Has anyone actually done a home exchange?

[Foxandsot]

Hello

Been toying with the idea of doing a home exchange for next year. Has anyone on here had experience of exchanging? Did you exchange your home you live in or your rental property? If you exchange your home, do you have to clear things like the wardrobes, kids toys etc?

Mx

[Richard D]

Hi,
We've done a fair few and it's been very trouble-free so far. We swap one or other of our gîtes and tend to do non-simultaneous exchanges, though we do often stay in the swappers primary residence. We use homeexchange.com. We're off to Australia again in Nov and already have several exchanges lined up. I'd recommend it to anyone really. wrt clearing up, it depends on you really. There is always a deal of trust involved but a few email exchanges will usually give you an idea of what the other party is expecting.

[Bellywobble]

We've done a few and have used both our apartment and our home.

They have worked really well for us especially when we have also swapped cars and dogs.

Our own bedroom hasn't needed to be used so we haven't had to clear anything, but if they were using the room I would just clear a couple of drawers, some hanging space and somewhere for their personal toiletries.

I wouldn't go to too much trouble. As long as the house if clean and reasonably tidy, that's all that really matters.

I also leave a "Housesitters book" with relevant info, the same as I do in the apartment.

[apexblue]

We've done 4 exchanges through www.homeforexchange.com to the US - no problems whatsoever - do a like for like - we did exchange with 6 when we're only 2 - exchange of cars too.

[Mountain Goat]

I can see the point of exchanging homes, but, in retrospect, I can't see the point of exchanging a holiday home, which we did last year, and were enthusiastic at the time.

Great if you can't rent your place, but if you can, why not rent it normally, and with the cash you've got an infinite range of places to stay, rather than just one?

We get reams of enquiries from NZ and Oz, from families wanting to exchange Christmas and New Year (peak rental for us) - from a financial point of view, it just doesn't make sense.

MG

[Richard D]

I can see the point of exchanging homes, but, in retrospect, I can't see the point of exchanging a holiday home, which we did last year, and were enthusiastic at the time.

You've got a very good point - we did a non-simul exchange in June and certainly could have rented the cottage for that week. But the property we're going into in Sydney in Nov really suited us so we were happy to do it. We have quite a short season and we prefer to do the exchanges around the edges (ie. low season or out of season) and we mention this on our ad. This means that we don't actually lose much rental income if any at all, but often get quite nice properties in exchange.

Exchangers are usually interested in visiting the area rather than hanging around the pool chilling out etc. like normal guests, so they're not that bothered if the pool is a bit on the cold side !

Exchanging our commercial property suits us, but probably would have marginal if any benefit to those who rent their properties all year round.

[cambalala]

...I can't see the point of exchanging a holiday home, which we did last year, and were enthusiastic at the time.

For someone in my situation, its perfect.
We bought our holiday home (rental) as a family partnership. 3 ways. We are each allowed x amount of days anytime of year to stay at the place. The rest of the time we rent it out.

So I'd happily swop some of my time at our place for time somewhere exotic.

So for us... swopping our holiday home out would work well as we wouldnt be loosing anything.

[Mountain Goat]

swopping our holiday home out would work well as we wouldnt be loosing anything

Except potential rent and an infinite choice; with that rent you can choose anywhere you like - by swopping you're pinned down to a handful of options - you might strike it lucky, but we'd rather have a choice of dozens (hundreds?) rather than one or two.

It obviously works for many owners, but puzzling for us.

MG

[Bellywobble]

If you swap cars and dogs too, it can keep the costs down if you are on a budget!

[cambalala]

Except potential rent and an infinite choice; with that rent you can choose anywhere you like - by swopping you're pinned down to a handful of options - you might strike it lucky, but we'd rather have a choice of dozens (hundreds?) rather than one or two.

Depends on your point of view.

If I thought about all the money I was loosing whist staying at my place for 3 weeks over Christmas or how many long bookigs I turn down because of dates family members are staying during peak seasons --- I'd never ever go on holiday there Which would defeat the main purpose of buying the place.

So I just think of it as time. And time swapped from my place to another is an even swap -

And talking about options... there's loads and loads of stunning places from what I've seen on those home swap sites.

If I get the time to home swap sometime - I wouldnt think twice.

[Mamacats]

I only stumbled onto the option of home swapping after buying our second home and personally I like the idea very much even though we have not put it to the test.
I definitely see MG’s point in regards to swapping during the peak rental weeks and when the time comes we will have to decide what is in our best interest at the time.
If it was my primary home I do not believe I would agree to this type of arrangement.

[Margaret]

Bur rental income is taxed and holiday expenditure comes out of taxed income and someone else pays tax on your rental payment. Bartering holiday rentals (out of peak season obviously!) avoids anyone paying tax, doesn't it? I would certainly be keen to do an exchange which involves no income to go through the books and no payment from our profits (as far as rentals are concerned anyway). It's different if you are not doing enough renting to be in the tax system.

[Giddy Goat]

Great point Margaret- hadn't progressed that far in my thinking!

[lightning strikes]

Holiday home exchanges are a great idea in theory. However in practice they can often prove problematic.

Do I really want to holiday somewhere just because another holiday home owner has contacted me and would like to holiday in my holiday home? Maybe I do, but then again maybe I don’t.

Then there's the issue of how to get there. Most holiday home owners buy in an area that's easy to access for them. Holiday home exchange requests can often be in remote access areas for one party.

I personally don’t mind giving up rental weeks (even in peek season) as I often do when I holiday with my family (surely it can’t all be about the rental income?).

So, to put it in a nutshell. I'm interested in holiday home exchange if:

1) I can choose where I want to go to.

2) I can get there easily.

3) The holiday home I'm interested in exchanging with is available to exchange at a reasonably popular times of the year (doesn't have to be August!)

Am I alone in thinking like this re holiday home exchanges? I'd love to hear other view points.

[Margaret]

Of course you have a point or 2 there - we have only been offered exchanges in US and Australia which are of no interest to us. We can exchange an apartment for skiing against somewhere with sun.........