This is very simple; a home adjacent to a world renowned beach has considerably more value during the “high” season than the off-season and more value than a house in the suburbs of a town in Tennessee. Yet, many times it is not reflected that way. The inability to adjust rates that are agreed upon by both parties serves no purpose other than to make exchanges more difficult or impossible or financially irresponsible to transact. The algorithm as it currently exists does not always lead to fair evaluation of property value so there must be flexibility. As such, participants in an exchange should have the ability to make agreed upon changes in order to consummate an exchange. It is not the business of homeexchange to unilaterally set GP values unless you are planning to personally tour each home listed!
Not sure of the point you are making. If agreed by both parties of a GP exchange, it is completely possible for the host to set the GP rate at anywhere from zero to about 10% more than the HE-calculated rate of the home (I’m not certain whether 10% is exactly accurate, but it is possible for the host to set the GP rate of their home slightly higher than the HE-calculated value).
There are times I have been offered over 50% more than my assigned GP rate and both parties agreed. I have been told by HE they will not approve the transaction so exchanges have fallen through, which is ridiculous for all concerned. If both parties wish to transact a deal, it is should be none of HE business.
Each home can put 30gp more that’s all. The high season value is the basic gp value you got. No need to Ask more. If you got less requests for low season, you can put your value down. The site is trying to avoid gp over inflation which would happen if everyone sets his own value
Thank you for your thoughtful response. So you are telling me that HE unilaterally and arbitrarily setting a GP value for me that is over $500 less than the cash price I can get from Airbnb is fair?
Sorry. The value of ANY product is what consumers are willing to pay for it. All an arbitrary GP number does is force people to seek workarounds in order to consummate deals that work for both parties and restrict opportunities. It is also pushing people to seek alternatives to HE.
May I suggest HE implement a “HE Recommended GP Value” and also allow a “Homeowner Listed GP Value”. By doing this you get the HE point across as it relates to what HE feels the value is at and also the value that the homeowner sets, which if unreasonable, will see no exchanges consummated. Let both homeowners and exchangers determine a fair GP value and negotiate an exchange that works for both parties.
HE has been a wonderful addition to our lives but we can’t consider exchanges at 313 GPs per night when we are getting $857 dollars per night on Airbnb. It just makes no sense. My proposal presents a middle ground.
Thank you for your consideration.
You compare rental and gp exchanges which are not the same at all and can’t bé compared. 313 gp is already very high and almost the most you Can get without being a premium member. Anyway I respect your opinion and members can vote on it. Personnaly I’m not in favor on it. If members prefer to rent it’s their right of course.
@howerdcomfield, maybe I’m a dreamer, but I’ve been exchanging homes for almost 25 years, and back then, no one thought of home exchanges from an economic benefit perspective. The emergence of Guest Points (GP) and the inclusion of secondary residences from Airbnb have led to an increasingly economic-driven approach, which I believe goes against the true spirit of home exchange. Until not so long ago, it was based on mutual help, cooperation, and shared benefit. In the past, homes had no assigned value and were exchanged by the number of days, which left out economic speculation and endless comparisons between properties. Unfortunately, I believe people are becoming more and more obsessed with the value of their homes, which I think has also contributed to the gradual disappearance of reciprocal exchanges, as most now count their Guest Points as if they were money in their minds.
I live in a ski resort where there’s a huge difference between nightly rates in summer and winter. Can I set my GP’s at a lower level in the off season?
Yes you Can, manually, there’s no setting to change it directly on your calendar
Thank you. Can you point me in direction as to how to set it manually?
Yes in your admin page (“my home” on pc), gp section. But be aware to precise it into your listing cause some members will request for high period with low gp
I see what you mean as I see many locations that are close to an amenity that is desirable in a particular season seem not point valued well while size/bed number is factored quite heavily in the points equation. (the sleeps 20 phenomenon). I do think it would be an advantage to have the ability to show a different guest point value by season topped by a set HE value. This would allow people to clearly show any discount they wish by season. I am going to exchange when I am going to exchange and I don’t rent but being a block from the beach I acknowledge the seasonal value a home can have is a factor and wish HE the bed focus was less than location.
Hello Howard and welcome to the Forum 
Coming from a background of holiday rentals and living in an area of the UK which is highly seasonal I do completely understand where you are coming from. However I think the issue here is that Home Exchange is not Airbnb, it is fundamentally different. Guest Points are not an actual currency. They are not comparable to USD or GBP or Euros. I think if you have a second home which you are used to renting out, and the income from this is essential for you, then perhaps it would be better for you to continue to rent the property in the high season and offer exchanges in the low season. Another suggestion if you are not happy with your GP valuation over the high season would be to only carry out exchanges during this time of year and not accept GP stays at all. That way you would be able to decide which homes you were happy to exchange with and you could choose to stay only in properties which you see as being of similar ‘value’.
Thanks for your response. I understand what you are saying and understand the comments about not comparing GPs with cash value and airbnb options. I don’t look to ‘make money’ on an exchange. I just want to be able to consider more exchanges and have the option to accept offers from others to use my home, particularly when they want the exchange bad enough to increase the GP offer substantially above what is listed by HE. If it makes both parties happy and achieves a good exchange, why would HE be against that? Let the parties agree on value. Homeowners that overvalue their property will suffer by losing out on exchanges as people will look elsewhere.