Could You Be a Home Swapper?

Getting there may be half the fun, but lodging is the killer in most vacation budgets.

Here's a possible solution: swap homes for a few weeks or a month with someone who lives in an area you'd like to visit.

"This isn't for everyone," says Helen Coyle Bergstein, president of Digsville, a home swap Web site. "You need to be flexible in your vacation plans and a sense of humor helps. If there's any doubt, you don't have to follow through. But most of the time, all concerns have been worked out and you're friends with the other family by the time you agree to the swap."

Competing home swap Web sites include homelink.org, homeexchange.com, homeforswap.com, SeniorsHomeExchange.com, intervac.com, singleshomeexchange.com and homelink.org. For people with disabilities, there's the Accessible Vacation Home Exchange at independentliving.org.

The Web sites allow users to post details about their home and search for a house in an area they want to visit. The listings include pictures, both interior and exterior shots of the house, and sometimes a few images of the neighborhood.

Digsville founder Bergstein grew up in New Jersey and spent part of a summer on a farm in Quebec when she was a teenager. She loved it and fondly recalled the adventure when she was married and had a family.

"We wanted to go to Cape Cod," she says. "We put an ad in the local paper and requested a catalog offering home exchanges, but it was frustrating because the descriptions used a lot of hard-to-decipher abbreviations."

Thanks to Intel (INTC), Cisco Systems (CSCO) Microsoft (MSFT), Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T) and the other companies that bring the Internet to life, space isn't an issue online, so there's no need for cryptic abbreviations – users get a full description of the house in plain English and needed details about the owner.

Bergstein's work as a graphic designer dovetailed with her need to build a Web site. She took a course in entrepreneurship and developed the idea for her business. She launched the company in the year 2000 and now devotes 20 to 40 hours a week to her enterprise.

Here's what you need to know if you're considering a home swap:
 

• Pick two or three places you'd like to visit.
• Determine your travel dates – and be flexible.
• Look for common interests and lifestyle in potential swaps.
• Define your lodging needs – and be flexible.
• Establish the rules for use of your home.

"The basic mistake many first-time swappers make is not defining the rules for their house or what they need when staying in someone else's house," Bergstein says.

For most, these are minor points and can easily be worked out before agreeing to the swap. But if you have special rules for your house or needs on the other end, clearly state them. If you refuse to have a smoker in your house, say so.

Insurance shouldn't be a problem because no money is exchanging hands. The swap partner is considered a guest in your house and therefore is covered by your homeowner's policy. Check your coverage and ask your agent if you have any questions. Look into health insurance to cover possible needs at your destination.

An escrow fund to cover breakage is one of the first things that pops into a newbie's mind, but Bergstein says she has never heard of anyone requiring upfront money before agreeing to a house swap.

Here are the basic steps to prepare your home for an exchange:
 

• Clean out the closets.
  
  
• Organize your personal records, including insurance, and put them in a safe place.
  
  
• Tuck away personal items such as family heirlooms, antiques or things of sentimental value. Box and store the items in a room that's off limits to your guests.
  
  
• Keep a supply of basic household materials in your house, including paper towels, soap, detergent and cleanser.
  
  
• Put fresh towels and linen in plain sight.
  
  
• Leave written instructions on the use of the washer, dryer and other appliances because what's obvious to you may not be clear to your guest.
  
  
• Be sure kitchen appliances are clean and in working order. Stock up on the basics and make sure mundane things such as pots, pans, and all that stuff are available.
  
  
• Leave a list of phone numbers, including police, fire and repairman. If you haven't already done so, exchange phone numbers with your guest.
  
  
• Provide a map of your city and surrounding area. Make a list of off-beat places that you enjoy and your guest might want to see.
  
  
• Leave the name, address and driving instructions for your favorite supermarket and specialty store. Include a few restaurants.
  
  
• Be sure to inform the neighbors of the pending house swap and give them the dates you'll be away. You don't want them to call the cops when they see strangers entering your house.
  
  
• Repair or replace all the little things you've been meaning to do for a dog's age. Leave a note directing your guest to basic tools and ho-hum items such as replacement light bulbs.

Bergstein says Digsville members include GenXers, parents with young kids or teens, semi-retired and seniors. The length of the swap can be as short as a week or as long as a year among professors on sabbatical or visiting at another school.

A home swap offers all the conveniences of home and a chance to get beyond the tourist clap-trap at your destination. It allows you to save on hotels and restaurants, typically the biggest costs on any vacation.

"When I mention my home exchange vacation, some people think I'm out of my mind," a member wrote in a note posted on Digsville. "Others think I'm resourceful…My three teenage daughters and I were able to spend almost three weeks in London without the expense of hotels…No hotel room in London would have been as spacious, homey and comfortable – and I couldn't have afforded a hotel, anyway."

If you're open to the destination and flexible on the time, it's not too late to set up a home exchange for this summer or fall. Crank up your Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) or Apple (AAPL) computer and start looking.