Home exchange websites are popping up everywhere. Ostensibly, they offer affordable vacation housing without the hassles of owning a time share.
Most have extensive computer databases of homes available for rental or swapping. That’s a smart use of the Internet. But because home exchange businesses generally do not screen their members, making contact via e-mail with other members is essential to establishing a trusting relationship.
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Most people think of home swapping in one of two ways; either it’s a terrific idea, or they believe you have to be crazy to turn over your home to strangers.
The benefit for members is the savings possible with home swapping, which is generally substantially less expensive than renting a similar sized property.
Of course, the whole transaction is based on mutual trust. You spend a couple of weeks in my beautiful home on Cape Cod while I enjoy your lovely villa in San Francisco.
Mi casa, su casa. My house is your house. Welcome to my hacienda!
If our homes have similar amenities, and we both take excellent care of each other’s property, we all benefit. Great idea, if it works. And if it’s consistent with your comfort level.
Most people consider home swapping in one of two ways. Either they think it’s a terrific idea, or they believe you have to be crazy to turn over your home to strangers.
HomeLink International
One of the largest and oldest companies in facilitating home exchanges is HomeLink International, which is now online (www.HomeLink.org) but started as a catalog more than 50 years ago. It has more than 14,000 members worldwide.
HomeLink maintains 23 separate websites specifically for major countries around the world and has representatives in each who offer support in a member’s native language.
To list your home, or view more than a handful of representative listings, you must join. Web-only membership is US $75 a year and includes free photos. Full membership, which includes three full-color mailed directories, is US $115.
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Only HomeLink members are able to contact each other via e-mail.
HomeExchange
HomeExchange.com (http://homeexchange.com) begin in 1992 “as a comfortable alternative to high priced hotels and typical tourist vacations, and a way to experience an area as a local, not a tourist.” It has more than 6,000 members and also operates internationally.
In addition to its home exchange listings, HomeExchange.com also accepts rental listings, which are placed into their own category and accessible through the site’s online search features. Yachts, boats, recreational vehicles and time shares are also listed.
The cost of membership is US$49.95 for one year; US$99.95 for three years; or US$149.95 for six years.
INTERVAC-online.com
INTERVAC claims it invented home exchange for vacations some 50 years ago in Europe. It says it has the largest database of home exchange offers in the world and has facilitated home exchange offers from in more than 50 countries.
INTERVAC’s sophisticated website enables you to search by country and available dates.
Each INTERVAC organizer sets the listing fee for their country but the prices are in a similar range across INTERVAC countries.
Vacation Homes Unlimited
Operating from the website ExchangeHomes.com, Vacation Homes Unlimited has been in business since 1983. It charges US$30 per year, including six color photographs of your home. Its services are similar to the others.
Vacation Rentals By Owner
At Vacation Rentals by Owner (www.vrbo.com) the site simply collects fees from the advertisers and posts the ads on their website. Members pay no additional commissions or referral fees.
Special niches
The Digsville Home Exchange Club (www.digsville.com) charges members US$44.95 for one year. While its services are similar to the others, it has somewhat different home listing and member profile questions. They’re full of detail about your swapping partners, their homes and neighborhood.
The answer to “What is your housekeeping style?” tells a lot about what you can expect and begins to provide you with a higher level of comfort in planning your swap, Digsville says.
Digsville has also launched a separate home exchange club for gays and lesbians at www.gfn.digsville.com. This is another trend in the travel industry—catering to special affinity groups, especially well-heeled gays who, because they are usually childless, often have greater discretionary income.
People with disabilities
As previously reported, MatchingHouses is designed to suit the needs of disabled people by offering a website (www.MatchingHouses.com) to bring people with the same or similar accessibility requirements together.
Boat Swap
The publishers of www.boatswop.com describe their site as “a unique service connecting boat-owners to each other for the enjoyment of each other’s boats—so you can sail in a variety of locations without charter fees or having to get your boat there!”
Member site potential
If you have experience in the travel industry, you might explore this business model for a membership website. Success might depend on having a large number of listings of interest to a special niche, i.e., scuba divers, aircraft pilots, equestrians, fly fishermen, etc., etc.
