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 Creating your listing:
When you list your residence a good description of your home and surrounding areas is important. Your list needs to be an advertisement to excite people about visiting your area and your home. The more details about your home the more chances you will find someone that is interested in exchanging homes with you. So list if it has a pool, if a car is available, how far away is the beach, etc. If you are near tourist attractions list those also. People will be interested to learn what is in the area, what activities are available for kids, is there antique or discount shopping close by, etc. If you live in a small town, focus on the relaxed attitude of the area. If you are not in a main tourist area, maybe there are hiking trails, parks, biking, tennis, small towns with unique shops to visit, farmers markets, and more.
Some members even have their own websites to showcase their homes. You can add a link to your website in your description.
You want to make your listing as detailed as possible.
Go to other web sites from your area (community sites, county sites, park and recreation sites, attraction sites) to gather information that you can share with perspective home exchangers.
Photos:
Adding Photos to your listing is a must. Most members will only exchange for a home that they can see some photographs of to get an idea of the residence and surrounding areas. At a minimum you should take photos of the exterior of the residence, the Master Bedroom, kitchen, and living room. You should really include more photographs of the other bedrooms, recreational areas, like a game room or outside play areas, photos of the view if you have a scenic view, and photos of the area. www.EasyHomeExchange.com allows you to enter more photos than any other Home Exchange service. This is because we know just how important photos are for your listing. Our easy to use photo tools walk you through the process. If takes only moments to place your photos on our site and our tools resize the photos for you if needed. If you like, you can also email your photos to us with your member ID and we can add them to your listing.
How to make an Exchange:
There are two ways Exchanges take place. You either contact another member to inquire about staying at their residence or another member contacts you to inquire about staying at your residence
Making Contact:
Member can contact each other via email messages through the EasyHomeExchange website. If members decide to exchange they can then exchange phone numbers, addresses, and work out the exchange details between themselves. You will generate a great deal of interest in your listing and will get exchange requests from all over the world. If the dates work out for when someone would like to stay at your residence, you would work out the details with that party, that party would transfer the specified amount of Exchange Dollars into your account and then stay at your residence. After the stay has ended, you can leave feedback for the member that stayed at your residence and they can leave feedback for you. If the dates someone wants to exchange with you do not work for you. Please reply to the requestor so they can look for other members to exchange with. Some members like to exchange with other members home for home during the same dates. This offers a sense of security since you know that the other member is also purchasing airfare and making travel arrangements at the same time and that they are unlikely to cancel the exchange after airfare has been booked. You also know that the other party is staying in your house and have a sense that they will treat your property like you are treating theirs.
Feedback also allows you to see what other members are saying about their stays, so this also can be used as one party to deciding which members to exchange with.
As always, the more information and detailed planning you share with each other when making a home exchange the better. If you are exchanging home for home plan a date to purchase airline tickets and then fax or email copies to each other of your airline tickets.
Ultimately you decide which members you allow in your residence and what terms and conditions you set with each other.
Ways to help make an Exchange:
1. Make a list of all the places that you are interested in visiting. List the dates you would like to go. The more flexible you are the easier it is to make a home for home exchange.
2. Use Exchange Dollars to trade for a home stay without having to exchange your home. This allows you to work with a much wider selection of members and find a match sooner.
3. If you are interested in a prime destination during peak travel times, make your offer stand out. Again you can do a home for home exchange for Exchange Dollars, or even easier, pay the exchange dollar rate the home is offered for and don’t worry about if your house is a match for the other member.
4. Communication – Communication with the other member is key.
You will work out the exchange dollar price, dates, and exchange agreement with them. Exchange contact information and make sure everything is in writing so there are no misunderstandings about what is included.
5. As our membership grows feel free to check other members feedback comments as one part of your evaluation before making a home exchange.
6. If you have an empty vacation home 11 months out of the year, list it on exchange as often as you want. You couldl get many members that want to stay there and they would send you exchange dollars to do so. Save up your exchange dollars for a trade when you are ready to go on vacation at another members residence.
7. Leave plenty of time to make an exchange. Plan your exchange in advance so you can contact other members and work out the details.
8. It is very important to be truthful and honest in your listing about your home. People are planning a vacation based on this information and will be booking expensive non-refundable airfare in most cases. You can NOT back out of an exchange once exchange dollars have been transferred between parties.
When you transfer exchange dollars it is also a good idea for both parties to sign an exchange agreement with the terms they have agreed to for the exchange. You can make your own exchange agreement or use some sample ones we have here as a place to start.
Getting your home ready for an Exchange:
It is a good idea to leave a Home Exchange welcome packet in your home: This can be a binder with covered pages and tabs. This way you can easily remove a page or update a page as needed when you do home exchanges. The welcome packet should include:
a. Appliance Operation - How to operate major appliances (Washer, Dryer, DishWasher, Garage doors, Stove, Grill, Microwave, etc.) If you have any unique items or difficult items to figure out.
b. Emergency Shut-offs - A section on key house locations. How to turn off the gas, water heater, breaker box, alarm information if needed.
c. A contact emergency list -
o Phone number of emergency local contact person (neighbor or property manager)
o Nearby hospital
o Numbers for police and fire department or 911
o Car insurance information (if included in the exchange)
o Car repair shop
o Alarm code
o List of how is allowed in the house
o. How to contact you, the owner.
d. Local information – Include local take out menus, lists of attractions or attraction flyers from your local AAA or tourism office, local area maps, directions to and from the airport.
Arranging your Home for Guests:
Just like when you have friends and family over to stay the night, make sure you have closet space available, a few drawers for each guest, room in the bathroom for toiletries, and room in your frig for food your guest might purchase. It is nice to laundry soap. Some homes offer small bathroom soaps and shampoos they have collected from hotel stays. Towels in the bathroom should be readily available.
Some members leave a note on draws that are empty for guests to use, some mark these with colored tassels.
For the kitchen make sure you have basic items: salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, etc. Make sure you have pots, pans, silverware. If you have a dish washer, soap for the dishwasher is also nice to have.
How to exchange keys:
There are several ways to exchange keys:
1. Most people make extra copies and just mail them to each other. When you leave you can leave the keys in the home, or mail them back.
2. Another popular option is to buy a key lock box. These are small real estate lock boxes that have a combination lock. You give the combination to the guest and they can get the key out of the lock box and also put it back in the lock box when they leave. These boxes are about $30 and attach to anyplace outside your house with a few screws.
3. A family member or friend / neighbor can also give the key to your guest, but this leaves room for mistakes and your guest could be sitting outside waiting for this person to arrive. If you use this option make sure everyone knows what time to meet and also trade contact information.
Leave the House clean and tidy:
One person’s definition of clean is not another’s. So take this into consideration when making an exchange. You are not exchanging for a five star resort but are gaining experiences, making friends and also saving money.
Before you exchange your home, take time to go over it and clean and reduce clutter. Some members go as far as to get a cleaning service to take care of this but that is not always necessary.
You want to exchange for a clean tidy house and you should make sure your home is also clean and tidy.
Everything else:
1. Lock Valuables in a room in your home, or remove them from your home.
2. If you do not want guest to use specific items make sure this is discussed and written into our home exchange agreement. It is also a good idea to remove or mark these items with a note, not to use.
3. Have a friend or Neighbor’s contact information available to assist if a problem should arise.
4. Contact your guest via email or telephone during their stay to make sure they do not have any questions.
5. A small welcome gift next to your welcome packet is always well received. Also a thank you note when you leave an exchange is polite.
6. Make sure you contact your home insurance company to get answers to any questions you may have, before making a home exchange.
Items you might want to add to your exchange contract:
1. Use of vehicles. Make sure you contact your insurance company first to make sure you are covered to let someone else use your vehicle.
2. Who pays for Gas for your vehicle? You can leave the car tank full and request to have it filled again.
3. Cleaning of home – Most members just leave the house as they found it, put clean dishes away, make the beds, make sure the house is back to the way it was when you arrived. Some exchange agreements each party pays for their own cleaning service after an exchange. Everything is negotiable.
4. Local Phone calls only. Some member’s setup PayPal accounts to transfer money if the phone is used to make long distance calls.
Useful forms:
EasyHomeExchange.com provides sample Home Exchange Forms. Feel free to use these as a base form and add to it to create your own exchange contract to meet your needs.
We have supplied these forms in two formats. MS Word and Adobe PDF. The MS Word forms you can open in Microsoft Word, edit as needed, and resave with your own file name. You can then send this to the other member to read / edit and return to you. The PDF form you can print out and add to by hand and then mail via the postal service.
These are just sample forms, feel free to use them with other members as you see fit. Make sure you cover areas that are important to you. If you want signatures feel free to leave the signature line in the form. Whatever you are comfortable with.
If you are exchanging vehicles it is recommended a separate specific exchange form be filled out for the vehicle exchange that covers all questions and how each situation would be resolved.
Home Exchange Agreement:
This agreement is a starting point for you to build your specific tailored home exchange contract from.
Home Exchange Agreement:
 Click here for the PDF version.
Click here for the MS Word version.
Vehicle Exchange Agreement:
This agreement is a starting point for you to build your specific tailored Vehicle contract from.
Vehicle Exchange Agreement:
Click here for the PDF version.
Click here for the MS Word version.
Remember EasyHomeExchange.com is providing these sample forms, but you need to create the final agreement form that you are comfortable with. Also EasyHomeExchange.com offers a place for members to discuss home exchange, tips, forums, and feedback, but it is up to you to setup a home exchange that you are comfortable with.
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