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Some companies and area residents are eyeing the presidential inauguration as their economic stimulus package-come-a-calling.

Expectations that thousands of visitors in need of bed, board and services will be arriving for the inauguration of Barack Obama have moved hundreds who live or work in the region to offer their services and homes for a potential cash windfall.

Some say they want to help folks bent on being in the capital for the historic event find a place to rest and recover from celebrating, as well as make a profit.

"I got caught up in the flurry, got caught up in the pricing," said Harold Ross, who has offered his four-bedroom home across from the Forest Glen Metro Station in Silver Spring on Craigslist for $100 per person per night, one-third of the first rate he posted.

Ross said he has even considered letting people camp on his lawn, which covers more than an acre, because he wants the inauguration to be witnessed by the average guy who can't afford exorbitant rates and waited too late to find a room in hotels reported to be sold out even well beyond the suburbs.

Tuesday afternoon, two weeks after he posted his house on the site, Ross had fielded several inquiries, including one from a couple who wanted to rent the whole house just for themselves. But Ross said he'd prefer to rent to a group and "give the opportunity for more to stay together."

Meanwhile, he's taking interior photos and planning a "blitz" of sign postings around the area during the week before Christmas, if his house is not rented by then.

But Ross and other potential landlords said that some would-be renters may be waiting to weigh their options and that the hunt for lodging might heat up soon.

In Montgomery County, a license is not needed for rentals of fewer than 60 days. In Prince George's County, residents do not need a license to rent a room in a house they occupy, but a license is required if they rent out and do not live in the house.

Sales pitches vary.

"STOCKED BAR!!!" screams a listing for a one-bedroom apartment at $1,500 per night in Silver Spring (plus a king bed, secure entrance and parking).

On the other hand, rates are negotiable at a house a half-block from the Silver Spring Metro station as long as, it appears from text and pictures, you are willing to share a daybed with one or two dogs.

Ingrid Agbebaku said she also is waiting to lease her two-bedroom Landover condo, listed at $1,600 for five days — $400 less than she was asking on Craigslist a week ago.

Agbebaku, her husband and 2-year-old son won't be leaving town if they rent their home. They'll move in with her aunt during the festivities, and they, too, will join the crowds in downtown Washington.

"What we found is a lot of people are posting that they need rooms," Agbebaku said. She said she plans to start e-mailing would-be renters about her place after Thanksgiving.

Andre Butters of Bethesda is not renting his home for the inauguration, but he and three partners, "all big Obama supporters," have set up a special Web site to help others lease their places.

Inauguralhomes.com allowed the first 100 would-be landlords to post for free, but now is charging $9.95 or $24.95 per listing, depending on the level of service. Ten percent of the rental fee will be donated to charities, said Butters, who is taking a break from a stalled mortgage business to run the temporary housing match venture.

"We saw a need for housing, and it's one of those times people need money, and we want to help people out," Butters said.

Butters said his Web site is posting five to 10 new listings daily, but he is not sure how many properties have been rented, because an automatic updating feature, expected soon, has yet to be added.

Even people who live in the area are looking for rooms, with so many friends pouring into town the third weekend in January.

Montgomery County Democratic Party chairwoman Karen Britto said she's seeking hotels with vacancies for campaign workers who volunteered for Obama in California, Colorado and South Carolina, but they need to be near a Metro station.

Britto, a veteran of two Clinton inaugurations, said proximity to Metro is critical in Washington's January weather, especially with roads near the events closed until early-morning hours.

"It can be snowing and if you are walking around the city in a gown, hopefully your ball is [also] near the subway," Britto said.

Metro officials are encouraging people who are within a few miles of their destination to walk if they can, so they don't have to board crowded trains.

As for tickets to inaugural events, congressional offices are handling those. Maryland's U.S. House and Senate members have been deluged with requests that far exceed the number of tickets they have to distribute.

Many are using a lottery system to decide who gets tickets.

U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin's office already has gotten 55,000 requests, often for multiple tickets, and so is "insisting" that requests be made online, spokeswoman Susan Sullam said.

In a letter to all who sent ticket requests, Cardin said fewer than 400 tickets are likely to be available to each office, and most will be for standing room on the National Mall. His office will use a random drawing to decide, the letter said.

Some places along the parade route and at the mall will be open to the public and will not require tickets, his letter reminded.

The only Republican in Maryland's congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett of Buckeystown, has gotten more calls for tickets than he can fill and is no longer accepting requests, according to staff.