I make $10,000 on Airbnb for my Augusta home during masters week

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Apr 9, 2022

Tipton Sholes is a resident physician currently on leave and a homeowner in Augusta, Georgia.
He lists his four-bed, two-bath home for around $1,300 a night during the Masters each year.
It’s a big help to pay his mortgage, he says. Here is her story, told to writer Jenny Powers.

This narrated essay is based on a conversation with Tipton Sholes, a landlord in Augusta, Georgia, about renting out his home on Airbnb during the Masters Tournament. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I first had the idea of renting my house the week of the masters tournament from my older brother.

In 2012, my brother, who is four years older than me, moved from our hometown of Gainesville, Georgia to Augusta to do his medical residency. He bought a house in Augusta and every year he posted a classified ad on Craigslist and rented it out the week of the Masters.

In 2016 I ended up moving to Augusta to start med school myself and bought my own home in Augusta, a four bedroom, two bathroom home less than a mile away. Augusta National, home of the Masters. I decided to take a page from my brother’s playbook and also started renting out my own house the same week every year.

Instead of using Craigslist, which had no real type of verification process for renters, I opted to list my home on Airbnb, which forces potential guests to provide a government-issued ID and credit card information.

This week, I’ll be making over $10,000 in eight nights, which was especially helpful because I was diagnosed with a medical condition that prevented me from completing my final year of medical residency.

I realized that by simply renting out my house for eight nights, I could earn enough to practically pay my mortgage for the whole year, so I kept doing it.

The first two years, I rented my house for the week of master’s, I was doing my medical residency, so when I was not on call, I slept in a room on call at the hospital. These days, I hop in the car and spend the week at my parents’ in Gainesville.

Rather than trying to rent my house out to a party for the full tournament at a high price, I break it down into smaller time chunks, which makes it more affordable.

In doing so, I usually end up hosting three to four groups over the course of eight days. The average night is between $1,300 and $1,375.

I’ve increased the prices slightly since I last rented it in 2019 (I didn’t rent it in 2020 and 2021 as in-person tournament attendance was limited by COVID-19), but I tried to keep it pretty consistent.

Accommodations, especially like mine which are within walking distance of the course, are in high demand every year

There are always a lot of inquiries and people waiting in the wings if someone needs to cancel.

In anticipation of this year’s tournament, I listed my home on Airbnb in December, and within days people were already contacting me with reservation requests.

This week I’m hosting three separate groups – a group of four guys for three nights, four couples for two nights, and right now I’m hosting another group of four guys for three nights.

All in all a great experience – never had any issues with guests

Everyone is always very respectful and leaves the house in great condition. Even in situations where customers decide to leave early, no one ever disputes payment of the full amount.

Earlier this week my first group of four guys who told me they had arrived on a private jet for the tournament decided to cut a day early due to rain but still paid the scheduled night.

Having the ability to rent my home through Airbnb has truly been a blessing to me financially during this time in my life where I have been unemployed and on sick leave.

Being able to rent out my home has allowed me to meet my mortgage payments and really stay above water – and for that, I’m so grateful.