I am new to home exchange and I have been searching through a lot of listings. There are many excellent postings but there are also a lot that left we wanting more information. I am almost always traveling without a rental car and relying on public transportation so I need to know how easy it is to get to the home and how easy is it to get around once I am there. How close is the grocery store, the bus stop and nearby restaurants and bars? I also look at the pictures closely to see if it will work for us. Many places leave our entire rooms so I either have to send messages or usually I just go on to the next listing. This is the same issue I have been seeing on Airbnb but they have a lot more reviews which I can usually rely on. I wrote a blogpost (on my non-monetized blog) about what I am looking for a couple of years ago about what I am looking for in a host. Dear Hosts, - Howbillrolls Of course, now I am a host and haven’t fully followed my own suggestions yet. Hopefully we can all get a bit better so we can all get some more connections.
I completely agree with you Bill! Having a good and detailed description, good photos, an honest presentation of your home (not listing 5 baby cots and 3 blow up mattresses in a home designed for 5) and a profile description giving an outline of who you are is very important. I would say though that exchanging can’t be compared to renting. Members need to ‘get to know’ their hosts/guests and build up a relationship based on trust when they exchange.
It’s good to include the measurements of beds; mention if there is access to a downstairs bedroom / bathroom;if there are cleaning fees ; and any essential information that would make you the ideal exchange partner, or not.
It’s also important to do your research on how the site works. Many new members get frustrated because they haven’t taken the time to read the available information. Tips can also be found here on the forum, but also on the facebook groups reserved for subscribed members.
Here’s a link to help
https://help.homeexchange.com/hc/en-us
Definitely Bill, logistical details such as if and where a car can be parked, and whether it is free or not, and far away or not.
Bear in mind that some of the nitty gritty can be in the House Guide, not necessarily all in the profile (not sure AirBnB uses house guides, to pick up on your comparison) For example, I explain in the home guide, in detail, 3 ways to get to our home from the airport, bus, subway or cab. So, if you are left wanting in reading the profile, remember there is usually a house guide and perhaps not every detail is as crucial to you in selecting a home.