Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Send appealing home exchange offer messages

Once you have fine tuned your listing and added photos (see post published on 4th October below), browse listings and save to Favourites all of interest. Be sure to read each offer carefully so that you don't waste time contacting members who are unlikely to be interested in your offer or for whom your home would not suit their needs.

Now you are ready to compose your home exchange offer message. Writing a good standard offer message to copy and paste in each message box is fine but be sure to personalise all messages before sending. This is an introductory message so address the member by name. Keep your initial exchange offer message brief, repeating the short phrase from the beginning of your listing description that succinctly describes your home and location (the copy seen by the member before opening your full message). Refer to any special requirements the member has and why you feel your offer may suit them.

I recently suggested that a little flattery wouldn't go amiss to a member whose offer messages could do with some tweaking. He replied that he didn't want to exchange with anyone he had to flatter! Perhaps I didn't get across my meaning, i.e. you aren't flattering the people (you don't know them yet) but rather just letting them know why you are interested in their offer and that you hope they will want to exchange with you. 

Give the dates/length of exchange you are interested in for an exchange and whether you can be flexible to fit in with the members' plans.

Write in your own style and vary your offer messages to suit your needs. This is an example:

Hi Phyllis. Would an exchange to our 19th century cottage in the Peak District National Park be of interest? We've always wanted to visit Queensland and your home looks perfect. We are retired and can be flexible on dates and length of exchange and could offer a non-simultaneous exchange if preferred. I see you have family in England and our home is in a central location for visits. We'd be happy to answer any questions you have and look forward to your reply. Regards, Jane & David

Your message will include a link to your full listing and a small version of your main photo.

Over to you - What do you look for in a first exchange offer message? And what might put you off the idea of an exchange with the sender? Please leave your comments below.

 

Fine tuning a home exchange description

Every so often a Home Base Holidays member contacts us who is disappointed not to have received replies to exchange offers sent. Although there will always be some members who fail to respond for a variety of reasons, taking the time to ensure both your listing and offer messages are enticing will go a long way to increasing responses.

Home and Area Description: Before sending any exchange offers, go over your listing information to see if there's anything you could add or change to improve it. Not everyone is a naturally gifted writer but reading descriptions in several members' listings may give you some ideas to adapt for your own listing. Less is often more when it comes to descriptions. There is no restriction on the amount of copy you can include but remember that a reader's eyes may glaze over if you go into too much unnecessary detail. Once in contact with members interested in your offer you can share full information directly.

Summary Listing: The first sentence in your description will be seen in the brief summary in search results so give careful thought to how you start your description to persuade members to read your full listing. It might be your home -

'18th century thatched country cottage with many original features'

or it might be your location -

'Modern apartment with sea views, a one minute walk from the beach, restaurants and shops'.

These are examples of particularly attractive offers but even the most modest suburban home will have its attractions. Your Edwardian semi with its long garden in a London suburb may seem little different from thousands of others built in the early 20th century but, for someone who lives in a modern apartment in an area where anything built in the 1960s is considered old, the period detail and space in your home could well be appealing. An example of good copy in the search results summary from a recent listing (in photo):

Dalyan, Mugla, Turkey. This spacious modern villa is cool, light and airy with spectacular mountain views. Each bedroom has its own balcony(s) ..

The type of home and location are succinctly described, giving enough information to encourage members and site visitors browsing search results to want to read the full Home Swap listing and see more photos.

The Importance of Photos: listings with photos are much more attractive than those without. Add photos as soon as possible after joining - you can always change the photos later on if you have better ones.

In our next post (9th October) we'll look at ways to make your home exchange offer messages stand out and encourage responses.

Home Swappers, the Home Exchange Newsletter, Oct 2010

The October issue of the Home Swappers newsletter is now available. Topics:

• Member Story: Why Stop at One Home Exchange When You Can Arrange Five in a Row?
• 30% Discount Offer on Home Base Holidays Membership (expires 15 October)
• Featured Listing:  Apartment in Paris with Views of the Eiffel Tower
• Special Three Month £1 Listing Offer to Current Members of Paid Membership Clubs
• Experienced Home Exchanger? Send Us Your Trip Reports
• How to Find Information on Specific Topics on the Blog

Read articles in this issue in full and previous issues of Home Swappers Newsletter, in the Newsletter Archive. Subscribe to receive the newsletter as published.