Ten International Principles for a succesful Homelink Exchange
Describe your home honestly in your listing and in
all correspondence. You want your exchange partner to be pleasantly
surprised when he or she arrives, not disappointed. Never hide
the existence of pets..
Leave your home clean. Standards of cleanliness vary
so make sure that floors are vacuumed and mopped, refrigerator
emptied, stove and oven grease free, bath and shower free of
mould and grime and surfaces dust free.
Clear away enough of your personal belongings to leave space
on shelves and in closets and drawers so that guests can empty
their suitcases, arrange their things in bedrooms and bathrooms
and feel at home. Any items that are precious or breakable
that you are worried about can easily be stored in a locked
'no go' area of your house.
Leave enough clean sheets and towels.
Compile a clear and useful "Guide to your home and
surroundings" which includes local tourist in formation
and household notices about the use of electrical appliances,
pool maintenance, pet and plant care and when the rubbish is
put out.
Use your "Exchange
Agreement Form" in order to avoid all misunderstandings
and clarify who pays for what in terms of telephone, electric
bills, insurance in case of accidents and staple foods such
as flour sugar, seasonings etc.
Make sure your exchangers have the contact number of
a friendly neighbour for when they have any problems.
Leave the makings of a first meal. Just a snack to
keep them going until they have time to go shopping.
It has become a HomeLink tradition to leave a small welcome
gift e.g. a bottle of local wine. Always a nice surprise!
At the end of your stay, before leaving your exchange residence,
don't forget to put things back where you found them and leave
the house organised and clean - a welcome sight to your
partners when they arrive home.
Home exchanging has tremendous potential for creating goodwill
among people throughout the world. In keeping with this philosophy,
we believe that if you are on the receiving end of an exchange
offer, courtesy requires that you acknowledge each offer, whether
or not you intend to explore the proposal.
Even a brief e-mail will suffice, stating simply:
"Thank you for your offer, but exchanging to _______ is not
in our plans for this year."
In your own initial invitation you can add:
"May we ask you to express any possible interest in this
proposal by (give date 1-3 weeks hence),
after which we will assume our exchange offer does not fit in
with your plans".
Send e-mail messages individually and personalized, using the
members' names.
Refrain from *bulk* e-mails with impersonal salutations like "Dear
HomeLinker".
Useful tips and information
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