Trading Places: Start Planning Now for Next Year's Home Swap
May 05, 2011
The Braggs family of Danville, Calif., is summering in France this year and not paying a centime for lodging. The Lebretons of Chantilly, France, are spending their August in California. They don't have any hotel bills, either. The two families swapped homes this vacation season, an increasingly popular way for owners of desirable properties to cut the cost of their vacations and to see a side of another country that they probably wouldn't experience in a hotel. For Larue and Gale Braggs, their son, their two adult daughters and their son-in-law, the two-week swap means a country villa with a guest house and pool. Marc and Noemi Pease and their three children also get a pool, three Northern California acres and a mountain view. But arranging a home exchange can be daunting and time consuming, so now is the time to start planning for next summer. Advertising, interviewing potential swap partners and negotiating knotty personal arrangements can easily take a year. Both parties want to feel they are getting an even exchange and can trust their partners to respect their property. ``Even though you start out as strangers, eventually you can get to be friends,'' says Mrs. Braggs, adding that before the swap, her family invited Mr. Pease to dinner while he was in California on business, and her 10-year-old son struck up an on-line friendship with the Lebretons's 12-year-old. ``It took four to five weeks, and we explored 50 different contacts, but we wanted to make sure we found a family with a configuration and values close to ours,'' Mr. Pease says. The two couples met through Intervac, one of several home-exchange services that have popped up in the U.S. and abroad since the 1950s. Recently, other services have appeared on the Internet. The costs for listings can vary, but catalog publishers usually charge about $100 (more if you add a picture). Some on-line services charge as little as $30. Listings give short, coded descriptions of residences offered -- which run from humble flats to castles -- plus names, addresses and phone numbers and, in some cases, the owners' professions. It is up to the would-be vacationers to contact likely exchange partners and to woo them with snapshots, tantalizing descriptions of their home and neighborhood and reassurances they will take good care of their partner's property. It is generally understood that partners will pay for any damages incurred. People planning summer vacations often make inquiries as soon as the swap books are published, usually in the early winter. To be listed in one of those books, you need to apply soon. Here are some tips on how to make a home exchange a success: Make a packet of information about your house, family and neighborhood. Pictures are crucial, so make multiple copies of snapshots of your house -- inside and out. Or use a color copying machine to reproduce a number of photos on one page. Some owners even make up color brochures, though this isn't necessary. Postage costs can mount quickly, especially if you are mailing overseas, so keep the packet lightweight. Narrow your search to three or four countries. Most of the listings are in Europe and the U.S., and a few countries may have only one or two listings. Keep in mind that August is the preferred vacation month in many Mediterranean countries. Once you have settled on a house, check references, and learn all you can about your exchange partner's family and hobbies. Veteran house swappers with similar interests sometimes arrange for their partners to use season tickets, visit their country clubs or golf courses or operate family-owned boats, bicycles and other recreational equipment. Some even arrange teas or dinners with neighbors. Check with your insurance agent. Many times, house swappers also allow their partners to use their cars, saving on rental fees. But you may need a special rider on your policy. See what your home-insurance provisions are, too, in case of fire, theft or vandalism. Always leave information for your partner on what to do in the event of a car accident or should an emergency home repair be needed. Agree in advance how you will handle a cancellation. Arrange acceptable recompense: alternative housing, reimbursement for hotel expenses or a flat fee. Early on, come to an agreement with your partner -- and put it in writing. House-swapping catalog publishers include: Invented City, San Francisco (800)788-2489 Intervac, San Francisco (800)756-4663 Trading Homes International, Hermosa Beach, Calif., (800)877-8723 On the Internet, look to: n International Home Exchange Network Travel Home Exchange
