Hi all,
I need help from experienced Home Exchangers. Iāve been a member for a while now and have stayed in 3 homes myself, but Iāve only hosted a guest once (summer 2024)
This summer, no one even wanted to stay in my home, so I couldnāt use Home Exchange either. Such a pity.
As experienced HE members, can you tell me what the reason might be?
Is it my home, location, or description thatās not working? What can I do to improve? Iād really appreciate your tips!
Thanks!
Myrna
Your listing seems fine to me. I think itās the location . I live in Normandy, not very far (5h by road), Iāve been several times to Netherlands and Belgium too, but never heard of your city. Most French people ( who travel) know Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, den Haag , Delft, haarlem and keukenhof, and not other Dutch cities I guess.
Hi Etienne,
Thanks a lot for your feedback. Thatās helpful to know. I understand what you mean about location. my city isnāt as internationally known as Amsterdam, Utrecht, or the other big names. Thatās something I canāt really change, of course.
However, it does have its own charm and is a good base for visiting nearby well-known places, nature, or activities. Perhaps I should highlight these advantages better in my listing so potential guests can picture what they could do here?
This is true. I live in Groningen and not many members have heard of it, though sometimes members have a child studying in our city. Nevertheless, the last four families that stayed in our home during summer the last years were French.
Myrna, I get guests because I actively reach out to members who Iād like to swap with. I approach not only people who I think have a home that suits us, but I also look in their profile to see wether there are things our home has to offer to them. I point these things out in the messages. I hardly ever get a yes at my first approach for a reciprocal swap, but I keep trying. I am a member for a long time now and even an ambassador, so itās easier now, but I always managed to get swaps in the summer and some at other parts of the year, even when i hadnāt been a member that long.
In your case, I think I would put more in my profile about the Efteling (probably a picture at the profile pictures of the Efteling and add text to it that itās only half an hour from my place) and I would put somewhere more prominent that youāre only one hour from Amsterdam.
In my profile, I put lots of pictures of things people can do in our environment. I donāt know if this helps, but I like it in other profiles, so Iāll give you a link to my profile, if you need some inspiration. This is my home
Thanks for your advise! Thatās really helpful!
Youāre welcome .
Dont hesitate to read and see how members around you are making their listing. There are quite some others around you :
Welcome to the Forum! Some really great advice from our members here 
Have you updated your profile since posting this? I have just taken a look at your listing and it looks lovely! My only other suggestion would be to open up your calendar for next year if at all possible. A lot of members plan ahead and this will help. Also I think your second picture is better than the first, so maybe swap those over Pictures are SO important on a listing so perhaps add a few more of the area that are in high resolution quality.
Hi Melissa,
Thank you so much for your feedback, itās really helpful! I havenāt made any changes to my listing yet since posting my question, so your suggestions come at exactly the right time.
Iāll definitely start working on updating my calendar for next year and will also swap the photos, as you advised. I agree that pictures make a big difference, so Iāll add some more high-resolution ones of the house and the surrounding area.
Thanks again for the useful tips!
Hello Myrna, as others have said your listing looks good! I would advise a few things though. First, donāt use green on your calendar, its the least visible. I realise that your using it because youāre open to both kinds of requests but green calendars arenāt so visible to people searching. A green calendar is only seen by people using a green filter ( or no filter). If someone really wants a reciprocal exchange in your country theyāll use the yellow filter and wonāt see your calendar. If they want to use points they use the blue filter so wonāt see your calendar. So decide which type you really prefer, exactly which dates and where you want to exchange. If you want a reciprocal exchange put yellow and put your favourite destinations in your favourites so you will be easier to find. Accepting points gives you more chance ( 80% of exchanges are done with points and,as soon as you receive them you can start looking for an exchange for yourself.)
Try to be sure if you travel with children that the place you want to go also has school holidays for those dates. Offer reciprocalor point stats when you co tact members. You can complete your calendar for the whole year as soon as you know what dates your home will be available.
Finally you need to be proactive. You can join and post on all of the HE Facebook groups , many members find exchanges there. Interact with the group members and get your name/ listing out into the community!
Good luck!,
Hi Susan,
Thank you so much for these helpful tips, theyāre really clear and useful. I didnāt realise that the green calendar was less visible, so Iāll definitely look into changing that and deciding more clearly between reciprocal exchange or points.
Joining the Facebook groups sounds like a great idea too I hadnāt thought of that!
Thanks again!
Myrna
Let me know if you need the links ( the requests to join are approved on Sunday evenings 
Here are the groups HomeExchangers en franƧais (Officiel) | Facebook
I found the Facebook groups. Thank you!
