The Site: HomeExchange.com
- $9.95 per month membership fee, with 2nd year free if you don’t have an exchange
- 30% OFF membership with HomeExchange.com coupon code: tvlsitecritiche2011
- Paid membership allows you to swap homes for free in 137 countries
- Largest selection of home exchange listings online
- Over 37,000 home swap listings
- Own a luxury home? Get a Home Exchange Gold membership for ultra high end luxury properties
- HomeExchange.com was featured in the movie “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jack Black
- Trial membership for any verified member of another home exchange agency: Three month membership on HomeExchange.com for just $1. See our HINT below.
The Good:
It’s simple. You stay in my house, while I stay at yours. As paid members are exchanging homes, you get your vacation accommodations completely free. You typically don’t need to pay for anything other than the transporation to your destination, and you can arrange to exchange cars as well. As you are staying in a house, cooking your meals is an option which can save you more money while traveling. If you want to stay within your own country, consider a weekend home exchange, as weekend home exchanges are becoming increasingly popular. We think swapping homes is a cheap way to see the world, yet it allows you the luxury of staying in a private home rather than a crowded hotel. When you stay in a real neighborhood, you get to experience your destination as a local would, and not as a typical tourist. The $9.95 monthly fee seems a bit steep at first, but we realize that $120 a year is still cheaper than 1 night at most hotels.
We like how the HomeExchange.com website automatically detects which state we live in, and suggests listings that are looking to exchange homes within our state. After all, you need to find someone who is willing to vacation in your home to arrange a swap.
If you are already a member of another home exchange website, HomeExchange.com will give you a 3 month trial membership for only $1. HINT: Join another home exchange program first, such as HomeForExchange.com, and then join HomeExchange.com for only a buck! After you post a listing on HomeForExchange.com, send an email to Julie@homeexchange.com with a link to your active listing at HomeForExchange.com. After HomeExchange confirms that you have a listing on this other home exchange site, they will email you a special discount coupon code good for a $1 trial membership!
The Bad:
You need to be willing to let complete strangers live in your house while you are away. Not everyone is comfortable with this idea. At least you have the assurance of knowing that your exchange partner will likely take good care of your house, as they wish for you to take good care of theirs.
If you live in a small town in Iowa, you may have a difficult time finding anyone who is willing to exchange homes with you…. likewise if your house is small or not very luxurious. This site works best for those who own big houses near major cities, especially popular vacation destinations.
HomeExchange.com would be easier to use if it allowed you to add negative keywords into its search engine. Let’s say you live in a small town in Washington state, which is a several hours drive away from Seattle. You likely won’t find anyone who wants to swap homes with you if they want to go to Seattle. Unfortunately, there is no way to quickly search for those looking travel to Washington state, but not in Seattle. You can only search for your own city, which may pull up nothing if it’s a fairly small town. So, we are forced to fumble through hundreds of listings of those who want to go to Washington state. If we could search for Washington state, yet add “Seattle” as a negative keyword, finding exchange partners would be a snap in smaller cities.
The Fees *:
- $9.95 month for 1 Year Silver Membership. Get your second year membership FREE if you don’t exchange within your first year. Billed in 1 payment of $119.40;
- $15.95 per month for a 3 Month Silver Membership. Billed in 1 payment of $47.85;
- $41.67 per month Home Exchange Gold Membership for ultra luxury home listings
Your membership is unlimited, which means you get to exchange homes as many times as you want with no additional charges or fees. For more information on HomeExchange.com CLICK HERE!
*Based solely on research done by TravelSiteCritic.com, may be inaccurate and subject to changes. Reviews disclosure
Beware of signing up with HomeExchange.com – I have tried 3 times now to cancel my membership, including twice disputing the charges with my credit card and numerous direct emails with the company itself, and yet i still receive a charge every month.