I’ve seen the house swap ads on Craigs and I’ve often been tempted to participate. “Care for my 6 cats and 2 dogs!” mine would read. Or “Great brownstone. Under construction.” Well, it seems like a good option for people with habitable homes.
I would be a little nervous about trusting a Craigslist stranger, but there are swap websites that offer some peace of mind. Exchange Our Houses is one of them. For 45 € per year, you can have unlimited exchanges. Probably works out a tad better for the Europeans with their 6 weeks vacation and superior Euro.
The Home Exchange Blog has everything you’ve ever wanted to know about swaps.
Here are some nice looking Craigs listings:
East Hampton: Weekend/Week. Flexible dates and trade.
San Fransisco for Manhattan: August 20-24
Marseille, France for NYC: Sept-Dec
Oh man, this one looks good! 3 months in the south of France? Hel-lo! Eh, I’d probably get bored with all that free time in paradise anyway. Poo. More photos on her blog.
Rome for Brooklyn: July 17-28
“Hi, my name is Luigi……The apt is beautiful, as you can see in the pics, it’s white, silent, sunny, cozy, and it’s in the heart of Trastevere. A two-minute walk from lively Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. You’ll fall in love……Ciao, Luigi”
Oh Luigi, I think I AM in love!
3 Comments
I think Luigi would *love* the Jersey Shore. 😉
And…oh MY…I *love* the chair I just bought from you! I’m emailing you a pic of it in its new home. Wowza it looks good.
Sounds like you might be getting the home swapping bug! And living in NYC, you would have lots of offers to exchange.
Long established home exchange services (like ours, based in London) provide much information and support, unlike listing on Craigslist. It’s a good idea to look for agencies based in the country you want to visit – ours for lots of choice in the UK!
I hope you will visit my blog for more information about swapping homes.
Cheers
Use a reputable company.
Using a company such as http://www.homeforswap.com ensures that you make use of a friendly home exchange community. Through international home listings, member reviews, and tips, Homeforswap.com strives to make every home exchange fan feel prepared and comfortable in planning their vacation exchanges.