Thinking of Detroit for the Super Bowl? Some homeowners are ready to cash in

Is a trip to Detroit in your future if the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl? And will you need somewhere to stay?

If so, there's a couple in suburban Grosse Pointe Park who will cater to your every whim. They'll vacate their three-bedroom, 2 .5-bath, 2,800 square-foot Colonial home, leaving you to watch their 54-inch high-definition television. They'll provide a daily maid and chef and catering services.

Need transportation once you get here? A driver will take you to and from the airport, game and anywhere else you need to go — in style — in a 2004 Jaguar or a 2004 Jeep Cherokee if it's snowy. You can even bring your pets; they'll take care of them for you. The price tag for this luxurious package: $2,000 a day, though the cost is negotiable.

Lynn and David Kiley are like many Detroiters trying to use their homes to cash in on having the world's most popular sporting event right in their back yards. They're advertising their homes — from one-room rentals to everything, including the kitchen sink — on Web sites such as eBay and craigslist. Some are asking upward of $30,000.

What's the motivation behind opening up your home — and possibly your liability — to strangers?

"M-O-N-E-Y," says Lynn Kiley.

"There are going to be people who will spend the big bucks to feel comfortable in a real home setting."

But the National Football League and its Detroit affiliate, the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee, are trying to quash expectations of a windfall in private house rentals. They say Detroit's 32,000 hotel rooms are enough to satisfy the demands of the expected 100,000 out-of-town visitors who will come for the Feb. 5 game. The NFL has reserved 19,000 hotel rooms in Detroit for its staff, the two competing teams, an expected 3,000 members of the media and the league's corporate sponsors and invited guests. Most of the balance of Detroit's 32,000 area rooms will go to fans coming in for the game.

Andrea Schroeder, partner of Strategic Five Business Solutions, a company helping facilitate Super Bowl loft, townhouse and condominium rentals in downtown Detroit, says Indianapolis Colts fans began calling as early as September to inquire about possible rental properties. In recent weeks, Chicago Bears hopefuls began making tentative plans, too.

Can Seahawks fans be far behind? If the Seattle team makes it all the way, here's how to find out about where to stay and play in Detroit:

• The Detroit Super Bowl committee has an online hotel-booking service for fans: go to www.sbxl.org/(click on "lodging").

• Get tourist information at the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.visitdetroit.com