Preparing your Home for Exchange

  1. One of the real benefits of participating in regular Home Exchange and Hospitality Exchange is the motivation they provide to repair, replace or upgrade items you have previously been prepared to live with.

    So if you have been putting up with a door lock that takes 6 to 8 tries to get the key to turn, or delaying the fitment of a timing device or movement sensor to an outside light, why not create a list of tasks and see how many you can attend to before the vacation exchange.  Unlike the situation where you leave all these jobs until you are preparing your home for sale, in this scenario you enjoy the benefits, as well as your vacation exchange guests.

    See the section on the preparation of your Concierge Journal for more recommendations.
  2. Your list of physical preparations is best compiled if you consider, firstly what you would ideally receive when you arrive at your “dream” exchange, and secondly, what was provided at your best experience at an upmarket Bed and Breakfast facility.

    As a minimum you need to consider:-

    • sufficient closet and drawer space for guests to hang and unpack clothes on arrival, to lay out toiletries and other bathroom necessities, and generally allow your guests to feel they are not “trespassing” in your personal space.  A commitment to “declutter” your home, inside and out, makes a major contribution to the enjoyment and comfort of your guests.
    • provide an emergency or “on arrival” supply of basic toiletries for your guests, but also replenish your stocks of necessities such as toilet paper, hand soap, bath towels and bed linen.
    • ensure your home exchange guests are able to enjoy your kitchen’s facilities.  The opportunity to live like a local, which includes most meals “at home”, is a major attraction of home exchange.  So, stock up on kitchen essentials (oils, condiments), make sure your appliances operate efficiently and safely, knives are sharpened, pots and pans cleaned, and provide easy access to your cookbooks and recipes, particularly any local favourites.
  3. To really set the scene for a memorable vacation exchange for your guests, consider some unexpected extras – perhaps a bottle of wine, chocolates and welcome note, or luxurious, freshly cleaned bathrobes, or tickets to a local theatre or sports event.
  4. The item with the greatest potential to upset what was otherwise a mutually enjoyable vacation exchange experience is differing interpretations of what constitutes “clean and tidy” home presentation.  This applies both for the start, and perhaps more importantly, at the conclusion of a home exchange.

    While this is a topic requiring some sensitivity and flexibility, like most potential problems, it is best handled, and most likely avoided, by open communication and asking specific questions, for example “Do you prefer we strip the beds when we leave, or make them up with clean linen?”.  “Will we wash the bed linen and leave it hanging on the outside line?”
  5. With items that are particularly valuable, common sense dictates you take precautions.  Use your home safe for small items, and nominate one room that is “off limits” for bigger items.  If you have some very valuable wines in your cellar, make sure you establish a clear set of rules within the Exchange Agreement, and double up with reminder signs “on site”.

    While your fellow Members of Senior Golf Exchange are mature, responsible adults, and you have achieved a level of comfort by regular communication before and during the exchange, write down your agreement on any contentious topics and misunderstandings will be avoided.