TRADING PLACES
THE ABCs OF HOME EXCHANGE

Chapter 2
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR HOME EXCHANGE PARTNER

Journeys, like artists, are born and not made. A thousand different circumstances contribute to them, few of them willed or determined by the will - whatever we may think. - Lawrence Durrell

The early process of developing a home exchange involves getting to know your potential home exchange partners through correspondence via email, telephone, post, and fax. Later on, if everything goes well, there will be an exchange of pictures and videos, and perhaps even a pre-exchange visit.

Assuming you've searched our listings and picked a few places you'd like to visit, let's get started. Your initial contact to potential home exchangers in the locales you've chosen will most likely be by email. We recommend that you keep your first correspondence simple and friendly. Express your interest in trading homes, let them know a time period that you're interested in, and how long you'd like to stay. Then let tell them something about your accommodations: the city and state in which you're located, a description of your home, apartment, condo, yacht, RV, etc., and some of the nearby attractions. Send this to everyone on your list.

If your initial contact produces favorable results, then you can take the next step and send a follow-up letter and a more detailed fact sheet. (See samples in the appendix.) We suggest you act promptly because there may be others who are interested in the same listing(s).

In the follow-up letter, you may thank your prospective home exchanger for their prompt response and answer any questions they may have asked such as suggested dates and weather. As regards the fact sheet, at the very least, it would be good to include the following:
· Describe yourself and your family. Include details such as first names, ages, how many in your party, the type of work you do, and your side interests.
· Describe your home and neighborhood, and some of the amenities. For example, do you have a swimming pool? Is there a day spa nearby? Give them some specific reasons why they would like staying in your home and area. You probably have insight into your community that they haven't read about in guidebooks or researched over the Internet.
· Pin down the dates you're interested in.
· Give them a sense of how near or far away the places are that they may want to visit, and the ways of getting there (bus, train, taxi, and so on). For added value, you might mention the savings they would receive by purchasing a book of tickets for the subway or buses in your area.
· If you're offering a vehicle as part of your exchange, tell them what year, make and model it is, the condition of the car, and whether it's an automatic or stick shift.
· Include a short inventory of the household appliances and electronic equipment they'll be able to use.
· Mention any extra responsibilities you might ask of them, such as gardening or taking care of pets or plants.
· Indicate whether or not you'll accept smoking in the house, additional overnight guests, and items of that nature.
· Address any special needs you may have, such as wheelchair accessibility.

Expect to receive a reply within 8 - 10 days indicating any further interest. At this point, you should narrow down your choice of a home exchange partner to one -- the one you feel most comfortable with.
Now it's time to send along pictures (or a video) of your home and family either by post OR over the Internet as .jpg files. If you're mailing out pictures or a video, you might want to consider sending your package priority mail or even by way of an overnight delivery service.

The pictures of their lodgings arrive and you're elated! They are too. It's time to dial! You're making this call mainly to confirm each other's interest in making the exchange. You'll also get a better perception of the people you're dealing with. You may want to take some notes while you're talking. In any event, now is the time to do the following:
· Discuss the photos
· Get personal references
· Ask all the questions you may have
· Resolve any misunderstandings or confusion
· Discuss how the household bills will be handled during the exchange, as well as small emergency repairs, and larger ones
· Review insurance
· Firm up definite dates of the home exchange
· Talk about meeting at the airport or give transportation options
· Discuss local contacts such as neighbors or friends, and who to get in touch with in case of an emergency
· Consider a pre-exchange visit, if this is an option

You may begin to make some arrangements over the telephone, but this is not your official agreement. It must be in writing. During your conversation, agree to a written agreement. Also, while you're negotiating, don't be afraid to ask for what you want and to set limits on what you can offer.

When you're completely satisfied with all the arrangements made with your home exchange partner, prepare a written agreement (see sample). It should include all the vital information: names and addresses of all those involved in the exchange, exchange dates, items included in the exchange (i.e. car, pool, health club, etc.), any additional responsibilities such as pet care, repairs, other household understandings, contacts, copies of insurance, and copies of your airline tickets, if requested. Send two copies of the agreement to your exchange partner and request that a signed copy is returned to you.

The signed agreement is a firm commitment to go ahead with the exchange. Violating this agreement would cause a big inconvenience and expense to the parties involved. Breaking an exchange agreement because a better offer comes along would not be acceptable. Of course, there are circumstances, such as a death in the family or a serious illness that could happen making the exchange unrealizable. If this should occur, try to come up with an alternative plan. Perhaps a friend or neighbor would be willing to take your place.

Home exchange is wonderful, and we can't say enough good things about it. If you've done all your homework, kept your integrity, and established a good rapport with your home exchange partner, then you'll be just one more happy camper we can rave about.

There's just one what if we'd like to bring up at this point. Since you may well be dealing with a potential home exchanger abroad or in another country, what if you don't speak their language and they don't speak yours? We suggest you find a friend or other acquaintance that speaks the language and deal through them. This may prevent some of the details from being misinterpreted, which could cause problems. If you don't know anyone personally who speaks the language, consider getting in touch with a language school or the language department of a nearby university.

Good luck, or bon chance as they say in France!