Customer Reviews

The Home Exchange Guide: How to Find Your Free Home Away from Home

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a mediocre book on Home Exchange. The authors are well informed and experienced on most aspects of the subject but not on all. For example, they have little to say about the distinctive aspects of home exchanges with children. They often express wishy-washy opinions when a strong suggestion is required. They over emphasize the economic benefits of home exchange while not saying enough about its other advantages. They make a few suggestions that are generally wrong. Examples are their recommendation to subscribe to more than one home exchange service and write scores of potential exchange partners at one time. They also suggest you can have a home exchange anywhere you want which is untrue. One's ability to find a home exchange in a particular place is dependent upon supply and demand and the quality of your offer. They have useful ideas on computer security but little to say on using the Internet for detailed research. The book is boring with only one or two amusing comments. Our family has exchanged six times in five different countries and has had many interesting and wonderful adventures. This book fails to illustrate and discuss the adventurous, exciting, and humorous aspects of home exchange.

HOME EXCHANGE GUIDE: HOW TO FIND YOUR FREE HOME AWAY FROM HOME! by M.T. Simon and T.T. Baker. The authors have compiled an extensive guidebook, the first of its kind, telling readers all they need to know about how to find a wonderful, free place to stay almost anywhere in the world, by offering their own home in a holiday exchange. The book details how to go about finding the homes in the place you desire to go, what questions to ask, how to make all the arrangements and set up your own home for the safe exchange. You'll learn about perks you can offer or expect, such as car exchange, etc. Authors also cover how to handle disappointments, what to do in emergencies, and how to leave the home as you hope they will leave yours. Such a home exchange frees up your money to be spent on nice extras instead of lodging, for a super vacation almost anywhere you dream of. Although the book does not list the homes for exchange, you will find a great listing of websites and places to find the homes listed and to list your own. For travelers who find the idea of a home exchange appealing, this book is an indispensable guide which covers almost any aspect you could think of

"According to a recent New York Times article, a quarter of a million home exchanges take place annually."

If you are especially adventurous you may enjoy this unique alternative to staying in hotels. Much of the cost during a vacation is the hotel and if you think about how much money you can then spend on your actual vacation, this might seem a much more appealing option.

In order to save hundred of dollars, you do have to consider the fact that not only will you be living in someone else's home, they will be living in yours. This alone has made me very nervous in the past because of my precious kittens who I adore like they are my children. The facts are, you want people who you can trust and there are many factors to consider.

"How would you like to travel to an exotic island and stay free? Would you like to stay in one of the best neighborhoods in Paris for three weeks gratis? What about in a historic apartment a short stride away from the Spanish steps in the heart of Rome?"

The Home Exchange Guide addresses various issues that you will need to consider before exchanging cars, boats, homes, etc. The idea about exchanging second homes sounds more appealing than a first home because then you can technically use the money you would use for hotels to invest in a second property. What a great idea. In that way, you never have to give up your real home location, but technically rent out your second home
for free in exchange for homes at your travel destination.

By the time I was halfway through the introduction, already my mind had awakened to the great possibilities involved in this option. Through reading this book you can learn about ideal exchange partners and how to avoid costly mistakes. There are home compatibility questionnaires and a list of "consider a hotel if:" to dissuade anyone who is not comfortable with the entire idea.

Once you decide this is an option, you can then read the "Successful Negotiation" chapter to encourage a discussion of the possibilities and to correspond with the person with whom you want to exchange homes.

There is a lot to consider, including someone else using your telephones, the neighbors wondering if you moved and emergencies that could occur (like a washing machine breaking, etc). This book seems to indicate that you should swap homes with friends you meet through home exchange websites and plenty of sites are listed to make your experience enjoyable.

The Home Exchange Guide is a well-researched book and the details explored will save you a lot of headaches and money.

~The Rebecca Review