Every home exchanger's first nightmare is to arrive at the swappers' address to find a vacant lot or a lock that doesn't fit their key. That just doesn't happen. But there is another fear that is more realistic: coming home to damage.
Will the home exchangers take good care of your house? Probably they will. You will not, however, come home to find your home in exactly the same condition as when you left. It just isn't possible for a couple or family to live in your home for a week, a weekend or even a day without moving something, using something else or simply not making the bed the way you like it.
Before you open your door, be aware that part of home exchange is that your home will be used. Even if you find something broken or lost, keep your perspective.
We came home from a recent vacation expecting something to be messed up. The swappers were not, to phrase it diplomatically, tech-savvy. They had called us in a panic several times, unable to make the television or wireless internet work. The typical problem was a surge strip they had accidentally turned off.
We were not surprised, or too annoyed, to find that they had let certain battery-powered devices drain, or that they had accidentally erased our outgoing answering machine message and left the message machine turned off. It was a little more inconvenient that they lost the television set remote control, despite the fact that it is not needed for watching tv (only the cable remote is used).
It is important to keep perspective. While the television remote will cost $50 to replace, we are not even contacting the exchangers about it. After all, $50 is a small sum compared to renting a vacation home and car for two weeks.
You may come home to a house that is cleaner than you left it, or find some home repair projects completed. Conversely you may find new repairs are needed if your swap partners are not too careful. Just remember to keep things in perspective. Home exchange means someone is in your home. Value the richness that brings to your travel experience, not the cost of minor repairs or replacements.
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