Thursday, August 27th, 2010

If you want to take advantage of cheap travel, particularly cheap fares such as cheap airplane tickets, but do not want to spend a bundle on a hotel and want to stay someplace nice, you should consider swapping your house with someone who wants to vacation in your area. Many brokers offer online services, making house trading safe and easy. Choice of locations and options are plentiful.

If you are interested in house swapping you should:

• Find a broker you want to work with. Many brokers specialize in specific markets such as international, beach, upscale, and budget. Broker fees, specialization and reputation should be key factors looked at in selecting a broker. Brokers are useful in that they typically write up a contract of terms, and can be helpful if there is theft or other legal issues to deal with.

• You will need to take pictures of your home and write a description. Take pictures on a bright day after you have cleaned your house. Be accurate, upbeat and positive when describing your home.

• Select a vacation home to swap that meets your expectations including the number of bedrooms you want, location, dates of availability and proximity to close by attractions and services.

• Contact the owner of the home you wish to swap for. Be very clear about your expectations for a home swap.

• Confirm dates and details including whether cars will be swapped and determine if there will be any expenses incurred while staying at the other home. Agree on cleaning and damage policies as well as early return issues.

• Clean your home thoroughly immediately prior to the swap, throwing out any perishable food and garbage. Store in a safe place any valuable or irreplaceable items in your home. Notify neighbors and family about someone new staying at your home and arrange to have mail held at the post office.
www.cheapfares.com