Anyone Can Make An Exchange - Even Modesto, CA for Germany??

Home exchanges may be easy or difficult to arrange based on where your own home is located. Someone with a popular apartment near the Eiffel Tower may not be interested in a home in Davis, CA, unless by odd chance the Parisian is teaching at The University of California at Davis for the summer, or perhaps attending a family wedding in the area. On the other hand, if you live in a popular destination like Hawaii or Manhattan, you'll have a much wider variety of offers. However, don’t give up on the idea of trying a home exchange if you don’t live in a popular vacation city, just be prepared to work a little harder to find a successful exchange.  According to Homeexchange.com, even their members in off the beaten path locations have made these successful exchanges:

• 10+ successful exchanges with a home in Modesto, California
• 10+ successful exchanges with a home in Amherst, Nova Scotia
• 10+ successful exchanges with a home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

  When I did a reverse exchange search for someone who might be interested in an exchange in the small Northern California town of Modesto I came up with this beauty:

Historic home in southwest Germany, whose owners  are looking for a home in 
San Jose or Modesto, California while visiting family

Of course if you are exchanging a vacation home it is always easier than using your primary home, but many simultaneous exchanges of primary homes are also made, such as this:

 Owners of a bungalow in Long Beach, California wanting  to go
to The Netherlands

Once you have joined a home exchange organization and have decided on a location you are interested in you will need to send out a standard letter of invitation to prospective exchangers, describing your home, your neighborhood, attractions, and anything you can think of to make a swap desirable. The more messages you send, the better your chances of avoiding disappointment. But be realistic in your expectations, based on a factual analysis of what you have to offer, and be sure to plan as far in advance as possible. I often send out 10 to 15 letters when I am looking for an exchange and often hear back from about half of those, with one or two showing interest.

What Exchange Web Site To Use?

When it dawned on me in 2008 that home exchanging might be a great way to travel, I researched many different sites and decided that Homeexchange.com fit my needs best at that time.  Now there are over 80 different home exchange organizations from which to choose.  These range from the largest, Homeexchange.com, with 40,000 listings in 144 countries, to LuxeHomeSwap.com which was created in 2010 with 214 listings.  Prices of joining range too, from free sites like Geenee.com, up to yearly fees of $495 on 3rdhome.com, with the average price being around $120. Many allow you to search their databases on the Internet or view sample listings for free before joining.  There are some which even cater to various groups such as seniors or teachers, or owners of multi million dollar homes.

A great web site to view information about all of the home exchange sites is Knowyourtrade.com. where they list over 80 home exchange companies with reviews, membership fees, number of homes listed, and benefits offered.  Great site!  They even offer discounts periodically for membership in different exchange sites.  Right now there are coupons for a 30% discount to join Homeexchange.com,  a free year’s membership at Exchangehomes.com,  and 25% off the membership fee at Homebaseholidays.com.

And if you are still not convinced that you too can become a home exchanger take a look at the variety of homes below which are examples of the types of properties being offered for exchange and where they are are looking to go.  Then go to one of the sites above and check out for yourself who might be looking to come to your home town right now!

New York City apartment owners looking for an exchange

to Portland, Oregon or San Francisco.

Owners of this lovely craftsman style home in Portland, Oregon would like a

 simultaneous trade for a home in Denver, Colorado.

Owners of this home in Tuscany would like a non-simultaneous exchange for 

a home in Denver, Colorado or Idaho Falls.

These owners of a traditional home in Cape Cod would like a

 non-simultaneous exchange for a home near Yosemite.

The owners of this modern apartment in Paris are looking for a 6 month

 simultaneous exchange in Palo Alto, California next winter while their

 daughter attends high school there.

Owners of this ocean front apartment in Kings Beach, Australia are looking for a 

non-simultaneous exchange in Los Angeles, Wyoming or Montana.

Owners of a ranch style home in Sacramento, California are looking to make a simultaneous exchange for a home in France or Orlando, Florida.

What’s your style of home?  City apartment, suburban bungalow, resort property, home in the country?  With over 40,000 listings, someone, somewhere is looking to make an exchange with you.


Next posting:  How we saved $3,500 in Santa Barbara

City Living In San Diego & Do You Need a Contract?

The UC Santa Barbara Waterpolo Team In San Diego

The Reason For Our Trip To Sunny Southern California

SEARCHING FOR AN EXCHANGE

After having agreed upon an exchange for a golf course home in Kiawah Island, South Carolina for our condominium in Costa Rica for the fall of 2008, which eventually had to be postponed for a year, we decided to try our luck again to see if we would be able to make an exchange happen a little closer to home this time, to somewhere Mark could fly our Beechcraft Travel Air.  We decided to attempt an exchange in San Diego for one week while our two daughters were in a college waterpolo tournament being held at Cal Statue University San Diego. They each played for different colleges, The University of Southern California, and The University of California at Santa Barbara and were seldom at the same tournaments, but this was for the league finals where they would be both competing, determining which team would advance to the NCAA championships.                     

3 BEDROOM OCEAN VIEW CONDO IN COSTA RICA
5 minutes from the beach on the Pacific

Coast of Costa Rica near the surfing town of

Tamarindo with private beach club and golf course

LUXURY 2 BEDROOM DOWNTOWN CONDO
Located in a luxury high-rise in the heart of
beautiful San Diego, walking distance to
theaters, shopping, and hundreds of restaurants
with views of the city and sunsets every night

Two beautiful properties with both owners looking to make an exchange to somewhere which would fit their needs.  All that needed to be done was to find the right perople with whom to make the exchange.  We were ready to exchange our condo in Costa Rica, but could we convince the owners of this luxury high-rise in downtown San Diego that they would enjoy our home in the tropics?  After sending out an email to the owners of this property the answer was yes!

                     

                            "Dear Shelley,

                              I have spoken with my husband and this will work out for us.  What time of year do we NOT

                             want to go to Costa Rica so we can start planning something.

                             Our condo is in the heart of the Marina district in downtown San Diego. I'm sure being

                             from California you are probably familiar with the area.  But if not I have lots of suggestions

                             for you.  Also in the condo we have a notebook with restaurants and other activities for you to use.

                             We are excited about your home.  It looks beautiful and we will take care of it as 

                             our own. Let me know details and I will send you a sheet on the keys, etc. 

                             Regards, 

                             Cathy"

After forwarding information to Cathy regarding when was the best time to travel to Costa Rica and providing answers to other questions about transportation and tours, Cathy, her husband, and another couple decided to travel to Costa Rica in November 2008, a perfect time, as it is the end of the rainy season when everything is still lush and green, but very little rain falls.

The Lush Beauty of Costa Rica in November

DO YOU NEED AN EXCHANGE CONTRACT?

People have often asked if we feel uncomfortable opening our home to strangers, trusting that they will take care of it, and if there is some sort of contract or security deposti required of one another when making a home exchange.  After fifteen exchanges I have had only one party request a contract for each of us to sign, specifying the details for each exchange including dates, cleaning responsibilities, delivery of keys, and what each party is allowed to use in each home.  No one else has suggested this, and all of the details have been handled by email, only having spoken on the phone with two fellow exchangers.  Homeexhange.com offers a sample contract which can be used and which can be viewed here.  One important issue which needs to be clarified, whether it is in a contract or just verbally, regards  cleaning of the home upon leaving.  We have found that it is best when each homeowner pays for the cleaning of their own home after the exchange guests have left. We request that the beds which have been used be stripped and that the linens and towels be placed in the laundry room when leaving.  This seems to be pretty standard with all of the other homeowners we have dealt with. Home exchanging is a trust-based enterprise and I have always felt that if you are going into someone's home knowing that they will also be in your home, that extra special care will be taken, not like a vacation rental home which is often times abused.  This has proven to be true for all fifteen exchanges we have made, and we have never had any theft or damage done to our home.  Of course, there may always be an exception and some people will feel more comfortable with a signed contract from both parties.

View From Our San Diego Condo At Dusk

A TRIP TO SAN DIEGO

A couple of months after my initial contact with Cathy we loaded up our Travel Air in Sacramento, and after the 2 1/2 hour  flight arrived at the small general aviation airport of Montgomery Fields, a few miles outside of downtown San Diego, picked up our rental car, and drove into the City. Following the directions I received from Cathy and winding our way through the busy downtown city streets we were able to find our new home, collect the key from the doorman who was expecting us, find our designated parking spot, and let ourselves in.  Our temporary new home was located on the fifteenth floor of a twenty story building with spectacular views out over the city and the San Diego Bay. Directly across the bay from us was the North Island Naval Air Station where the U.S. Navy ports its large aircraft carriers and fighter jets

USS Midway

A few blocks from us we could also view the Navy Pier where the aircraft carrier USS Midway is a permanently docked museum (and a great tour to take), and further down the street we watched cruise line ships arriving daily into the port of San Diego.  An amazing view with something always to watch.

Living Room With View Of The City

The two bedroom apartment was beautifully furnished, had a fully stocked kitchen with a computer and printer available for our use, and we were within walking distance of everything we needed.  A large grocery store was just across the street, and located on the opposite corner was Nordstrom, in the Horton Plaza shopping center along with all the stores I could ever ask for.   We were all set for a week in the big city!

Master Bedroom With View Of Nordstrom!

Horton Plaza

PARTY TIME IN SAN DIEGO

While we were checking out our new digs we noticed a folded shopping cart in the closet and wondered why it was there, until we had walked over to Ralph's Market and then had to come back carrying all of our heavy groceries.  Oh, that is why they had a shopping cart in the closet! The only people I had ever seen using a shopping cart in Sacramento were homeless people, but I now came to realize what a great tool this was and how effortless it was to be able to load up my shopping cart in the store and then just walk back home with it fully loaded. And that little cart got quite a work out while we were there!  Because we were staying in our apartment and there were many other team parents also staying in the city, but in hotel rooms, we decided to host two cocktail parties for the two different teams.  This of course  meant stocking up at Ralph's with food, beer, wine and other miscellaneous beverages.  As we returned to our apartment with our over flowing shopping cart stacked high with alcohol we received quite a few looks, and even were asked by a gentleman if he could join our party.  Sorry, waterpolo parents only!

Gas Lamp District of San Diego

The two parties we hosted were a huge success.  I had to worn the dooman that we would be having quite a few guests and he helpfully directed everyone up to our place, where the views of the city were enjoyed by all.  The first party was for the UCSB parents, and after some eating, drinking and socializing, we all decided to walk across the street for dinner at Napa Valley Grille located on the top floor of the Horton Plaza Shopping Center.  What a simple way to entertain!  The party for the USC parents was the next night, and after another enjoyable evening of cocktails we all walked to a different restaurant in the famous Gas Lamp district of San Diego, about five blocks away.  I was certainly enjoying the convenience of city living, and even started imagining living there.

USC Team Lines Up For Final Game

WATERPOLO GAMES

During our week in San Diego we of course attended many waterpolo games and were able to cheer the USC team on to victory as they won the league title.

The Santa Barbara team struggled, as this was the year that their new coach quit halfway through the season, leaving them with an inexperienced assistant coach taking over the job.  It is always wonderful to be there for your children when they win and to be able to share in their celebration, but it is even more important to be there when they are loosing and discouraged.  I am so glad that we were able to be there that week for both of our daughters, and when the games were over, Gillian, our USCB daughter was even able to stay with us in our apartment the last night, which is always a treat for us, and
 was important for her as well.

TIME FOR SOME GOLF

In between waterpolo games and entertaining we were able to squeeze in one day of golf at the Four Season Resort (now the Park Hyatt) Aviara Golf Course which overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad, just a few miles north of downtown San Diego.  This beautiful course designed by Arnold Palmer, and ranked as one of the best golf resort courses in America took us through rolling hillsides, colorful flowers, plenty of bunkers, and of course the ever present water challenges, and even though I played badly, I always enjoy the beauty of golf courses such as this one, no matter how difficult it may be to play and how poorly I perform.

GOODBYE SAN DIEGO

After a wonderful week in San Diego we were sorry to have to say goodbye to the sunshine, ocean, golf, and the big city living we enjoyed, and decided that we would have to come back some other time.  We packed up our belongings, returned the key to the doorman, and headed for the airport, along with Gillian who we would drop off in Santab Barbara on our way back home to Sacramento.  The first of many successful exchanges.  I hoped that Cathy and her friends would enjoy Costa Rica as much as we had enjoyed our stay in San Diego.

The View From Our Exchange Home in San Diego

Next Exchange - A Week of Celebration in Santa Barbara

Watch Out For Alligators

Important tips to remember when visiting South Carolina:

•   Watch Out For Alligators!
•   Don’t leave your boat anchored when the tide is going out
•   Stock up on your booze by 6:00pm on Saturday
•   Don’t get on the scale too soon after returning home

Moss Covered Trees On
College Of Charleston Campus

After landing in the small Charleston, South Carolina Airport in early October, the warm ocean air greeting us, we picked up our rental car and headed out to the beautiful community of Kiawah Island, a beach and golf resort community located on a barrier island fifteen miles south of Charleston, ready for the first home exchange we had committed to through Homeexchange.com.  As we left the city of Charleston and began to approach Kiawah, the roads began to narrow, little white steepled churches started popping up everywhere, and we noticed the hauntingly beautiful long green moss hanging from the century old oak trees, making everything look a little eerie, almost like an old horror movie.  Mark kept expecting to see crazy old ladies with evil grins on their faces rocking in their chairs on their front porches with a hidden axe under their skirt.  We certainly weren’t in California, but it was beautiful, and so different from anywhere we had traveled to before.  This South Carolina adventure in exchanging turned out far better than we had ever expected, providing us many wonderful stories to tell, and encouraging us to continue on with fifteen different home exchanges over the next three years.

  

Before arriving at each exchange home we always try to stop at a grocery store to pick up supplies for our stay.  The wonderful thing about exchanging homes is that many, if not all, of the basic supplies are there for you to use, so one doesn’t need to worry about paper goods and soaps, spices, or even coffee.  The one unwritten rule is that you replace anything that you use up so that when the owners or other exchangers arrive they will have the basics there for them as well.  Driving into Kiawah on Saturday night, we found a small shopping center where we were able to find everything we needed except for liquor, which no good vacation can be without! There were beers, wines, and mixers in the well stocked grocery store, but no gin.  The clerk informed us that the liquor store was just around the corner in the same shopping center, that it was the only place where liquor could be purchased, and must be done so by 6:00pm that night, or we would have to wait until Monday when the liquor stores would be allowed to reopen.  It was now 5:45pm, and after searching for the store and having no luck in finding it we had to return to the grocery store a third time to ask the clerk to please explain to us how to get there, as we were running out of time and starting to panic. The clerk walked outside with us, pointed to where we needed to turn and said that it was on the right side of the street, which we were finally were able to find with its very tiny sign perched in front of the building at sidewalk level, almost as if they were embarrassed to be selling alcohol.  At 5:55 Mark entered the store quite exasperated and told the man behind the counter that we had had a difficult time finding his store and wondered why it was so hidden from view.  His response was, “Welcome to the Bible Belt Sir!”  Yes, we were no longer in California!

Our Kiawah Island Home

After entering the gated community of Kiawah Island and nervously searching in the dark for Ed’s house, not sure of what we would find, I spotted the home from the pictures I had seen of it on Homeexchange.com even before we spotted the address on the mailbox.  We found the hidden key where we had been told it would be, entered the home,  proceeded to look through it room by room, and were pleasantly surprised to realize that our new home for the week was exactly as it had been represented in the Homeexchange.com web site.  Ed’s beach house looked out upon the 13th tee of the Cougar Point Golf Course, set among live oaks, pine trees, magnolias and palmetto palms.  A hammock hung between the pine trees positioned just right so that I could lay and leisurely read a book while watching the golfers go by.  The kitchen was fully equipped, there were two televisions, a comfortable king size bed and a large jetted tub in the master bathroom, as well as a welcoming deck to sit upon and sip cocktails in the evening as the sun set over the golf course.  What more could we have asked for?  There were even several guest rooms, one of which we used when our daughter came and stayed with us.   If we had had any doubts before about home exchanging they had all been erased, and decided that there was no better way to travel than this.

Drayton Hall Plantation

South Of Broad Homes

View of Charleston From Ft. Sumter

Part of the home exchange experience is getting to explore and learn about the community one is temporarily living in, and with the help of our daughter who had been living in the Charleston area for three months we were able to do just that.  First on our list of must sees was visiting a plantation, and Whitney chose Drayton Hall, which has survived the American  Revolution, the Civil War, the earthquake of 1886, hurricanes like Hugo, and even today’s urban sprawl. The beauty of this historic home located on the Ashley River and the undisturbed authentic landscapes, as well as the stories and history of this great old home made early Charleston come alive for us.  We of course toured the beautiful city of Charleston itself, walking through the various historic neighborhoods, viewing the privately owned homes, beautiful gardens, churches and public buildings, and stunning mansions south of Broad which included a tour of the Edmondston-Alston House, built in 1825, and from where General Beauregard watched the bombardment of Ft. Sumter.  One day was spent taking a boat out to the Fort Sumter National Monument, where the Civil War began 150 years ago, enjoying a tour of the historic island guarding the port of Charleston and where we were able to enjoy breathtaking views of the city of Charleston and her harbor.  But there was more to this trip than just visiting the historical sites of the city and the surrounding area.  

Alligator Tracks

Golf was the next important activity!  Kiawah Island is home to five beautiful golf courses and since our new home was located directly on the Cougar Point Golf Course we decided to begin with that one. As a guest of Ed’s we were able to get a members discounted price, which is always a nice perk when doing exchanges on a golf course. The dramatic vistas of the course located along the Kiawah River made for a memorable first day of golf, not only for the beauty of the course, but it is where we saw our first alligator. On Kiawah Island there are signs positioned along the river and swamp areas which say, “Danger - Alligators”, which we laughed at when we first came upon them.  After Mark reached for his out of bounds golf ball along the river one time and an alligator seemed to appear out of nowhere, we were no longer laughing at the signs, and it was always interesting to see the alligator tracks in the sand traps where they seemed to enjoy warming themselves in the sun.  We also played Osprey Point Golf Course which featured large natural lakes and a grassy, saltwater marsh, as well as dense maritime forests which was very different from Cougar Point. 

Biking On The Beach

After two days of golf I decided that I needed some beach time, so Mark decided to play the top course on the island by himself, The Ocean Course at Kiawah, and I borrowed one of the bikes left by Ed at the house to ride down to the white sand beach for some reading and relaxing.

                                             Cocktails At Sunset At The Ocean Course Club House

Panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean from all eighteen holes of The Ocean Course, host of the 2012 PGA Championships, and the beauty of the club house setting is hard to adequately describe. It was voted the number one golf course of South Carolina by Golf Digest and is a spectacular place to play, even if the easterly and westerly winds are blowing, which they often are.  Armed with a caddy for help, Mark took on the course, and enjoyed the day immensely. Later, Whitney and I met him after the round for a cocktail on one of the large wraparound porches of the wood shingled club house which overlooks the ocean and the sand dunes while we watched the sun slowly set.  A very romantic setting, and a lovely way to spend on of our last nights in Kiawah.  

Sunny Day On the Intercoastal Waterway

Charleston is nestled between the Intercoastal Waterway, which runs from Maine to Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean, with boating, fishing, and crabbing being important activities in the area.  One day Whitney, her boyfriend, Scott, Mark and I decided that a few hours out on the water would be a lovely way to spend the afternoon.  We packed up our picnic lunch, rented a small motor boat from Bohicket Marina on John's Island, just off of the Intercoastal Waterway, and took off for our adventure.  We were warned when we rented the boat that the tides came in and out quickly and to be aware of shallow waters.  It was a warm fall afternoon as we cruised down the Waterway, in and out of various outlets until we found a small island where we decided to stop and have lunch on the sandy shore.  We dropped anchor and waded to shore, lunch in hand, where we all enjoyed the sunshine and some good conversation, until one of us noticed that our boat was now partially aground! Quickly forgoing the rest of our lunch we proceeded to push, pull and prod the boat into deeper water and decided that we had better get the boat back to the marina before we got into any more trouble.  Boaters we are not, but it was still a great afternoon on the warm South Carolina waterway.

Sticky Fingers' Ribs, Chicken Baked Beans & Slaw

Jestines' Fried Chicken,
Okra and Mac & Cheese

Now what would a trip to the South be without talking about the food!  Much gravy and grits, deep fried fish, and messy bar-b-cued ribs were all on our menu, and my did we enjoy it all! At Rosebank Farms Cafe on Seabrook Island we were able to get our fill of fried green tomatoes which I have tried to make myself, but have never even come close to duplicating.  Heges on Kiawah Island had some outstanding crab cakes, and the huge serving of southern fried chicken at Jestines Kitchen in downtown Charleston was enough to feed the entire table. By far our favorite meal was at Sticky Fingers, a South Carolina bar-b-cue chain serving the best ribs I have ever had, and when we left we certainly had sticky fingers! We ordered so many ribs that we were even given three bottles of their special barb-b-cue sauce to take home. Unfortunately the sauce alone is not the only secret to their outstanding ribs, and I have never been able to experience those tender, mouthwatering bites of pork in California, even with their sauce.  Another reason to go back soon!

The food, the history, the beach, the golf, and the over all beauty of the Charleston area made for a trip to always remember, and one we were looking forward to making again.  Ed’s lovely home which he had shared with us, along with his complete instructions about the home and advise and information about the area made for a very successful home exchange experience. Once I was back home in Sacramento I began searching the Homeexchange.com site and started looking for other places to stay in Charleston on our trip we were already planning for the next year, as well as for other new and exciting locations for the future.

Sunset Over the Atlantic Ocean On Kiawah Island

Watch for the next exchange trip we take to San Diego for a week of water polo games and high rise city living.