Name recognition can be a bad way to pick a home exchange neighborhood. But how else do you know where you want to stay in a place you've never visited?
When considering a swap with a new family, pay close attention to what they say about their neighborhood. You will tend to see one of two themes:
1) "Luxurious Home Near the (Well-Known) Area"
Some swappers emphasize their home's attractions over its location. A key clue here is the description of the home as in a general "area" as opposed to a specific town or neighborhood. I recall one California family that wrote asking to exchange with us. Their listing claimed the home was located in the famous and exclusive "Big Sur area".
Since I know Central California quite well I was able to piece together the swappers' actual hometown from clues in their listing. I suspected that they lived in the Central Coast's only truly blighted city. It is a place that is relatively close to Big Sur, but from the gang violence and murder rate you would never confuse the two places. We had a few friendly email exchanges, but when I told the swappers I had lived in the area and asked them the name of their town they never wrote back.
2) "Prime Location! Right in the Heart of (Obscure Neighborhood Out-of-Towners Don't Recognize)"
This is a better sign. The more specific the swappers are about their location, the more proud they are of their neighborhood. It's pretty easy these days to find out if that pride is well-founded.
GET MORE SPECIFIC
Once you have a general idea of the area where the swappers' home is to be found, it's time to get an even better sense. Many people won't want to provide their address for privacy reasons, but there is no reason they can't give you their cross streets. Hesitancy to do this when you have expressed interest in their home is a bad sign. A more encouraging response is the specific cross streets and some sort of peppy description of the immediate area.
WHAT'S THE TONE?
Exactly what seems to merit that enthusiasm, and whether it should elicit a similar joy in you, the possible swap partner, is a topic for another day.
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