Are you ready to exchange your home? HomeForHome wants you to get the most out of home exchange, and to start on the right foot you need to consider things other than the advantages. Here we have some questions you may want to have answered before you accept any swap request:

Question Mark by Michelle Meiklejohn

1- What are the basic rules you want people to respect while using your home? We don’t want you to get bossy here, but it is perfectly normal to want some things discussed before accepting a home exchange proposal. Surely there are many things that come to your mind, so write them down to remember them later.

2- What are your expectations regarding housekeeping? Would you be willing to let your partner have paid help while you are gone? If they don’t want to clean during their vacations, it is probably a good idea to suggest an agency or person you trust to take care of the house.

3- Are there valuable items you don’t want accessible during the swap? You may want to draw your exchange partner’s attention to items that are really valuable to you and that you don’t want to get damaged. For example, a regular item, like a childhood toy may seem of little value when actually it may have sentimental value to you. Another good idea would be to keep your most valuable items in a safe place during the swap.

4- Have you considered your partner’s needs during their stay at your place? Little things do make a difference. For example, leaving enough space in the closets for guests to unpack their suitcases and have a more home-like feeling, having some food and drinks in the refrigerator for people to snack as they arrive, leaving enough toilet paper… Yes, little things like these.

5- Is everything working as it is supposed to? If you told your exchange partner you had a pool, but then it turns out it won’t be available because it needs repairs, then you need to let them know in advance so they don’t get disappointed. You may offer alternatives, like a laundry shop they can use if your tumble-drier broke down, maybe even offer to pay their laundry bill during their stay (as you would have to pay for yourself if you were staying home). Imagine how nice would it be if you received such an offer, it may not be an expensive gift, but it is certainly very thoughtful.

We will probably keep encouraging you to think about these small things that could make the difference in future posts, so write us and lets us know of any “little things” that made a difference during your previous home exchange experiences that you would like to share with other swappers.