The Short Answer: Yes, You Can Rent Tax-Free — But Only If You Stay Under 14 Days
If you own a home in or around High Point, you’re sitting on a twice-yearly goldmine that most homeowners quietly exploit and almost nobody talks about at the neighborhood cookout. The High Point Market — the largest home furnishings trade show on the planet — floods the city with 75,000 buyers, designers, and showroom reps every April and October. Hotel rooms sell out months in advance. Desperate attendees will pay $250 to $600 a night to sleep in a real house instead of driving in from Greensboro.
Here’s the part that stops people cold: under a section of the federal tax code that’s been nicknamed the “Augusta Rule” (after the Masters Tournament homeowners who’ve used it for decades), you can rent your primary residence for up to 14 days per year and keep every dollar of that income completely off your tax return. No Schedule E. No self-employment tax. The IRS simply doesn’t count it as taxable income.
This post breaks down exactly how that works for High Point homeowners, where the line is, and what happens when you cross it.
What the Augusta Rule Actually Says
The rule lives in Internal Revenue Code Section 280A(g). The language is straightforward: if you rent a dwelling unit that you also use as a personal residence, and the rental period during the year totals fewer than 15 days, you don’t include the rental income in gross income — and you don’t deduct the rental expenses either. It’s a clean exclusion, not a deduction.
For High Point furniture market house rental purposes, the math works out almost perfectly. Each market runs roughly 10 days. You’ve got two markets per year. If you rent for both — and many homeowners do — you’re at 20 days total, which blows past the 14-day ceiling by nearly a week.
That’s the trap. The solution is choosing one market, not both, or limiting one market stay to just four days, which keeps you under the line.
What “14 Days” Actually Means in Practice
The IRS counts individual calendar days, not overnight stays. A guest who checks in Sunday and checks out the following Wednesday has rented for four days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (if they’re there any portion of Wednesday, it counts). Keep a paper trail — a simple Airbnb-style booking confirmation or a written rental agreement showing dates is all you need if anyone ever asks.
For spring market (usually the last full week of April into early May) and fall market (mid-to-late October), most High Point homeowners who want to stay under 14 days pick one and go all-in on it, or they rent only the most valuable stretch of one market — typically Thursday through the following Sunday, the busiest nights.
A realistic scenario
Say you own a four-bedroom home in the College Hill or Emerywood neighborhoods — both walkable to the International Home Furnishings Center. You list for fall market at $350/night, rent for 10 nights, collect $3,500. Under the Augusta Rule, you owe no federal income tax on that money. You don’t even report it. A couple hundred dollars for a cleaning crew, new towels, and a lockbox, and you’ve netted $3,000+ from a house you would have been living in anyway.
That’s not a loophole exploit. Congress wrote this into the code deliberately. Use it.
What Happens If You Go Over 14 Days
Cross the threshold and the entire rental income becomes taxable — not just the days over 14, but everything. You’d then file Schedule E and allocate expenses (mortgage interest, depreciation, utilities) between personal and rental use based on the ratio of rental days to total days used. It gets complicated fast, and you’ll want a CPA who actually understands rental property — not just someone who does W-2 returns.
North Carolina follows federal treatment on this. The state doesn’t have a separate “14-day rule,” so your NC return mirrors whatever your federal return does. If the income isn’t on your federal return, it’s not on your state return either.
How to Actually Rent During High Point Market Week
List early — the market calendar is published a year in advance
The High Point Market Authority announces dates well ahead. Serious attendees — especially independent buyers and boutique designers — book accommodations 6 to 9 months out. If you’re listing in February for an April market, you’re already competing with people who locked in the good homes in October.
Where to list
Airbnb and VRBO both work, but several High Point-specific platforms have emerged for market week. Searching “High Point market housing” turns up specialty rental coordinators who connect homeowners directly with trade attendees. These often charge lower fees than the major platforms and attract vetted, professional renters rather than general vacation travelers.
Pricing it right
The range is wide. A two-bedroom bungalow a mile from the showrooms might fetch $150/night. A five-bedroom house with parking and a full kitchen in Emerywood can hit $500/night or more. Check what similar homes near you went for last market — some rental coordinators publish post-market data. Furnished, clean, and close to the IHFC are the three things that command a premium. Proximity matters more than size.
What guests actually need
Market attendees are professionals on a work trip. They want fast Wi-Fi, a clean kitchen to prep coffee and breakfast, easy parking, and reliable check-in. They don’t need a pool or a hot tub. They do need to know how to get to the showrooms and where to park downtown. Leave a one-page sheet with that information. It’s a small thing that generates repeat bookings.
The Tradeoffs Honest Homeowners Should Know
This isn’t passive income. You’ll need to be out of your house for the rental period, which means staying with family, renting an Airbnb yourself, or booking a hotel in Greensboro or Winston-Salem. Factor in those costs. You’ll also spend real time on turnover — or pay someone to handle it.
There’s also the wear question. Ten days of heavy use from four or five professional adults is different from ten days of your own family. Budget for a deep clean and inspect for damage afterward. Most market renters are respectful — they’re here for business, not a party — but incidents happen, and platforms don’t always make claims easy.
And if your home needs work — a dated kitchen, a roof that leaks when it rains hard, a HVAC system that’s marginal — guests will notice, and reviews will say so. Market-week renters tend to leave detailed feedback because they’re accustomed to doing so on their buying trips.
When Renting Doesn’t Make Sense
If your home needs significant repairs, is in a location that isn’t walkable to the showrooms, or you simply don’t want the logistics of short-term rental, you have other options. Some homeowners find that the hassle of preparing a home for strangers twice a year — combined with the stress of the condition questions — pushes them toward a cleaner exit entirely. If you’ve been thinking about selling anyway, a cash sale before market season eliminates all of it at once.
If that’s where you are, you can get a fair cash offer without any prep work, repairs, or showings. It’s worth knowing what the number looks like before you commit to another round of market-week logistics.
FAQ: High Point Furniture Market House Rental
Do I need to get a short-term rental permit from the City of High Point?
Yes. High Point requires a short-term rental permit for homes rented fewer than 30 consecutive days. The application process involves a fee, a basic inspection, and registration with the city. Budget a few weeks to get this in place before your first market. Operating without the permit puts your tax-free income at risk if the city flags the rental.
Can I use the Augusta Rule if I own a second home in High Point but don’t live there?
No. Section 280A(g) applies only to a dwelling you also use as a personal residence during the year — meaning you live there for at least 14 days or 10% of total rental days, whichever is greater. A pure investment property doesn’t qualify. Rental income from a second home goes on Schedule E regardless of how many days you rent it.
What if I split market-week rental income with a spouse who’s also on the deed?
The exclusion applies to the household, not per person. You and your spouse filing jointly still get one 14-day exclusion total — you can’t double it to 28 days by splitting the income on paper. If you file separately (unusual but not unheard of), consult a CPA before assuming the exclusion applies to each return independently.
Is High Point market week rental income subject to NC sales tax or occupancy tax?
Guilford County (where High Point sits) does impose a room occupancy tax on short-term rentals. The rate is currently 6%, collected on gross rent. Airbnb and VRBO typically collect and remit this automatically if you book through their platforms. If you rent directly, you’re responsible for collecting and filing it yourself with Guilford County. This tax exists regardless of whether the federal income is excluded under the Augusta Rule.
The furniture market income opportunity is real, the 14-day rule is legitimate, and High Point homeowners have been using both quietly for years. The key is staying organized — accurate records, the city permit, and a clear-eyed count of your rental days before you commit to the second market.
If you’d rather talk through your options as a High Point homeowner — whether that’s renting, selling, or something in between — call us at (336) 715-4418 or reach out to request a no-obligation cash offer. We’re based in the Triad, we know this market, and we’re not going to pressure you into anything.
Related Articles
- The $60,000 Year’s Allowance Comes Out of Cash, Not the House
- Selling an Old Mill House in Lexington or Thomasville
- Selling a House in the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway Corridor
Ready to sell your North Carolina house? Get your fair cash offer today.
