SHHH! DON'T TELL THE HOME EXCHANGERS

Now we'll let the swapper who first asked what flaws to mention in a home exchange listing weigh in. She told us that her home had a "quirk" and she wasn't sure if it was serious enough to mention.

"Hi, it's me, Ruth! The "quirk" is inherent to a Florida Keys location, not the home. We're not on a busy road but if the wind is blowing from a certain direction you can hear some highway noise on the porch. The Keys are narrow islands (except Keys West) so this is fairly common. Some never notice it but I am sensitive to it and worried that others might be. My husband doesn't notice it and thinks it's silly to point it out on the listing. Everything else is glorious but it may be unexpected to visitors picturing paradise."

Hmmm. This concern seems to fall into the category I mentioned in my first response to this issue. It is not a flaw specific to Ruth's home, but rather a unique aspect of life in her area. Anyone who wants to visit the Florida Keys should already be aware that a "Key" is defined as a low, narrow, reef-like island. A visitor should not be surprised that one of the major roads that bisects the island is audible from a home's outdoor space under certain wind conditions.


We live in Manhattan and I describe our home as "large by Manhattan standards" and "quiet compared to most Manhattan apartments". If a swap family arrived and was shocked that some street noise is audible from within our apartment I would think they were confusing our city with Manhattan, Kansas or Manhattan Beach, California.


It seems to me that you do not need to mention very obvious aspects of your location. If someone could reasonably be described as "naive" for being unaware of an obvious fact common to your area, it is not a flaw in your home. Examples would be "New York City is noisy" or "Alabama is hot in August" or "our neighbors in Mexico City speak only Spanish" or "European homes may be old" or "the Florida Keys are narrow and tend to have one major road bisecting them".


Ruth, other readers may want to share another opinion, but in my judgment you can consider your Florida home officially "quirk free" on the matter of traffic noise. But if there are alligators in your backyard, don't keep it a secret from your potential home exchange partners!


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