|
10 Steps
to Home Exchanging | |
1 | Describe your home honestly in your listing and in all correspondence. You want your exchange partners to be pleasantly surprised when they arrive, not disappointed. Never hide the existence of pets. |
| 2 | Leave your home clean. Standards of cleanliness vary,
so make sure that floors are vacuumed and mopped, refrigerator emptied, stove
and oven grease-free, bath and shower free of mold and grime, windows see-through,
and surfaces dust-free. No need to repaint the house. |
| 3 | Clear away enough of your personal belongings to leave
space on shelves and in closets and drawers so that your guests can empty their
suitcases, arrange their things in bedrooms, bathrooms, and entry halls, and feel
at home. |
| 4 | Leave at least two sets of clean sheets per bed and two sets of towels per person. |
| 5 | Compile a clear, useful "Guide to Your Home and Surroundings"
which includes local tourist information and household notices about the use of
electrical appliances, pool maintenance, pet and plant care, trash pick up, etc.
Phone numbers of a recommended doctor, dentist, babysitter, good restaurants,
and helpful friends are always welcome too. |
| 6 | Use our "Home and Automobile Exchange Agreement"
forms to avoid all misunderstandings and clarify (a) dates of arrival and
departure; (b) who pays what in terms of telephone, electric bills, gas consumption,
insurance deductibles in case of accidents, and staple foods such as flour, sugar,
oil, etc.; and (c) responsibilities for care of pets, plants and garden, etc. |
| 7 | If arrangements are such that you cannot meet, arrange
for a family member, neighbour or friend to come by and welcome your exchange
partners when they arrive. They will certainly have questions, and such
a welcome will be much appreciated. |
| 8 | Leave the makings of a first meal. Nothing fancy, but
your guests will be tired and hungry and grateful not to have to go out for dinner.
|
| 9 | It has become a HomeLink tradition to leave a small
gift of welcome: a bottle of wine or champagne, a local speciality. Always a special
surprise! |
| 10 | Close the door, turn the key, and go off on vacation
knowing that your home is in the good hands of another HomeLink member like you. EMAIL ETIQUETTE Home exchanging has tremendous potential for creating goodwill among people throughout the world. In keeping with this philosophy, we believe that if you are on the receiving end of an exchange offer, courtesy requires that you acknowledge each offer, whether or not you intend to explore the proposal. Even a brief e-mail will suffice, stating simply : "Thank you for your offer, but exchanging to _______ is not in our plans for this year." In your own initial invitation you can add: "May we ask you to express any possible interest in this proposal by (give date 1-3 weeks hence), after which we will assume our exchange offer does not fit in with your plans". To help prevent your messages from being discarded as spam : Send e-mail messages individually and personalized, using the members' names; include the word 'HomeLink' somewhere in the subject line to signify a bona fide message; refrain from *bulk* e-mails with impersonal salutations like "Dear HomeLinker"; and send attachments ONLY if you have forewarned your recipients. |