You are not going to have an easy time exchanging in Nashville with Europeans unless you find country & western fans. They all seem to want to go to NYC, DC or SF. I am fortunate to live in the DC suburbs.

Insofar as cleaning out drawers, I do that, but I no longer have a safe deposit box. I gave that up when I cleaned out all the kids savings bonds, etc., and gave them to them. The jewelry is in the house, but I have to add, I don't own anything like the Hope diamond to worry about. My jewelry has more sentimental value than anything else.

If you want an exchange for, say, a week with another place within the US, you might find some takers more easily than with Europeans. I, for example, have never been to Nashville, and wouldn't mind a one week swap there. I will exchange most anywhere I have never been, but I have been a lot of places. LOL.

Bumping this up . . .

I live a mile north of D.C., so I figure my big ol' house might be perfect for an exchange. There's just one problem.

The idea of allowing another family to drive my car around here freaks me out. There are red-light and speed cameras all over, and the bill for any tickets goes to the owner (yeah, you can declare that someone else was driving, but I imagine you can only get away with this so often). And the parking tickets would be mine to pay no matter what, and I wouldnh't learn about them until the security was returned.

And what happens if they damage something really big?

Just curious about how these sorts of things work . . .

mark

I have done 33 home exchanges and have never had a problem with someone not paying for damage--or even doing much more than breaking a dish. In the rare instance where I have done something to someone else's car, I have always paid for it and vice versa; one time I fixed the car and never told them about it; it was minor. People do not get into this to exchanging to deliberately trash others' homes or steal. The fact is that your house is safer with someone in it than empty.

My 34th exchange is presently scheduled for Brisbane, Australia, in 2008. No one has bought tickets yet because it is a year off, so everything is tentative until we do that. We have discussed buying tickets about January 1st. Generally, everyone locks in together.

I have never got a ticket on a home exchange or given anyone else trouble with one. Basically, everyone is careful, but you cannot avoid all glitches. Houses can have things that break--and so can cars. Nothing in life is perfect. If something happens, you do have to deal with it. If you stay in hotels and rent cars, things can happen as well.

Just want to say thanks again for very generous posting on this thread. Faux, you're for real. That goes for you other experienced exchangers.

cindysphinx,

Exchanging a car in a home exchange is not always necessary. It does "bump up" your desirability as an exchange partner, but if you feel uncomfortable, perhaps you could offer a public transportation pass (if there is one in your area) or just leave great information about the public transportation in the area.

Many people use forms, such as the one available on Know Your Trade (http://knowyourtrade.com/forms.htm) to set up an understanding all who is responsible for damages. As Faux points out, home exchangers are usually honest and respectful of other people's things. When damages occur, it is usually resolved between the parties.

Recently we had an incident such as you mention. Our exchange partner was from Florence, Italy. He damaged our car slightly and left us a note to tell us about it. It was then up to us to decide what to do. Since the damages were minor and the car was old, we decided to let it go. He was so grateful he bought us a nice gift.

You are correct in that your location would make be great for home exchange. Know Your Trade offers all kinds of information about exchanging and rates and reviews all the home exchange organizations. Take a look at:
http://www.knowyourtrade.com

If you are in a location that requires the use of a car (for example, to get to a subway stop to park to go into town) and do not offer a car as part of the exchange, you will have a great deal of difficulty getting a swap.

Everyone is nervous the first time they exchange. In fact, I am nervous every time I do an exchange. Will the key be where it is supposed to be? Will the house be decent? Will the car run? Everyone has these worries. You are not normal if you do not. However, if you have taken non exchange vacations, you have had incidents with beach houses that were left than perfect, rental cars that broke down, etc., etc. There is no guarantee of perfection in any vacation. In fact, sometimes it is the vacation disasters (and frequent travelers have all had them) that you remember best.

Hi Faux!

I read your blog about your recent home exchange. Sounds great (especially after you and your friend worked out a routine). Which brings up what you mentioned in this post: there are issues that sometimes come up on vacation (like what to do, as you and your friend experienced) whether or not one exchanges or stays in a hotel.

Home exchange is scary and one may have issues with the home or the trade or the car. BUT as you always point out so well, it is well worth it for the benefits! knowyourtrade.com points out all the benefits of home exchange as well.

The only thing that I kind of disagree with you on is the one that started this discussion: car exchanges. I do agree that a car exchange can be a deal maker in many cases, but I do not think that it is a deal breaker in most cases. I consider a car exchange a bonus, not a necessity. I do agree that if the home is located in a suburb with no transportation options than it would be a bit more problematic. But, another option might be to rent a car. Yes, it would add cost to the trip, but think of all the others ways money is saved!

Continued happy exchanging!

Leslie, the Exchange Queen from knowyourtrade.com

If the house or apartment is not directly on public transportation, denying me the use of a car is a deal breaker for me--as it is for many home exchangers. I do not want to be put to the extra expense of renting a car.

If you are going to get difficult about that, you will have difficulty getting a deal.

Hello fellow Home Swappers,

FauxSteMarie,

Love this post. We are just back from a delightful swap in the UK. Yes we DO live in San Diego, but I am much more interested in out of the way more unique destinations. We ended up in a great house on the Wirral on NW England. We swapped cars and we swapped pets. No problems..except the intial car/shifting for poor DH. He did great after a day and we all lived.
I have a firm belief that only certain people should do home exchanges.
1st: People who don't ask if there is some sort of investigation into the people. Forget it , stay in a hotel.
2nd People who are uptight about life in general..stay in a hotel.
3rd: People who believe everyone is out to steal their identity..stay at a hotel.
4th: People who think they are better, more valuable or incapable of flexibilty...stay in a hotel.
Home Exchaning is for the like minded pwople of the world who trust in humanity and hope for the best..if you don't...Stay in a HOTEL.
I LOVE EXCHANGING!

PEOPLE not PWOPLE. oops!

I used Homelink.org for the last swap. Worked well.

bookmark

tinabina, I have belonged to both Homelink and Intervac since 1990. My exchange in Austria came from Intervac. The deal in the works for next year (Brisbane, Australia) is from Homelink. I have gotten deals from both services. I also got at least one through answering questions on the internet.

I do agree that unusual destinations sometimes give you the most interesting experiences. I had one last recently on Vancouver Island (not to be confused with Vancouver the city) 2 1/2 hours north of Victoria. Wonderful swap!

People who are too uptight and suspicious cannot do this.

I love exchanging too, but I guess you figured that out.

Faux,

Yes!!The parents of the people with whom we most recently exchanged, have also exchanged to Vancouver Island. They loved it! We got to know the parents of our home exchangers during our trip and look forward to a visit from them in the near future. I have decided exchanges are a funny lot... a little more willing to see the good in a terrrible situation. We have kids and pets! Otherwise I would offer you an exchange anytime. Love all your writings and info. Very helpful and fun to read. If you have a chance ca you give me your top 10 favorite places to swap and why? thanks
Tina

I don't have a list of top ten places to swap and why. I will consider offers anywhere unless I have just been to the place. I will, for example, consider offers to places I have been if enough time has elapsed. You never, for example, exhaust the sites in and around London, Paris, Edinburgh, Rome, Vienna, Berlin, etc. Those are some of the places I have been on exchanges, by the way.

I have done a swap in San Diego but would gladly go again. Insofar as you are concerned, Tina, I do not mind kids in my house (but no babies/toddlers because I am no longer equipped with all the things people need), but I do not have pets and do not take care of anything other than tropical fish on an exchange. I just don't want the responsiblity when I am out and about. Living in the Washington, DC, suburbs, I never lack for offers. I suspect you don't either, Tina. San Diego is a wonderful place for a swap--especially for families who want access to the beach.

Great thread! And thank you everyone for all your info, esp FauxSteMarie. I live in a GREAT central location in DC proper three blocks from a metro station in a gorgeous condo (and have a car with parking space I am happy to offer) and have wanted to a home exchange, but my neighborhood is "transitional" and I have worried about that. It is a perfectly safe neighorhood--as safe or safer than DuPont, for instance--but it can look a little down at heel or intimidating to outsiders. I didn't want to not disclose this in a listing, but figured if I did nobody would be interested. I have been waiting for the neighborhood to transition but it is a slow process and I am getting impatient! Should I bother posting a listing with a "if you're not comfortable in urban surroundings you might not be happy with this, even though it is safe" disclaimer? Or continue to wait?

Not sure what you mean by "transitional", nicegirl - from what to what?

You can't tell what may affect prospective exchange partners till you've explored expectations. Stay factual in your listings, go into the impressionistic stuff later.

In general, you need to take time to get to know your prospective exchange partners and what they have to offer, and the same is true in reverse. You don't need to be upfront about absolutely everything in your home when you're advertising, but it's as well to make sure as you progress in discussions that any potential downside is mentioned. Both parties, after all, are likely to be in touch over several properties, especially if it's an exchange between big cities.

Bookmark

Thanks, Patrick. "Transitional" must be DC real estate lingo. At its most blunt, it means transitioning from crack houses to yuppie condos. Eight or ten years ago my neighborhood was not safe to enter. Now the drugs and guns are mostly gone (I never see evidence of either but I'm sure there's still some going on), but some empty and rundown buildings, poorly maintained sidewalks, and graffiti remain and most of the local businesses are downmarket liquor stores. The main problem for house-swapping is that the neighborhood looks worse than it is. It actually has less crime, especially fewer muggings, than upscale neighborhoods.