It sounded like a plus, the way the exchangers described it. Their second home had a basement apartment where a college student lived year-round. She would be available to help us if we had a question about the home, lost our keys or needed to find a local business.
The reality was quite different.
The college students (there seemed to be about six living down there) threw extremely loud parties every night. Even though the house was three stories tall we couldn't sleep. The laundry machines were located just outside the basement door to their apartment. We had thought they would not have access to our part of the house, but they did, since they used the washer/dryer in the part of the basement leading to the main house. The idea of a drunk or high party-goer wandering upstairs to hang out with us didn't appeal. And when we tried to use the laundry machines they apparently found it inconvenient, since they removed our wet laundry from the washer and strewed it all over the floor.
The house itself was musty and in poor repair. There were no photos of the home posted to the listing, and it was obvious why as soon as we pulled up to the front door. This is the kind of home exchange experience that deserves the worst possible feedback. Unfortunately, swap clubs are timid about allowing this.
Simply put, home exchange feedback that can be rejected needs to be viewed with skepticism. You'll see the good, but never the bad. For my most recent exchange I found a way to make my review more realistic and meaningful. I praised everything I liked about the swappers and their home. But I also added a section to the narrative called "Drawbacks" which honestly stated the one or two things we found less than ideal about our swap experience.
The exchangers chose to accept our feedback. It is now posted on their listing page. If I were considering trading homes with them, I would find their feedback more believable because it listed some negatives.
What I'm trying to say is this: glowing reviews from past exchangers that mention no negative aspects are simply not trustworthy. No home is perfect. I wouldn't be surprised if someone mentioned in feedback on my home that the bathrooms are small. They are. It's Manhattan -- space is at a premium. We all need to be mature enough to accept realistic, honest feedback on our homes. Next time: my review of the Cape Cod home.
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