So who has actually done homeswap holidays? Tell me about it please...

[WilfSell]

...read about this on another thread. Think it's a really good idea. Not sure anyone in, oh, south of France or Australia will really want to come to Staffordshire, but we do live in quite a good spot.

I'd be very interested to hear of actual experiences, good and bad. Please. Thankyou.

Hey. Just a thought: is there a MN homeswap thingy?

have done it to florida

was brilliant

we swapped cars as well

it was a pita cleaning the house before hand but worth it.

I arranged for friends to pick them up from the airport and they did the same.

They had all the stuff you need for kids,bikes,pool,playstation,toys etc.

Also invaluable local info about where to go and not to go.

We used homebase.co.uk as it was the cheapest to join.

The NCT also have a register. It's about £30 to join (one-off? per year? I don't know).

Thanks - do you have to put lots of stuff away in storage somehow? Can you only do it if you have a really fab house in great location?!

Anyone else got experiences?

Anyone swapped in the UK?

You don't actually mean homebase.co.uk though do you ggirl since the only swaps they do are for faulty lawnmowers and paint in the wrong shade...

Any better offers of good sites?

www.homeexchange.com looksgood.
Guardianhasa site too.
Idida swap last year with an Mner *London-North Wales_and it was great.

Moondog, did you just organise through the normal MN boards then?

Hmmm, maybe I could advertise...

I slightly dread the kind of shape I'd have to get the house in though. Maybe it would work for a long weekend first.

Yes! Did one to California last year.
We live quite close to London and the family wanted to 'do' the sights etc.

We locked all 'unavailable' stuff in one spare room.

Their house was fab - huge, with pool etc. Didn't want to come home!

Both we and the other family are doing another one this summer, so it must have been deemed a success!!

we used HomeforExchange.com

Wilf - you'd be surprised at who wants to visit - especially expat retirees from Australia, S.Africa, NZ/ USA who want to come back to see grandchildren etc!

Mind, we did have some awful requests like "here's my filthy one-bedroomed flat with cockroches in central San Paolo - can we swap for your luxury executive home???"

Er..... no....

Whippet, I might pick your brain again if you don't mind... see that's what I think people will think of mine. OK, it's quite a big house and garden is lovely and it is near lots of things to do but I can't promise no teeny bits of weetabix in the carpet or a full on power-showered wet room etc... I'm not sure I'll be able to compete.

Are the houses all fabola?

Wilf, arranged through MN. CD wastrying to set up formal MNswapping scenewhich isagreat idea.

No - not all the houses are fabulous by any means!

To be honest I think there is a fair amount of 'self-sorting' goes on so, e.g. people seem to judge houses suitable for swapping based on similar sq ft/ no. of rooms, and assess the 'type' of people based on occupations/interests. I know that sounds HIGHLY judgemental, but it's all people have to go on, and in our case it seems to have worked really well. You soon get a sense whether the potential swapees are 'people like you' or not!

There are lots of very modest houses up for swapping. However I think it's fair to say don't expect to swap a 2-bed-semi for a luxury palace somewhere.

It's worth searching your exact county/town in the free search to see if there is anyone who specifically wants to come to your area for some reason.

Lots of the people who e-mailed us were coming for a wedding, or to visit family etc.

I think you do need to leave your house clean and tidy though, and that was the worst part for me. If you can afford it, it's worth geting one of those companies who will come in and deep clean for you just before .

I tell you what though, it's a good excuse and reason to get rid of clutter and get all those jobs that your DH has been putting off done.

www.homebase-hols.com/

Wilf - 6 people from AUS/ NZ want to come to Staffordshire!

Here!

We did it through Intervac with a American family for 3 weeks- left cars for each other at airports, locked up one cupboard of treasures, made sure the rest was insured.

Worst thing- the major house clean beforehand- even though we had a mutual no-excessive cleaning agreement!

Best thing- landing straight into a community- loads of advice as to where how to travel to local places, a houseful of books and toys etc. Children were out playing/baking cookies with neighbours within minutes of arrival.

It was a very positive experience, we will do it again as soon as the builders have finished knocking down walls here. We have stayed friends with the people we swopped with, and their neighbours across the road.

blimey Whippet, how exciting.

Might try it with someone in the UK first. Now just have to persuade the DH...

bumping for the evening shift