Get to know HomeExchange: Tips for attractive profile and listing

Before you start arranging a home exchange, take some time to complete both your personal profile and your home listing. The more complete they are, the more likely you are to be found and contacted for a home swap.

Completely fill out your personal profile to get it to 100%!

To edit and update your Profile simply click on your profile photo, found at the top right of your screen. That is where you will find the following four options.

Fill out your profile description

Within your HomeExchange profile, you are able to add your Profile Photo, your Name and the Languages you speak, as well as a Description of you (and your family).

Some tips:

• Add a high-quality clear photo from you (and your family). It allows the HomeExchange community to see you and know who they are communicating with. This helps establish trust and credibility.

• Write a personalized and detailed description of you (and your family): By taking the time to explain how many travelers you have, what you like to do, professional details, and more, people looking at your profile can learn a bit about you before reaching out. Think about what information you would like to read from other members and offer them the same details about yourself.

As you fill out your personal profile, you will have the opportunity to verify your mobile phone number and your email address automatically. This is a way for HomeExchange to ensure that you are are an actual person.

Want to have your description in different languages?

Click on the Languages tab, on the right of the Description and translate it into as many languages as you’d like. This way, when other members go to your profile, they will have the opportunity to read your description in their native language.
More detail about it here

View your public profile

Click on "View my public profile" in the box on the left just below your profile photo. This feature lets you preview how your fellow members will view your profile.

Fill out your confidential information

This confidential section is purely for internal use. It can only be viewed by you and the HomeExchange team. It’s not public, which means that no Member will have access to this information until you officially finalize your exchange.

Read more about this section here.

Complete your preferred destinations

Do you dream about specific locations? Want to go to Cape Town? Hope to explore New Zealand? Grab a cup of coffee in Portugal? Adding all your preferred destinations to this section, helps you find exchanges more easily.

Receive notifications

By saving your preferred destinations, you create an alert that sends you an email every time a home that matches your search preferences is added to HomeExchange. For every preferred destination you include, you can add specific details like dates you would like to travel, number of travelers, and a short description.

Why are preferred destinations important?

Not only do they help you in finding an exchange, but they also help you to be found by members in those destinations. When they complete a reverse search for your area, your home will show that you’re interested in visiting their region. Complete your preferred destinations and you are one step closer to your dream holiday!

Read more about preferred destinations here!

Get a little social

HomeExchange is a place that allows our Members to exchange with people who share similar interests with them. Groups, Clubs, and Friends can help with that.

• Groups: Groups are open communities organized around different types of lifestyles. They give Members the confidence that they will be able to exchange with confidence and have fun while traveling. With the help of of groups, Members who use wheelchairs can rest assured that their home exchange is wheelchair-accessible, or families can easily exchange with homes that have toys for their kids. You can even use your groups as a search filter!

• Clubs: These are closed communities. They are created for partnerships with large enterprises, corporations, or associations and offer their Members the possibility to exchange homes with the other Members of their club.

Learn more about how to join Groups and Clubs

• Friends: While you’re exchanging around the world, you will connect with people and end up coming back with the best souvenir you could ask for: friends. Discover how to add friends.

*Reminder: Make sure to save your changes! The save button only appears when you update something. You can find it on the bottom right corner of your page. *

For more detail on the personal profile, check all the dedicated FAQ here.

Fill out your home listing and get it to 100%!

Your Listing is where you are able to add and edit the information directly related to your home. This is where you update your calendar, GuestPoints value per night, location, the specifics of your home such as a description along with all amenities, and high-quality photos.

Update your calendar

By making a point to update your calendar, your home will be more visible within the search. That means you will have more chances to receive exchange requests from Members hoping to exchange during the times you have available.

You can choose to use the green button “Available” (for both reciprocal and non-reciprocal exchanges) or the blue button "Guest Wanted" (if your home is available for other Members but you cannot do reciprocal exchange on these dates).

Important Note!

• When Members search by date and your home is available, it will appear at the top of the results for those dates.
• When you finalize an exchange through HomeExchange, that timeframe will appear automatically as an unavailable period (red) on your calendar.
• You can also use the calendar section to select if you want to be contacted only by Verified Members. This option is only possible if you have been verified.
• You can also select if you prefer to be contacted only about your available periods.

Tip: If you are open to any dates, mark your whole calendar as available!

Want to adjust your GuestPoints per night?
Based on the location of your home, the amenities, and the number and type of beds, HomeExchange will suggest you the number of GuestPoints per night of your home. Make sure you entered all your home information correctly so that your amount is representative of your home. However, if you prefer to modify this number you can increase it in + 30 GP or decrease it as much as you like.

Would you like to do reciprocal exchanges without GuestPoints? This is where you can select that option. Some Members prefer to use GuestPoints in reciprocal exchanges (for example, if it is for different timeframe or duration), that's why we give you the option.

Add your address and location

When updating your home listing, include your address and confirm that it matches with the Google Maps location. Then select which of the options regarding your location is most accurate. You have the following options.

Write a complete description of your home

This is your chance to introduce potential exchange partners to your home. We recommend you personalize your description with details about your home, neighborhood, city, and more. Think of those details you would like to know about in another Members' listings and be sure to include them!

• Title: This is the sentence that other Members will read when they first visit your home listing. Use it to welcome them to your place!

• What will your guests love about your home: Describe your residence and what it is that you really like about it. Do you have an incredible view of the ocean? A picturesque, cozy place to read? Paint a picture of what it’s like living there.

• What will your guests love about your neighborhood?: This is your opportunity to guide potential guests through your area. Introduce your favorite markets, restaurants, or local attractions. You might explain where some events take place or where parks are for children to play. Let Members know about the fantastic places you love to visit.

• Additional information: If you have anything extra you think is important for someone to know, this is a place to explain. You may even want to include links to videos!

Note: Like with your personal profile, you can add descriptions in multiple languages using the dropdown button at the top of your home listing page.

Home and beds section

Select the type of home and residence which is the closest match to your place: House or Apartment and Primary or Secondary Residence. This is very important, as Members can filter their searches for primary or secondary residences.

In addition, you should add other information such as the number of and type of beds your home has, as this impacts the algorithm associated with GuestPoints.

Add high-quality pictures of your home

Make a sure to upload a minimum of 5 photos of your home, otherwise, your listing will not reach 100% complete and won’t be visible to other Members. Feel free to add more than 5 images to give a better view of your home!

It is always a pleasure when you discover nice, clear, and detailed photos when looking at a listing! It will reassure other Members that the way you are describing your home is accurate and lets them visualize visiting your area. The priority should be to show other Members how your home looks inside and what they can expect. Being upfront and honest is always the best policy.

Discover here our best tips on taking great photos of your home.

Home listings with photos of the interior have a higher chance of finding an exchange. To maximize the photos you select, we recommend you to revise them once they are uploaded. If you click on every photo, you will be able to:

• Choose the main image of your listing.
• Change the order of the photos (just click on the photo you want to change and move it to the correct position)
• Rotate the photo in case it’s not in the right position: you will see the option to adjust them if you click on the photo.

Amenities and lifestyle

Review the list of potential amenities and select those that can be found in your home. When you have selected an amenity, it will display in orange.
**If you have a car, a pool, or any other item that you would like to share with your next exchange partners, you can make a note of it here! **

The lifestyle section is where you can indicate any other specific conditions of your home. Are pets allowed? Do you have animals you’d like your exchange partner to care for? Are children welcome?

Reminder:
Filling your first home listing to 100% will earn you a 350 GuestPoints bonus! If your listing is at less than 80% complete, you won't be able to contact other Members and, therefore, you won't be able to arrange exchanges.

You are now ready to complete and personalize your profile and home listing! Don’t forget to click save to all your changes and then the fun of planning your home exchange can begin!