Sunday, July 13, 2008

Trading Places

There's a fairly new, interesting way to get a vacation rental in any part of the country, or world, without paying a dime for it. How? Find someone who lives there and trade them -- your house for theirs! Simple, right? It actually isn't as complicated or risky as it sounds. Read on.

Exchange your Home
It's sometimes referred to as a home exchange vacation, and it all start with a broker, or clearing house. People who are interested in the program sign up with a company that serves as an agent. They generally have a website that users search so they can find other like-minded individuals in the area that they want to vacation. Once you find a property you're interested in, you contact the owner and find out if you have a match. It's certainly not a quick process as there's a lot of variables involved, but users have reported that it's a great way to find a vacation rental, meet interesting people, and sometimes make some great new friends.

Trust Me, it'll be a Great Vacation
The home exchange begins by building up trust between the two parties. Remember -- you're both in the same boat. You're both giving over your place of dwelling to a (initially) complete stranger and their family. Getting to know the other party is of utmost importance, and is commonly done with phone calls, emails, family movies, and even face-to-face visits.

My Home is Nothing Special
That's what you think. Remember, someone is interested in your home because of the location, not necessarily because of the house itself. You may have a small, even average house, but it may very well be near an area that another family is interested in finding a vacation rental near.

Still not convinced? Well, it's definitely not for everyone. If you're unsure, check out the movie "The Holiday" with Cameron Diaz and Jude Law. Sure it's just a movie, but it might get you excited about the concept of trading your house for someone else to use as a vacation rental.

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