First Home Exchange - Short Report
 

Since this topic comes up now and then, I thought I would just report on my first home exchange experience.

Since the cost of travel has increased SO much in the last couple of years, I decided I would try this option. Fotunately, I live in a ski resort town where lots of people want to visit, so why not try it?

I listed my home with www.homeexchange.com as it seemed to have lots of international users. I started getting offers right away and sent out a few inquiries of my own.

My first exchange was an easy one, not involving airfare and only a 1/2 day drive away.

The young family I exchanged with was very nice, we only met through e mail, but everything turned out just wonderfully for both parties. We agree we might do it again sometime in the future.

We both did sheets and towels laundry before leaving the other's home - by unspoken agreement. Couldn't have asked for a nicer Thanksgiving long weekend.

If anyone has questions, just ask.

You could start with listing the particulars.

Where did you exchange, how long, costs involved, transportation, etc.

Hi GoTravel,

OK details.

I exchanged with a family of 4, parents and 2 children, ages 2 and 4. On my end it was just me and Yoda, my black pug. the exchange was just for the Thanksgiving weekend. I drove down on Thurs morning and they drove up! We figure we passed somewhere along I-15....

Their home is in Springdale, UT, just outside Zion Natl Park and mine is in Park City, UT. They were hoping for snow for the kids, but our season is off to a late start, so very little snow, mostly up higher than my home (6500 ft.)

They still had a great time and the highlight for their kids was the ride on the antique steam train called the Heber Creeper. It runs from Heber to the Provo Canyon and returns.

Since this was a driving trip for both parties, gas was the only expense. Listing on homeexchange.com costs $90/year for a "Silver" membership.

They boarded their dog and we took care of each other's cats. My cat, the supreme chicken cat of all time, actually took a liking to M, the wife. Their cat was not impressed with my visit, me - who loves all animals and gets loved right back. Just goes to show, you never know with cats!

Anyway, had a great time.

I live in the center of San Francisco, so for me an exchange would work, too.

How did you exchange your keys?

Faina,

Since we both live in small, safe communities, we felt comfortable leaving them in a safe spot outside.

I know other people have mailed keys.

You should try this. San Francisco is a very desirable location!

PS - one major thing I have noticed having my home listed for the last few months and with the inquiries both received and sent - is that you have to be flexible and open minded on where you go. I know other home exchangers who post here have said the same.

I've found (unfortunately) that Europeans (generally speaking) are not familiar or very interested in coming to the US to ski. So my home is not of much interest to them. I've found that those who are very familiar with UT skiing, such as Califorians, New Yorkers, Floridians, and Aussies and New Zealanders, are VERY interested in specifically coming to Park City.

So - looks like my next Christmas vacation could turn in to a home exchange to New Zealand. And, I'm NOT complaining!

Another comment,

One feature I liked about the homeexchange site is that you can do a reverse search, and find the people who are specifically interested in your location.

Gives you more ideas as well as narrowing it down to a more likely exchange.

I'm glad this worked out for you! My sister has a house in St. George and spent time at Zions for Thanksgiving too.

Thanks for posting. I'm always curious to hear if home-exchangers are happy with their exchanges.

A friend of ours just returned from a month in London, on a home exchange with two women (sisters). It generally went well, but the home she got wasn't as clean as she would have liked, nor did the two sisters who stayed in her lovely Seattle downtown condo leave it as clean as they should have.

The real surprise came when she went to make a Vodka & tonic for a friend. She had left the liquor cabinet stocked and everything looked in order (nothing missing). But the cocktail tasted . . . not right. No vodka. Turns out the dear ladies had replaced all the clear alcohol in all the bottles (gin, vodka, Triple Sec, etc.) with water!!!

enzian, not that this is what happened in that case, but I'm reminded of the woman who reported that every time she exchanged houses she came up missing a few small things, particularly costume jewelry. One day she ran into her cleaning lady at the mall wearing a piece of the missing jewelry. She finally figured out that when her own cleaning lady cleaned after visitors she was helping herself to a few things figuring the owner would blame the visitors and not her.

Busted!

When I exchanged with a London family, each of us accused the other of not keeping their home clean enough! We had different priorities, I guess.

Fortunately my home exchangers were very much the same type as me - super honest and clean. I got a good vibe from the e mails we exchanged and really had no concerns.

I'm about to purchase my airline ticket for my next exchange, which is a non-silmultaneous one. A couple from NC is coming to stay with me as my guests in March to ski for a week. I am going to their Blue Ridge Pkwy mountain home for fall colors next Oct, a place I've never been.

Just wish I had more vacation time!

Barbara - I want to hear all about your Australia trip! Let's get together soon!

My home exchange with a family from London was fantastic.The area Hampstead Heath was very posh too. We had a chance to meet the family as we were still in England.

They took us out to a fantastic dinner. We both laughed and laughed at how we had our "butts" up in the air cleaning the bathrooms with toothbrushes before the exchange. Their daughter said she had never seen their own bathroom so clean.

I would do it again in a hearbeat! I am from San Diego so the beach is a great draw.

Patrick---that would be a good explanation, but in my friend's case it won't do---she doesn't have anyone come in to clean; she lives alone and takes care of her condo herself.

Her theory, based on the fact that there was no alcohol, or even wine glasses in the London home, is that one sister was secretly tippling and trying to hide it from the other.

Dayle---if you and Yoda ever fancy a week in Seattle during ski season, maybe we could work a trade.

Thanks Enzian, I'll keep that in mind! We really do need to work on a Fodorites Moab expedition though!

<i>Dayle---if you and Yoda ever fancy a week in Seattle during ski season, maybe we could work a trade.</i>

I was going to offer up my house in an SF suburb LOL!

Great to hear about your experience, Dayle. I've always wanted to try to do this also.

BTW- are you guys (Barbara S) up for a dinner GTG next week Tuesday or Wednesday? I'm in town for two days.

How to keep your house key safe - We purchased a lock box from the local hardware store. The ones the realtors use. We locked it on our fence and keep an extra key to the house in it. When we just change the code on the lock box after someone has accessed the key. Works great and comes in handy.

Great website/service! I may list my Manhattan apartment. Thanks for the report!

Very interesting! Thanks for the report Dayle; I'd like to try home exchange one day.

We just did our fourth home exchange on Craigslist. We swapped our Bay Area home for a beautiful 2-bedroom apartment in the 5th arr. in Paris for 6 weeks. It was wonderful. I was so spoiled by it that I might not go back to Paris if I couldn't stay in the same place. She felt the same about our house. Very happy experience, as were the three other exchanges we've done (2 in France one in Mendocino) on Craigslist.

..neighbors did a very successful swat through intervac. On her return she asked the cleaning lady how she found the house. She assured my neighbor that it was great- much cleaner than when she was home.

Nancy .. very interesting. I too would want to swap for a flat in the 5th arr. Where on craigslist did you find the exchange possibility?

Gekko,

I'm not a craigslist user, so can't say how the listings are there, but I can tell you that listings for Paris on homeexchange.com seem to be far more than anywhere else!

I'm confused, Dayle. What do you mean they are far more? Since they are exchanges they don't cost &quot;anything&quot;, right? I've never seen a price listed on an exchange offer.

I think he means that there are a lot more home/apartments from Paris listed on the homeexchange website as compared to other exchange websites.

Oh. Duh! Why did I think &quot;a lot more&quot; referred to price and not number. Sorry.

Patrick,

Sorry! I was just revisiting this old thread while I try to navigate the new format. Yes, I meant far more listings for Paris than anywhere else. At least it seems that way! Made me wonder if the people who started the site are French.

Hope you're doing well. Did you go to Maui yet?

We have kicked around this idea some, lots of Europeans come to this area to see Mesa Verde NP. The trouble is trying to do simultaneous exchange. Still thinking on that one. Glad you had such a great experience. We love San Francisco and would love to do a trade during Sept or Oct [ its our best season and SF's too].
Deb

I have exchanged about 15 times in Europe, 2 times in Australia, once in NZ. The rest of my exchanges have been within the US and Canada. I have done 37 and my next will be in Finland next summer.

Keys can be mailed or handed off at airports if you are both in the airport at the same time.

Of the 37 exchanges I did, in two cases (French and Germans) my house was not as it should be. The Germans were a piece of work. They said they had a car. They did but it didn't work. Their house was not clean as well. The French people just left a mess here. I should have known because their house wsa more "lived in" than mine was.

OK, that leaves 35 exchanges were there were no cleanliness problems. I have had a few broken dishes but no draining of the liquor cabinet or stolen items. Quite frankly, most exchangers do not look at private stuff. They are busy touring--not doing detective work in your house. For those who have valuable jewelry I recommend safe deposit boxes.

I did two exchanges in Australia and NZ last summer. The second house in Australia was not as nice as the first one, but it was more centrally located. The house in NZ was an older home and had an indifferent heating system. Remember you are exchanging homes and not everyone has a palace. They have homes. It didn't matter to me about this and that because I was having a blast seeing things I could never have afforded to do otherwise and I had a washer and dryer in each home--meaning less schlepping of clothing from home. I was away 9 weeks and got sick of my clothes by the end of the trip, but no one but me knew I was beating the same few outfits to death. You can really travel light when you have a washer and/or dryer.

Obviously, with 37 home exchanges behind me, I like it. I come from the school that he who goes farthest for the least amount of money wins. I have had some of my best experiences in places almost no Americans go. I exchange cars as well (your insurance covers them and theirs covers you). Anyone damaging a car pays the deductible. There is a risk of insurance going up if someone has an accident in your car. It doesn't usually happen, but you do want to work out who pays what if it does before you swap. If you don't want to exchange your car, don't, but, if you take that position, fewer people will swap with you.

I belong to both Homelink and Intervac. I joined them in 1990 and have renewed my membership each year. I know there are a lot of other home exchange services but, since I have had no experience with them, I cannot comment on which one is better, etc. I know what works for me. Both Homelink and Intervac were in the home swap business before the internet (when we all got large telephone bills working on our deals). Email makes everything run very smoothly now.

Just revisiting this thread after a long while and wanted to respond to Gekko on where to find the home exchanges in Paris on Craigslist. I look in two places on Craigslist under "House Swaps"--on the Paris list and on the San Francisco Bay Area list. I have also listed my house in the past and gotten exchanges that way.

Where did you end up exchanging as a result of your listing on Craigslist? I just turned down another exchange today in Santa Barbara, CA. Person contacted me through Homelink.

Whatever works for you is fine, but my impression is that Craigslist just does not result in as many offers. However, ONE offer YOU WANT is all you need. Again, whatever works.

I've done four house swaps through Craigslist: two in Paris, one in Provence, and one in Mendocino...all were for a month or more. My home is in the Bay Area so it's fairly easy to have a number of choices.

Whatever works for you is fine. I am glad you enjoy home exchanging. I started doing it in 1990 and I have no intention of ever stopping. It is such a wonderful way to travel.