DOOR exploring Waynesboro home rentals during Masters
By Anne Marie Kyzer annemariek@thetruecitizen.com

Each spring, hundreds of Augustans open their doors to visitors in town for the Masters, and many of them collect a hefty sum in the process.

Now one local organization wants to see if the same option is viable for Waynesboro homeowners.

The Downtown Organization of Retailers (DOOR) is surveying visitors this week to see if they would be interested in renting Waynesboro homes next year, according to DOOR cochair Nan Palmer Lynch.

"I think it's a huge untapped market, and people are always willing to pay big," Lynch said. "We're just asking, 'For about a thirty-minute drive, how about half the price?'"

Lynch said preliminary plans are for DOOR to operate the rental network, much like the chamber of commerce does in Augusta. Rates would be determined based on square footage, bedrooms, baths and other home features.

In return, DOOR will collect a small percentage of the rental fee and use it to fund the events it hosts downtown each year.

"This would be a great opportunity to raise some money for DOOR, boost the local economy and bring some tourists to Waynesboro," Lynch said.

Surveys were included in hospitality buckets that DOOR members left in hotel rooms this week. Information about the possible home rentals will also be available at the second annual Masters Outing at Good Day Café.

While Lynch has not formally gauged interest in the idea among Waynesboro homeowners, she said several she has spoken to were enthusiastic about the idea.