The 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Vancouver, Richmond, West Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28. (CBC)

With exactly six months until the opening of the Vancouver Olympics, Lower Mainland homeowners are starting to put out the vacancy signs hoping to make some extra cash, but some are finding there aren't many takers.

The website "rent2010.net" has so far rented only 15 per cent of the 1,200 properties listed, many of them described as luxury homes with breathtaking views and close to venues for the 2010 Games, according to the website's manager.

"There's been more supply than demand up until this point," Mark Szekely told CBC News

"Most of the properties that have been advertised over a six-month period have not yet rented," Szekely said.

The apparent over-supply might have been caused by an abundance of homeowners looking for a quick buck during tough economic times, according to Szekely.

Poor economy affecting travel

One travel expert said the economic downturn could be what is keeping tourists from booking accommodation.

"If people are concerned about their economic livelihoods, or concerned about their houses, then they're just not going to travel," said Stephen Pearce, vice-president of Tourism Vancouver.

Still, Pearce said he was optimistic that foreign media coverage leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics will help attract more visitors.

"We're going to start seeing in the fall that Vancouver is going to get a lot of [media] play internationally," Pearce said.

"That's going to give us a tremendous amount of momentum as we go into the Olympic period."

Pearce expects upwards of 300,000 people to descend on the city, and said they all will need accommodation.

The Vancouver Olympics run from Feb. 12 to 28, 2010. The Paralympic Games will be held March 12 to 21.