets them stay flexible and respond to market shifts.
A Glimpse from the U.S. Open
Pittsburgh got a preview of what’s to come earlier this year, when the U.S. Open golf tournament came to Oakmont Country Club. That event also created a surge in demand for short-term rentals, and for local real estate agent Sandy Woncheck, it was a lightbulb moment.
She was tasked with finding housing for players, sponsors, and fans during the tournament - and afterward, several homeowners told her she needed to do the same thing for the NFL Draft.
So she did. Woncheck recently launched accommodationsforthedraft.com, a site designed specifically for homeowners looking to rent out their properties just for the draft weekend. It’s a one-time listing fee of $195, and for an extra $125, she’ll send a professional photographer to help show the home in its best light.
“It’s kind of an Airbnb, short-term rental site for people who just want to do it once,” she said.
And the upside? It can be massive.
One homeowner she worked with during the U.S. Open made $50,000 in a single week by renting to a family from Texas.
A Weekend Windfall
With hotel prices already climbing and limited availability in the city, many visitors will be looking for alternatives - and short-term rentals offer a more comfortable, often more affordable option. For homeowners, that means a chance to cash in.
“They can make some nice cash for the weekend or the extended weekend,” Woncheck said. “I’m sure hotel room prices are inflated for this event.
People have asked me, ‘What should I charge?’ It’s entirely up to you.
I personally would base it on what a hotel rate would be and then increase it from there, because most people would rather stay in a home than a hotel room.”
At the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to - extra income, without the long-term commitment. For homeowners like the Amours, it’s a way to hold on to a beloved property while letting the NFL Draft do what it does best: bring excitement, energy, and in this case, a serious financial boost to the Steel City.