houseguests?

Houseguests are people who come to stay at one's house for a limited period of time. These may be simply friends, or they may be family members. Usually, houseguests don't stay for very long--a weekend is common. The American scientist and political thinker Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying: "Guests, like fish, begin to stink after three days."

"extend an invitation to houseguests"
Does it mean that the author like to invite people to spend a short period of time in her house? If the guests are already in her house, the she doesn't need to invite. Is my understanding right or not?
Thank you!

They're not at her house yet. She's extending an invitation to people who may wish to become her houseguests.

While it's understandable colloquial English -- I know what the author means -- it is not strictly grammatical, you are correct. (You become a houseguest when you are staying at someone's house -- until that point, you are a potential houseguest but not yet a houseguest.)

Thanks!

Guests come over.

Houseguests stay the night.

She is inviting people over and they may stay overnight there, too.

This misconception continues. This has nothing to do with grammar, Soz. The example is fully grammatical.

I see Nancy's point, though. If you are extending an invitation to houseguests, that is extending an invitation to people who are currently staying with you. Which doesn't make sense in context.

It would be clearer to say "I welcome houseguests."

[I'm blue]

Nancy asked: Does it mean that the author would like to invite people to spend a short period of time in her house? If the guests are already in her house, the she doesn't need to invite. Is my understanding right or not?
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The writer is talking about a number of things that "she" would like to do.

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Sozobe:
I see Nancy's point, though. If you are extending an invitation to houseguests, that is extending an invitation to people who are currently staying with you. Which doesn't make sense in context.

It would be clearer to say "I welcome houseguests."

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Surely, the understood portion of that sentence is "potential", just as in the first part of this post, the word 'in' is understood to be there in "I'm blue".

Does,

I had houseguests all last week.

mean that those folks are still with you?

Does,

I'm going to have houseguests all next week.

mean that they are already there?

[the auto spellchecker doesn't like houseguests, nor spellchecker, but it only raises an alarm if you click on it with your cursor. It seems to be fine with older forms, say, ones that were copied and pasted.]

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Re the grammatical issue, and not to belabor the point too much. I might suggest that, though I don't know this to be the case for sure, you [Sozobe] may feel that colloquial English is governed as to correctness by what you consider correct English, ie. Standard Written English/Standard Formal English.

A great deal of complication is being inserted into a rather straightforward observation -- which is that I understand why Nancy would be confused.

Language is complicated, Soz, there's just no getting around that.

I've pointed out why I think your straightforward explanation is in err.

I asked,

Surely, the understood portion of that sentence is "potential",

Does,

I had houseguests all last week.

mean that those folks are still with you?

Does,

I'm going to have houseguests all next week.

mean that they are already there?

Nancy is confused but I think that might come from confusion visa vis her mother tongue. It certainly doesn't seem to me, from the questions I've posed to you, that it comes at all from any confusion with the English language.