We’ve received a few emails from people who are finding difficulty in changing the details of their homes on the website.

It’s an easy process, but you have to bear in mind that you have a profile as a USER and then you have the profiles of your HOMES. So, if you want to change the photos of your home, the videos, the dates of availability, or any of the details about your home (e.g.:  facilities, activities, exchange preferences…) then you need to do the following:

Firstly, you need to click on “My account” in the top right hand corner of the page.

Once you have done that, you will be taken to the My Account page, which is divided into two sections. “My account” at the top, then underneath that the “My homes” section. In the “My homes” section you have a selection of tabs such as “Edit, availability, photos” etc, and it is from here that you can upload more photos, change the availability on the calendar, change the details on “How do you get to your house” etc.

To change your user photo, your screen name, the languages you speak and your countries of preference, you need to click on “My Account”, and then on “Edit profile.”

Home exchangers of the world unite!

Here at Homeforhome, (because we`re nice), we want to give you some tips and advice in creating a selection of photos that will help you receive more home exchange offers.

We know what it`s like. You`ve spent the time uploading your profile, and you just want to get through the process and hurry up and get home exchanging. And then you realize that you need to go and take photos of your house.

Which means finding your camera. Finding the cable. Cleaning. Tidying. Waiting until there`s some decent day light.

But it really is worth it. A good photo can give someone a real taste of all the great things about your home, and why you love living there. Which raises YOUR stakes in the home exchange system.

So firstly, let`s assume that it`s all clean and tidy and ready for action. A few “do`s” and “don`t”s.

The “Don`t”s

1) Try to avoid dark photos where you can`t see much of the house. It will give other users the impression that the house is badly lit, uncomfortable, or not very welcoming. People will just have a negative sensation and won`t feel very excited by your offer.

2) By all means you can include photos that include people. However, it is important to focus on the house. People are thinking of the space in which they will able to spend their precious holidays. The home needs to be the focus. And let`s be honest. Photos of dark rooms with a bright light shining on a young child, or a mug-shot of the owner are not likely to attract many exchange proposals.

3) Photos of you scuba diving, or dressed up in 16th century fencing costume are fine for your profile picture (each to their own!), but when it comes to photos of the home people will be put off if you don`t have some serious photos. Generally, people are a little suspicious and want to know that their prospective exchange partners are serious. If you don`t have proper photos up, then the other user does not have much to go on.

4) Don`t put up pre-saved photos that you have in your image bank. *That*pink flower or *that* sunset. It`s frustrating for other users. It`s actually worth the wait of getting your own photos up there.

5) Don´t put a photo that is larger than 3mb because it won´t load. All photos have to be 3mb or less.

The “Do”s

1) Take plenty of photos of the rooms of the house, the garden, and if you like photos of local interest points.

2) Try to stand back, for example in the door way, or stand outside of a window looking into the room in order to be able to capture a good section of the room.

3) The rule of thirds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds Imagine that the image is divided into three equal parts horizontally, and three equal parts vertically. Try put the natural lines or sections of the photo along these imaginary lines.

4) Make sure that you rotate the images first on your computer before uploading them, as you won`t be able to rotate them once they`re up on the site.

Some people like to decorate their house with stripes. Others like to adorn every surface with a very nineteen-seventies green, with tiny flecks of gold and silver thrown in the balance to give it an extra zing.

Others like to document their lives in photos. A world of pictures. A montage of seconds, cast in celluloid for ever, plastered across the walls, shelves and surfaces of the house. This approach I quite like. Especially if the pictures are tasteful. (Well, it also has a lot to do with the space and lighting, but that´s another thing altogether…)

Alternatively: Carpets or wooden floors? Both have their advantages. You can be so at home hoofing along some spongy red carpets, but equally gliding along those elegant varnished planks of yellow wood is so fun and aesthetic and modern.

Another thing to do is to dangle a chain of cards full of sweet messages from loved ones across the room, or to decorate the whole house with nothing but flowers.

What we´re saying is that there are a lot of different ways to bring a touch of warmth and frosty beauty to a home. And doing a home exchange is the perfect way to inspire you. Spending a considerable amount of time in someone else´s house gives you the opportunity to soak in the little touches and really notice the detail. You can draw on their inspiration and take some ideas not only from the different culture and the different city, but also the different style of home making.

It´s something you exclusively get the opportunity to do if you travel with a home exchange. Lots of people go travelling to find new ideas, to gain new experiences, to free themselves from the shackles of routine and let their creativity flow. The environment of someone else`s home is the perfect place to let this happen.