I’m constantly frustrated seeing homes comparable to my own (location, size, beds, amenities…) but with much higher GP values. Sometimes I do see comparable homes and GP values but even these can be very much lower than similar homes in same locations.
So I’m constantly engaging with the guest points stay arrangement at a disadvantage points wise.
My 50m2 1BR renovated apartment with terrace in a prime Sydney location is valued by the system at 59GPs. I’ve raised this to the maximum of 89 but my guests tell me it should be 120GP minimum.
I know people ‘cheat’ a bit by adding put up beds etc but I do not want more than two adults in my home and I’m not comfortable working the system. I even saw a 14m2 studio in Paris with a 150GP value claiming even to have a swimming pool!
Of course I’ve experimented with seeing how changing size and number of beds alters the value but I’m surprised that it’s pretty subtle. At best adding a single put up bed (my large sofa) and a portable crib I can get only to 103 points.
I’ve checked all the variables like location and amenity. Is it possible that Sydney is a very low demand / low value destination…?
Home Exchange mentions that it’s important that homes are neither under or over valued and I agree with this.
My home is undervalued by about 30GP and there’s nothing I can do about it short of lying about amenities, beds etc.
Homes that are similar with GP values of 130/140 don’t seem to be cheating either. So I can only assume that one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in Sydney is ‘cheap’.
My suggestion is that the system continue to provide the recommended value but the host member is able to increase this without limit to settle on a fair ‘market’ value.
I love HE but this is a major obstacle for me moving forward being always in a points deficit when staying in similar properties using guest points.
I set my home at zero points for reciprocal exchanges however I’m coming to accept that for my preferred longer stays in my preferred destinations that GP exchanges are more suited.
So this is something I would like to see reviewed. I can’t see what there is to lose.
Did you asked the staff about it ?
Hi. Yes I did that first but response was that that’s how the system is set up and nothing could be done.
When setting up your home attributes, one of them is “Distance from tourist sites”. There are 5 choices, ranging from “in the heart of an international site” to “more than 30 minutes away from all tourist sites”. What have you entered for your home? This attribute has a very large impact on the calculated GP value of your home.
When you say that your home is in a “prime Sydney location”, do you mean that it’s in an upscale residential area or is it in central Sydney close to the water or to famous tourist destinations? An upscale suburban residential neighbourhood is not necessarily desirable for tourists unless it is also close to well known tourist sites.
Hi. I have already selected ‘in the heart of an international tourist site’. I’m walking distance from Sydney Opera House and other attractions as well as the Harbour. It’s a very sought after area for visitors
you are absolutely right and there is the same suject in french, people from the organisation told us they were thinking about an improvement of the system.
Let’s wait and see…
I today discovered for example (by trial and error) that air conditioning is +29 points and kids playground also +29 points. In some circumstances neither of these are needed or even relevant yet they add substantially to a home’s points value.
Seems unreasonable that these items are worth so much because they relate only to specific host locations and guest groups. For northern climates, A/C is not this valuable.
And for travel groups consisting of only teenagers and adults, the playgrounds are of no value. Perhaps it’s time for the HE support team to review the method of GP calculation and invite input from a group of experienced and interested members?
And @GcSydney it doesn’t work like this. An item has no value in itself, it’s an algorithm which change depending on all your other items and amenities, and on the range value you are in. For example if I add this to my listing, it doesn’t change my value. If @FlorentDubois my Friend ambassador adds a swimming pool, it doesn’t change his gp value etc. It does this cause you are probably on the range limit and each item you add makes you a big step forward, which is not the case for us for example.
I’ve seen the same thing in my experiences. I have two properties and disputed both evaluations. One home was reevaluated fairly, the other has still not been addressed. It took sometime to find and engage a human with the power to evaluate the discrepancy, once that happened it changed quickly. The other I’m still trying. I understand the need for the algorithm when you sign up, however there should be an overriding human eye to appeal to without wasting all this time to find one. Sometimes I think it’s the luck of the draw.