Home Exchanges
In 2013 we did our first home exchange with a family in Paris. We arrived at Terry and Gille’s gorgeous flat in the 17th arr. just in time for them to hand us the keys to their house and car, introduce us to their cat Cookie, and get in a car for Charles de Gaulle Airport to fly to SFO for a month at our house in Redwood City, California.
We were nervous at first but after three reciprocal exchanges, hosting three for points, and two non-simultaneous reciprocal exchanges in process, we heartily endorse home exchanges as an ideal alternative to hotels, AirBnb’s, and VRBOs.
We discuss home exchanges in a YouTube video and know that many people have questions that may or may not have been answered in the video.
What is a home exchange?
A home exchange, also known as a house swap is a type of lodging arrangement where two parties agree to swap homes for a set period of time, typically for vacation purposes. Each party stays in the other's home while the other party stays in theirs. This allows both parties to experience a new location without the expense of traditional accommodation such as hotels or rentals. While it doesn’t always happen, you may make lifelong friends through your exchanges. We have.
What platform do you use for home exchanges and how much does it cost?
We prefer to use homeexxchange.com. The current annual cost is $220 per year (up from $180 when we first started using it). If done right, there should be no additional costs for exchanges. Some folks are adding housecleaning and other fees. We recommend avoiding listings with fees.
How does it work?
List your home (house, apartment, condo, etc.). The platform will walk you through how to list your home including a description, the amenities, desired dates and locations, photos, and special information. It’s pretty easy. There is a verification process to provide added assurance. Quick tip: when you are taking pictures, make sure your home is tidy and inviting.
Search for a place to exchange. Similar to Airbnb and the like, enter your desired destination, the dates, and how many people are traveling, and options will display. Read through them, check the calendars for availability, and send messages to connect and get more information. Quick tip: if you don’t find what you are looking for or you are getting a lot of rejections, don’t get frustrated. Keep looking.
Communicate on the platform. Until you’ve agreed to an exchange, we recommend keeping all communications on the platform. Quick tip: if folks reach out to you, respond in a timely manner even if you have to say no.
Meet over video. After you’ve had some initial positive communications, schedule a video call over Facetime, Zoom, or similar and get to know each other. Introduce yourselves, get comfortable with each other, share your pets/home, and share your travel plans. Ask questions, especially if you have any concerns or special requirements.
Confirm the exchange. Once you are comfortable with the exchange details and the people you are exchanging with, both parties confirm the exchange on the platform.
Assemble a resource guide. We now have a Google folder with multiple docs with information on the house (garbage day, how to use the coffee machine, etc.), the neighborhood (parks, coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants, etc.) and other resources like the hospital, neighbors, your contact info, and who to contact with any issues.
Prepare your home. Prior to your departure, clean your home, make space for your guests, provide instructions / resources as necessary (as defined above), and leave a welcome gift and note. Quick tip: let your neighbors know that home exchangers will be staying at your home so they can welcome them to the neighborhood (and not freak them out because a stranger is coming and going).
Enjoy the exchange. Get comfortable in the exchangers’ home. We know this can take some time but it’s worth it. Take advantage of living like a local. We loved grocery shopping like locals on Rue de Levis in Paris when we were there in 2013 and we absolutely loved experiencing high-rise living in Denver. Prior to your departure, leave the place as requested by the exchangers with a nice thank-you gift and note.
Review the exchange. Once the exchange is complete (points or reciprocal), review the exchange on the website. Quick tip: on homeexchange.com, you won’t see the review of the other party until you post your review.
Other Things to Note
While HomeExchange.com has a point system, we have found it somewhat difficult to use the points that we’ve earned from hosting other people. We were successful this past Thanksgiving with a home exchange in Denver but we have reached out to a lot of people unsuccessfully for other locations. At this point, we are only open to reciprocal exchanges even if they come to our house one month and we go to theirs the next (non-simultaneous). We also find that there’s a greater level of trust when both parties have to trust each other with their homes and belongings.
Many people do not keep their calendars and listings current. Don’t get frustrated.
We exchanged cars with two of our exchanges in France and our auto insurance covered us in France and also covered the folks using our cars back home. Check with your insurance company before agreeing to exchange cars to understand the liability. Same for your homeowner’s / renter’s insurance.
Be open to requests from people. Vancouver wasn’t on our travel bingo card for this year but we received a request, met the folks via video call, and decided to go. We also received a request from some folks in Hoboken, NJ and since I'm (Terri) taking our youngest to NYC for spring break, we canceled the hotel and we are using their place instead. This is saving us $2500 in hotel costs, and we will have a kitchen!
If you have pets (cats, hamsters, snakes, chickens, etc.), and they will need to be cared for, it’s not unreasonable to include this in the listing and as a request to the exchangers. We wouldn’t recommend leaving a dog or other pet that has significant requirements. We’ve taken care of cats and chickens. Folks have taken care of our cats and a snake but we had someone come twice a week to take care of our chickens. We boarded our dog. Also, if you have pets in the house, even if they won’t be there, include this in the description for folks who might have allergies.
We tend to make sure there’s bread, milk, coffee beans, eggs, butter, and maybe some orange juice in the house for when the exchangers arrive. Sometimes they arrive late and won’t have time to get to the store for the basics.
We also let folks know what they may and may not use in the kitchen and pantry. We don’t ask folks to replace items, but it’s perfectly reasonable to do so. We ask folks to leave a note on our chalkboard of what needs to be replaced so we can get it when we arrive home.
When we are preparing the house, we put personal / valuable items in a locked closet. This includes confidential documents like bank statements or the keys to cars / ebikes if we don’t make them available to the exchangers.
Since we are exchanging homes, we are flexible about arrival and departure times. It’s not a hotel or an Aribnb.
We ask folks to leave the house tidy, empty garbages, discard perishables, leave the beds unmade for the housekeeper, and put dirty towels in a laundry basket. We like to have the house cleaned by our housecleaner before we get home because it can feel weird to have had someone in your house. You can ask them to clean before they leave. We’ve done that too.
Because of the changing rules around short term rentals in some cities, some folks are using HomeExchange.com for Airbnb / VRBO-like rentals and are charging fees. We don’t believe that this is in the spirit of home swapping and advise against them. This could end up making home exchanges illegal in some cities. We are seeing some changes in places like Amsterdam.
Are you willing to give this a try? Have you already? We’d love to hear from you about your experience or to answer any questions you might have. Feel free to reach out to us at zekeandterri@gmail.com. If we get enough questions, we may do another video (and we’ll update this blog post).
Safe and happy travels!
Love, Zeke and Terri