The Home Exchanger

Declining a home swap offer

One of the most common complaints I hear is that many people don't respond to their home swap offers. Sometimes, a message will go astray. Other times, people will be rude. But, most of the time, people don't like saying no.

So, here's an example of what to write in response to a home exchange offer you don't want to accept:

Hi Jan and Lillemor,

Thanks very much for your offer. Your house looks lovely and we would love to swap with you another time. But, this trip we're hoping for something in Southern Sweden or Copenhagen. So, we have to decline your generous offer this time. I wish you lots of luck finding something good.

Best Regards,

Josh and Jessica

There were a few reasons we declined the offer. For one, we'd prefer to be in the city while the home was 20 kilometers north of Stockholm.  But, the main reason was in fact the geographical one.

The point is that I complimented the prospective house swap partner and declined their offer in the most polite way I could think of. That way, it makes it clear they should move on to someone else, but they won't be dispirited.  And if you can't think of anything nice to write, a simple no thanks is better than no reply at all.

Intervac featured on CBS News in Boston and Austin

Click here to view a good CBS TV story about home exchanging, featuring Intervac members Scott and Laura Haas.  I am also interviewed.

There has been a tremendous amount of media coverage about Intervac and home exchanging this summer. A selection of media coverage includes:  an interview with National Public Radio, two features in the New York Times, a story in the Chicago Tribune and much more. Clearly, home exchanging is catching on in the US like wildfire.  Intervac has been around since 1953, and this level of interest in the US is unprecendented in our history.

Become a member of our large home exchanging community! Click here to join Intervac: until August 30, 2006 you will receive a FREE catalogue from Intevac if you become a web member.* Simply put "The Home Exchanger" to answer the question how did you hear about Intervac.

*While supplies last.

New Home Exchange Listing: Hawaiian Paradise

The Intervac members who own this beautiful Hawaiian property on Oahu say: "The Pacific Ocean is your backyard!" As the photo demonstrates (left), the sea is just steps away from your accomodations.  The property, which offers three bedrooms and two baths, also has snorkeling and jet ski equipment available for your use.

The  Hawaiian members are looking to do a home swap anytime between now and December and are open to all destinations.

To preview more Intervac listings, go here and click on the area of the world map you want to go.

Aloha!

Intervac USA in the Wall Street Journal

I was recently asked by Keith Huang at the Wall Street Journal for tips on doing home exchanges. Here's the article, which appeared on 1/23/2006:

TRAVEL: THE BASICS OF HOME EXCHANGES

HOME EXCHANGES ARE increasingly popular among travelers, offering a way to save money and live like a native. In this vacation alternative, two parties swap homes for a designated period of time at no cost to either.

Online home-exchange services are making the practice easier. About 30% to 40% of those who use such services are 55 and over, and some cater specifically to older travelers.

If you're interested but unfamiliar with home swapping, here's a sampling of frequently asked questions about it.

Q: What are some of the benefits of home swapping?

A: Perhaps the greatest draw, apart from saving money, is the opportunity to live as a local resident in a place that's completely foreign to you. Participants can introduce themselves to next-door neighbors and immerse themselves in local culture. Other benefits can include the use of household amenities, such as a washing machine (which lessens the need to pack a lot of clothes), Internet access, or the use of a full kitchen to prepare food instead of eating out.

Q: What are some of the factors to consider about home swapping?

A: One of the biggest downsides to home swapping -- besides having to thoroughly clean your own home before you leave -- is the amount of due diligence and coordination that it can take, says Jessica Jaffe, a representative for Intervac, a home-exchange service. She says most Intervac USA clients spend four to six months preparing for their swap. Also, participants should be flexible with their vacation destinations since many locations, such as Italy's Tuscany region, have seen recent demand outweigh availability. "If you're only fixated on one place, you're going to lower your chances of getting an exchange," she says.

Q: How can I guarantee that my home won't get trashed by the occupants?

A: Unfortunately, there are no guarantees -- the success of a home exchange depends largely on mutual trust. Participants should spend ample time researching a potential home swap and also communicate with a potential home swap's references: "Talk to someone who's gone through what you're about to go through," Ms. Jaffe says. But above all, before opening your home, participants should check their homeowners insurance policy to determine liability in the event of an accident.

-- Keith Huang

I would add to the last answer that in Intervac's 53 years of being in business, we have never received a serious complaint of theft or damage.  But we recommend that first-timers do ask for references if they are nervous, since most of our members have done exchanges already.

Two (or more) Generations of Home Exchangers

I just spoke with a woman whose mother had previously been a member of Intervac long ago. The daughter now wants to join as her mother had wonderful stories about vacations swapping homes.

Since Intervac has been around since 1953 (we were the first home exchange company ever founded), we have second generation exchangers - those whose parents took them on home swaps when they were little -  and even third generation members. 

In fact, my husband Josh is a second generation exchanger himself - his mom, Paula Jaffe (with husband Dennis, at photo left), was the Intervac US representative for 20 years, until she retired 3 years ago and my husband and I took over the "family business". I had never heard of home swapping until I met Josh, who told me of childhood swaps in Spain and Paris. Now we do a home exchange in Europe every year.

My own parents, who are looking for their first home exchange now, recently told me that they wished that they had known about home exchanging when I was little. It was one of their dreams to take me and my brother to Europe, but the trip would have been prohibitively expensive with the hotels so we never did go. 

Intervac in the Los Angeles Times

I was quoted in the Los Angeles Times today about  home exchanging. One of our customers who has arranged many exchanges over the years through us told the reporter about Intervac, and so the reporter called me.

My quote is "Home exchanging seems to be on the rise, probably due to the price of hotel accommodations, which are hugely expensive in Europe, and the dollar-to-euro exchange, which is historically poor."

Click here to read the article: it offers some good tips.

One note: I would warn against using a free service like  Craig's List - a few members who investigated it said they were very alarmed by the fact that you have no idea who the people are who post their ads, or whether they actually have the properties they say they do. They could be posting their ads from jail! You must be very adventurous to trust someone completely unknown, without references, using a free service.

I would never do it, and I consider myself pretty adventurous and open to home swapping...whereas with a service like Intervac you have paying members whose addresses must be correct. Most of our members have done exchanges before, and have references. We have never had a major complaint of theft or damage in our 53 years of being in business. It's a much safer experience!

London for Texas or Louisiana Exchange Proposed

One of our most frequently asked questions is: does everyone always want to just go to NYC or California? For the record, the most popular proclaimed destinations for our Intervac members in the US are (in order):  US Northeast (NYC, Boston, etc), California, Florida and Hawaii. And these areas are where most of our US members are. But this does not mean all Intervac members want to go to these places: in fact, you may have a good shot if you are pretty different.  Here's a good example:

The owners of this home in London are looking to do an exchange in April - but only in Texas or Louisiana. The home is a pretty 4 bedroom near the tube for easy access to central London. The lively Wanstead Village is located within walking distance. The owners have done 10 home exchanges in the past, so they are very experienced. Email me if you are interested in this listing at info@intervacus.com.

Another note: many if not most of the Intervac members who specify the US don't say where they want to go in the US. This is good, because it means they are open to going anywhere within the US.

Intervac Members Write About Their Experience

Intervac members Chuck and Sue Bingaman wrote an excellent story about their experiences home exchanging for their local paper, the Keene Sentinal, based in New Hampshire. Among their tips (which are very good):

• Write a letter to folks in your neighborhood, especially your close neighbors, telling them about your exchange, the names and other information about those who will be living in your house, when they will be there, and where you will be so they will be in a position to greet their “new” neighbors when they are there. In our experiences, our neighbors were more than hospitable to our exchangers and really made their experience in our home quite enjoyable.
• Make a list of personal valuables such as jewelry, silver, china, computers, or other items that you don’t wish your visitors to use. While we have included cars in each of our exchanges, we also garaged our other car, with its trunk containing selected valuables that we elected not to leave in our house, with other family members for the duration of the exchange. We also cleared space in several closets for our exchangers to have space for their clothing and filled the refrigerator with a few days’ worth of staples to carry them over until they could go shopping.

The Bingamans have visited France and England on their home swaps - and made lifelong friends in the process. To read all about their experiences, click here.

Home Exchange Arranged: Pennsylvania for London

Another home swap arranged: this one during Christmas time this year. An Intervac member from Pennsylvania has agreed to swap their home with a London-based home.

Terms the two parties have agreed to include:

• Exchanging keys at the airport
• Paying for gas/electric bills (important during the winter)
• No pet care included
• Car insurance has been arranged by both parties

Scott Haas' Icelandic Home Swap, Part 7: Final Reflections on Iceland

Having completed two big trips, we reconciled ourselves to a final few days in Reykjavik. Almost half the population lives in the capital and on Friday and Saturday nights, we joined residents to drink coffee in mellow little shops, dance in all-night clubs where the joyous atmosphere felt like a high school dance, and dine on the national dish, which is a really terrific steamed hot dog served with two kinds of mustard, fried and raw onions, and remoulade. The best stand is Baejarins Bestu, which is near the harbor and easy to find as a line stretches here 24 hours a day. Five dollars: a dog and a Coke.

Other products worth eating are delicious salmon, cod, and lamb - the lamb is a single breed that came over with the Viking horses.

If it wasn't for the incredible cost of things, Iceland would be perfect. We failed to anticipate these prices.

A gallon of gas costs $7, groceries lasting us two days were $90, a six-pack of beer is $18, a movie ticket costs $12, a hotel room is about $300 per night, a meal in a typical restaurant has appetizers priced between $20-25 and entrees between $40-60. KFC? Four chicken sandwiches, drinks, and fries. Sixty bucks.

Next time we're bringing food from home. Icelanders told me restaurants are reserved for special occasions. People live frugally.

Living like an Icelander helped. The Blue Lagoon, a top tourist attraction, is a hot pool in the middle of a lava field. It's worth visiting, but it cost the four of us about $70 (plus the price of towels). We did it better by going to one of the many municipal pools and hot tubs - about $3 per person.

Maybe one day Iceland will be affordable. But now it's best to enjoy the 4 H's: hiking, hot springs, horses, and hot dogs.

When I got back home I tried to find out why it's so darn expensive. Here's what I discovered: Eighteen months ago, Iceland's banks were privatized - Landsbanki, the largest bank, is majority stockholder (33%) in the only airline which, in turn, owns major hotels and many restaurants, The Guardian, Financial Times and Iceland Review all raised the question this month: Is the Russian Mafia providing the money to those who bought the banks? And is there a connection between private banks having so much control over the tourism industry and high prices? I don't know. But I do know this: At $100 for a tank of gas, something's not right...

Editor's note: An article detailing Scott Haas' Icelandic vacation also appeared in the St.Petersburg Times - click here to read that account.