Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

How to attract interest in your home exchange offer: #3 be welcoming and helpful

Over the years we've noticed that most Home Base Holidays members share some general personality traits such as an openness to new experiences, generosity and a willingness to trust others.

Home exchange enthusiasts welcome exchange guests into their homes without worrying unduly about their own possessions (after all, their exchange guests are trusting them to take good care of their home too). We really haven't seen any difference in attitude between members with small, modest homes and those who live in amazing large, luxurious homes. Very seldom do exchange offers from the latter include a proviso that only offers from members with homes of similar high quality or value will be considered (as long as the home will accommodate the exchange party, location is much more important for the majority). In the rare case that such a proviso is stated or implied in a listing, I do wonder if the member is really a good candidate to swap homes (i.e. Will they worry about their home while away and not be able to relax? Will they be overly critical of anything that doesn't quite live up to their own high standards?). But also, such a person will come across to most others as overly fussy and maybe not the sort of person you would risk suggesting an exchange to. This may be unfair but it's probably best that their exchange options are self restricted to the minority of other members with similar properties and stringent requirements.

The majority of members take care in their listing descriptions to come across as both welcoming and respectful of others properties. A few quotes from recent listings follow below a photo of the 17th century cottage in Cumbria offered for exchange by the first member quoted:

 

Appleby, Cumbria, England: 'We love exchanging and do our utmost to make people feel at home here, whilst taking the best possible care of the homes we stay in. We provide guide books, maps, tourist leaflets, a "home book", bicycles and much more, to enable our guests to make the most of their stay in Cumbria.'

Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England: 'If you stayed in our home we would do our best to make your stay enjoyable. If you wanted any information about local facilities, I could research it for you before you came. If we stayed in your home we would treat it with great care.

We are looking for weekend and school holiday breaks in the UK. We would also like to explore other countries and cultures – we hope by staying in your home we would get a more real experience than staying in a tourist spot.'

 

Prayssac, Midi-Pyrenees, France (home in photo): 'We have done many happy and successful house exchanges in Europe, the USA, Scandinavia and Australia. If you are allergic to cats, you should know that we have two; Teddy and Kitty. They are low maintenance, mainly outdoor cats (no litter tray), and if you wanted to go on trips, a friend could feed them. The same English speaking friends could be on hand if you needed any help during your stay. We would be very happy to care for your pets and/or plants and we would consider ourselves responsible for your house and belongings. We answer all enquiries and look forward to hearing from you!'

Fulbeck, Lincolnshire, England: 'My wife and I have two teenage daughters, we have never house exchanged before but are really keen to give it a go! We've a lot of friends in the village whom I am sure would be delighted to make a fuss of "foreigners" and make you feel really welcome in our absence. Our daughters are just about house-trained and apart from not being able to tidy away a single item of clothing would love the chance to explore where you live - and don't worry we will tidy up after them!'

Bristol, Avon, England: 'I have travelled all over the world, but have only exchanged houses twice, and really look forward to swapping more. I would be bringing one or two friends along with me (depending on the size of your house), who are also well travelled, and I can assure you that we’ll look after your property as if it was our own. We are non smokers in our 30s and although I don’t have any pets that need looking after, we are happy to look after other people’s. Although I don’t have children, I used to be a teacher, so have plenty of books and DVDs to help keep children busy! I’m open to all suggestions and invitations and will respond to all invites – look forward to hearing from you!'

Featured Home Swap: Stoke by Clare, Suffolk England

17th century thatched house in a pretty village opposite the pub. Open fires, one an inglenook, constant heat from the AGA in the country kitchen. Extremely comfortable, cosy and centrally heated accommodation. Picture postcard village with a friendly pub and many more in driving distance. London is one and a half hour drive with theatre, shopping and museums.

Accommodates: 7  (4 bedrooms)

Exchange Request:  Australia, Open to offers

View full Home Exchange offer...

How to attract interest in your home exchange offer: #2 good photos

Our first post in this series of three, #1 a catchy home exchange description, addressed the important point of how to entice people to check out your full home exchange offer when scrolling through search results. As the summary listings in search results are brief, it's vital to include the most important information in the first sentence or two of your description. This could be something about your home (especially if it's unique in any way) or often, about your location. Ideally, the first sentence should be a pithy description of both your home and location. See good examples of this is the catchy introduction post.

'A picture is worth a thousand words' is a cliché but a good one when it comes to attracting attention to a home exchange offer. Again, although you of course don't want to be deceptive in your description/photos, taking a photo of a room from the best angle, thoughtfully composed, with good lighting, is as natural as wanting to show your 'best side' to the cameras.

Try to have at least some good photos of your home ready to add to your listing as soon as you join Home Base Holidays home swap service. Listings with photos definitely attract more attention, especially if the photos are eye catching. As the photo you choose as your main picture (of eight) in your full listing is also shown as a smaller thumbnail beside your listing summary in search results (and beside messages you send from your private member area), choose the photo you think best represents your home. Generally, members select an outside shot of their home but, then that's fine. Or, it may be your garden or a pool that you feel are the best features to show. In some scenic locations, the view from your home may be what shows your home and offer to best advantage.

A few samples of main photos in recent home exchange offers:

 
Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia Home Exchange

 
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England Home Exchange

 
Cotignac, Provence, France Home Exchange

 
Loch Lomond, Loch Lomond, Scotland Home Exchange

 
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada Home Exchange

I know that the sample homes above are particularly attractive and you may feel your own home is 'ordinary' However, your semi-detached Edwardian house (with some original features I hope!) in a London suburb is very likely to be seen as special by another member living in a modern city apartment in the USA (they may also feel their home is 'ordinary' but, if you live in an older home, it could well seem the height of modern living).

Your choice of main photo can be changed any time you want. The important point is to add photos (as good as you currently have) as soon as you join Home Base Holiday Home Swap website!

Featured Home Swap: Coutures, Aquitaine France

Newly restored old cottage with all modern facilities in the heart of the country with owners own house nearby. Plenty of walking and wonderful scenery in a rural setting. Terrace overlooking woods and fields. Yamaha piano/organ included and good selection of books and CDs. For further information visit us at our blog by googling "details la croix du courret" we look forward to hearing from you.

Accommodates: 2  (1 bedrooms)

Exchange Request:  England, Wales, Spain, Israel, Portugal

View full Home Exchange offer...

GotSaga: Top 10 tips to find a good exchange home and 5 misconceptions about home exchange

Read our article on how to find the best home exchange homes just published on GotSaga, a free-to-join worldwide community of people with a passion for traveling and cultural diversity.

How to attract interest in your home exchange offer: #1 a catchy introduction

 

The first glimpse Home Base Holidays members and site visitors will see of your exchange offer is the summary description when browsing search results. The summary is copied from the first sentence or two in your full description. This opening paragraph is your chance to catch the reader's eye and entice them to read your full listing. As it is so important, give some thought to what is likely to most interest readers (you can always tweak it later until you are happy that you have it just right). Ideally, introduce both your home and location, emphasising the most important features (these might be your home itself or, as likely, your location).

Here are just a few examples of good introductory sentences from very recent home exchange offers:

Whitstable, Kent, England: Victorian house in Whitstable, a lovely small seaside town with a working harbour, great beaches and a thriving High Street with a choice of first class butchers, bakers, fruit and veg shops as well as art galleries and boutique shops.

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire England: 15th century Priory built by monks of LLanthony. Fully modernised! Set in Cheltenham centre for the Cotswolds area of outstanding natural beauty. (in photo above)

Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand: Located in Sunny Eastbourne, just a 20min ferry ride from downtown Wellington. This little 1 bedroom cottage is tucked up on the edge of the forest, with fantastic harbour views.

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico: We love our Mexican beach house on a quiet street in the old part of Acapulco. The house has a spectacular sea view where we have watched frolicking whales and have also seen sea-turtles, dolphins and leaping Manta Rays who make a sound like a bad belly flop! (on photo below)

Prayssac, Midi-Pyrenees, France: Our clean, comfortable little house is light and bright, with lots of pictures, quilts and books. The house is very private, bordering on woodland with kms of walking trails and vines, in one of the most beautiful unspoilt regions of France.

Nr Woolacombe & Lee, Devon, England: Summer Haze Cottage is situated in a quiet hamlet within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, just 5 minutes from the award winning sandy/surf beaches of Woolacombe and 1 mile from the picturesque village/coves of Lee Bay.

 
Although these Home Base Holidays members live in wonderful homes in gorgeous locations, and so their home swap offers seem an 'easy sell', every home and area has something special to offer visitors. Give some thought to how best to introduce your home and area, and include this at the beginning of your description to attract members scrolling through search results to read your full listing. You have as much space as you want to include more detailed information in the following paragraphs.