Saving $3,500 Exchanging In Santa Barbara

  

The Reason For Our Santa Barbara Exchange

AN EXCHANGE INQUIRY

                   "Hello,

                    I am wondering if you might be interested in an exchange for

                   our 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 bathroom ocean view condo in Costa Rica

                   including membership in the new spectacular Reserva Conchal

                   Beach Club. There is also a golf course on the property and lots 

                   of wonderful side excursions to be made. We would like to stay

                   in Santa Barbara from June 9 - 16, 2009 when our daughter

                   graduates from UCSB. Please let me know your thoughts.

                   Thank you.

                   Shelley"

                "Dear Shelley,

                 This sounds like an interesting exchange offer, which we would

                 like to know a little more about. If we were to do this exchange

                 we would be interested in going to Costa Rica the second week

                 of June.

                 Sincerely,

                 Nina"

Our youngest child, Gillian, was set to graduate from the University of California at Santa Barbara in June, 2009. After spending four years visiting her there over long weekends in hotel rooms we thought it would be fun to spend an entire week in the gorgeous Pacific Coast town of Santa Barbara, and incorporate a graduation party at the house as well. Nina and her family were excited to travel to Costa Rica over her children’s summer vacation and we were able to agree to another exchange. This was Nina and her family’s primary home, but they had a second home about an hour away where they would be staying while we were in their home, as this was not to be a simultaneous exchange. After speaking with her on the phone in January we finalized the arrangements and I began planing a graduation party in Santa Barbara.

THE VALUE OF AN EXCHANGE

$1,500 For Three Nights Here,
Or A Three Bedroom Ocean View Home For 7 Nights Free

It is hard to put a value on a wonderful vacation experience, but I thought it would be of interest to show what an economic benefit it is to do a home exchange verses the cost of renting a home or a hotel room. All of our exchanges have saved us much money, but this exchange in Santa Barbara was by far the biggest steal. Santa Barbara hotel rooms during any time of the year are very expensive, with an average room costing somewhere between $175 to $250 a night, with many going for much more. During UCSB graduation week the prices sky rocket. The hotel we had used over the four years we visited Gillian which usually charged $175 a night, was asking $500 a night with a three night minimum and no cancelation policy, and we would need at least two rooms. Yikes!  A three bedroom vacation rental home was going for $3,500 for that week. Yet the home in Santa Barbara for which we were exchanging was costing us nothing other than the cleaning costs in Costa Rica which we would pay when Nina and her family left, and the yearly cost of belonging to Homeexchange.com.

Let's break down our costs and savings over the first year and a half  belonging to Homeexchange.com.

 2008 -  A week in Kiawah Island, South Carolina in a golf resort community     $1,900 value
             A week in San Diego, CA. in a luxury high rise condominium                $1,900 value

  2099 - A week in Santa Barbara home                                                                $3,500 value
              Total Value of Homes                                                                            $7,300 value

Costs:
Two years of membership at Homeexchange.com                                                 $220
Service of maids for three cleanings in Costa Rica                                                 $ 75
Total Costs:                                                                                                           $295

We saved $7,005 in just one and a half years by joining Homeexchange.com and got to live like a local, not a tourist in some amazing homes.  Just wait until you see how much more we saved with the the next 12 exchanges we made in the following year and a half!  Even if you don't have a second home, primary homes in various locations are always in demand too.  Why are you not vacationing this way right now?
             

The Two Grads After Four Years of Playing Waterpolo

BACK TO SANTA BARBARA AND PLANNING A PARTY

Gillian, who had played waterpolo at UCSB for four years had one other senior on the team who she had become very good friends with, and the girls decided that they would like to share their graduation party. Throughout their senior season the girls and we mothers pooled our thoughts and ideas about the party and I hoped that when we finally arrived at our exchange home in Santa Barbara in June that it would all work out. I told Nina that we were planning on hosting a graduation party, and asked if this would be acceptable to her. She was very generous in not only allowing us to host the party in her home, but also in offering me the use of her boxes of extra wine glasses, and other party supplies and equipment. I didn’t tell here that the girls wanted to get a keg of beer and that we would probably not be using too many of her wine glasses!

UCSB In Foreground With Santa Barbara Airport Behind It
Santa Ynez Airport Just Behind The Hills

HELLO BEAUTIFUL SANTA BARBARA

Graduation week finally arrived and Mark and I flew our Beechcraft Travel Air down to the Santa Ynez Airport, which is about 20 minutes away from Santa Barbara, just over the hills. Over the years we came to realize that for long term stays it is much less expensive to park a plane there then at the Santa Barbara Airport, which though more convenient, being located just across the highway from the UCSB campus, charged more for their daily tie down fee, as well as charging more for fuel then the Santa Ynez Airport. June in Santa Barbara is known for it’s cold mornings and early afternoon fog, but when we arrived that day it was gloriously sunny, and much to everyone’s delight remained that way the entire week we were there. What a great gift to the graduates!

The Living Room and Kitchen of The Party Home

We arrived at our three bedroom home located in the area of Santa Barbara known as the Riviera, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, and we were once again pleasantly surprised, though when we first drove up to the suburban track home I was not too impressed when comparing it to our previous exchanges in the high rise San Diego condo and the golf resort home on Kiawah Island. Upon entering our new home though we found a beautifully well kept, sunny home with a hot tub, barbecue, and lawn area looking out over the ocean, perfect for entertaining. This was going to work out just fine!  

                                                           A Hot Tub With A View                                                                                                                                                                                         

Butterfly Beach In Santa Barbara

Charming State Street With Lots Of Wonderful Restaurants!

In between getting ready for the party, other graduation events, a couple walks on the beach, and of course eating lots and lots of delicious food (one of our favorite activities in SB), we were even able to get in a round of golf at the local municipal golf course, Santa Barbara Golf Club, where Gillian joined us for nine holes before rushing off to something else more exciting then playing golf with her parents. This course is a great one for beginner golfers like me, as well as for the more advanced players, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to play!

LET THE PARTY BEGIN!

My other daughter Whitney and her boyfriend drove up from Los Angeles two days before graduation, as did my son Van a day later, which made for a special couple of days.  Van is an excellent cook so I put him to work along with Whitney and Scott preparing for the big party. Poor Whitney had broken her foot a couple of weeks earlier so she was wearing a boot cast and couldn’t stand long, so we put her to work sitting at the counter chopping and dicing up onions, garlic, and tomatoes for the salsa, and guacamole, and Van was hard at work cooking hundreds of tiny meatballs. Mark and Scott, the non-cooks, were sent to the market to pick up miscellaneous items we needed and ended up calling home several times, as not only do they not know how to cook, it seems they really didn’t know how to shop either! So much fun preparing for the party all together in our Santa Barbara home. Couldn’t do this in a hotel room!

Graduate and Family

Friends Enjoying The Evening

Graduation day was beautiful, and after the ceremony we headed back to the house to get ready for the party. The graduates and all of their friends and family had a great time, the food was plentiful, the beer was flowing, and conversation and good friends were in abundance. By 9:00 the kids had left for other parties, keg in hand, leaving us to clean up, which I worried more about then anything else, as I wanted to be sure that our temporary home was left in the same condition as when we had arrived. Nina had turned out to be an excessively organized housekeeper, with lists of directions left throughout the house for me, and I just hoped that I could remember to put everything back in their correct places, cleaned and organized the way she liked. I think I was successful, and by 11:00 I was in bed, exhausted, but very happy to have been able to provide Gillian a special graduation party in a lovely home.

A Beautiful Spot For A Party!

FINAL GOODBYE TO OUR FAVORITE TOWN

It had been a wonderful four years for Gillian, as well as for us in Santa Barbara, and by being able to spend our last week there in our “own” home, having my family all together and getting to know Santa Barbara even more in depth made for a great week, and actually made me want to come back some time in the future and look for our own home to buy. That is one of the problems of successful exchanges, I always want to stay! On Sunday we helped Gillian pack up a U-haul truck full of four years of memories and furniture and she and I drove it back to Sacramento while Mark flew the plane back home by himself. It was a sad good bye to a city loved by all, but Gillian was on to new adventures and we were looking forward to some more exciting exchanges (and saving lots more money)!

UCSB - Not A Bad Place To Spend Four Years!

Next Exchange - A Historic Carmel Cottage

           

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