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In This Issue: Swap Talk
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Time flies, can it be October already?
People often ask if an exchange has to be like-for-like, and now I use my own experience as an example:
But the important thing, the location and utility were perfect, and it was exactly what both of us were looking for, so all the differences were really positives. Our exchange partners also needed a place near a wedding they were attending, and while they were here, their young girls met and played with the neighbors’ kids on our kid-friendly block. So the summer travel season is over, but that doesn't mean you can’t still find some great Home Exchange opportunities. Fall through Spring are often the best times to travel because there are less crowds, and many of our Members can either get away, or have second homes that are available. They are finding that local or regional getaways for a long weekends are becoming one of the most popular uses of HomeExchange. Many Members tell us they are now making 3,4, or 5 exchanges per year, taking long weekends between San Francisco and Napa, Boston and Vermont, Washington DC and North Carolina or Charleston. HomeExchange is not just for that big 3 week vacation anymore! But we have also been working hard on the site, and in another section of this Newsletter, George will be telling you about the new features you can find on the website, and there are lots more to come. We’re also very excited about “The Holiday” coming out in December, and have been working with SONY and Universal to promote the movie. We’ll have some special offers tied in to the release, and hope you and all your friends go see it. http://www.homeexchange.com/news_holiday.php On a serious note, we have had reports of some people trying to spam our Members, or making improper solicitations to join other agencies. I can assure you we are making every effort to prevent this, but we urge you to tell us if this happens to you. In the meantime we have taken a zero tolerance position and have actually filed lawsuits against intruders that have resulted in financial settlements in our favor. We have new ideas, soon to be implemented, that will further protect all of us. We look forward to your feedback about the site and your HomeExchange experiences. Bon voyage, Ed Kushins
YOU ASKED FOR IT, AND WE DELIVER
We are excited to be launching three new features this month, in addition to last months new HomeExchange.com design and our new Help Center. We've received lots of positive comments about the new look for the website, thanks to all those who wrote in with their thumbs up for the new design! This month we have some great new features for you to get aquatinted with: FEEDBACK CHAT NEW DESIGN! HELP CENTER!
FROM HOMEEXCHANGE.COM
MEET JULIE OSBORNE, OUR CONCIERGE
HomeExchange.com has given me some wonderful opportunities. I'm from England, and prior to moving to California I had enjoyed two long and highly successful careers: one in entertainment and international voiceover work where I had been performing lead roles within professional theatres throughout the UK and reached in excess of 10,000 people per year with my performances; the other in software design within both a software house in Bath and also while managing an IT center in North Devon. But I really wanted to try living and working in the US, and if you are going to live in the USA, you might as well live by the beach in California. In March 2006 I finally got my work visa and started looking for work in the entertainment and voiceover field. Luckily for me, Ed Kushins asked me to do some projects for him at HomeExchange.com. It was a completely different type of business for me, and I was amazed by the whole concept, number and variety of amazing Listings from around the world. I was fascinated and hooked! Ed and the HomeExchange team had lots of great ideas for expanding the business and improving the website, so the projects led to more projects. I loved discussing with George, the website software design issues and also talking to the Members. I happily increased my time at HomeExchange, and Ed created the job of"Concierge" for me, to cover my work in software design, email and telephone support with Judy, complaint handler, and project manager in Admin and in Marketing. Even with my added responsibilities, it could be said that at this point I was "hiding my light under a bushel" in that I had all this entertainment background that nobody from HomeExchange.com knew about, even though my English accent seemed to go over very well with the Members. Then something wonderful happened. Ed happened to hear my demo CD and from then on my career with HomeExchange.com expanded into my other field as well. Ed decided to use me as the "Signature Voice" for HomeExchange. He said "it portrayed an international, professional, comforting feeling", and it's now being recorded for the on-line automated customer service. I was thrilled, as I would now also be using my other experience and talent within the company.
And now they are planning to use my voice for the HomeExchange media marketing that is to follow the release of "The Holiday". I might even get to use my singing voice! This has turned into a fabulous opportunity for me, use my computer software background, to talk to (and help as I can) many great Members, to feel like an integral part of the HomeExchange team, and to use my professional entertainment talent too. Who knew? Feel free to call or write, I love talking to home exchangers about HomeExchange!
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
October Survey CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR NEW SURVEY
Exchanging homes? Is that a new idea? How does it work? We first heard about the idea approximately 17 years ago. At the time, our family was just getting started as our oldest son was 2 years old. We were living in a rented three-story townhouse in Ottawa, Canada's Capital City. As a teacher, I was able to take full advantage of summer months. When we first read an article on the topic of home exchanging in a local newspaper, we dismissed it as it seemed to us that it would not be proper to exchange a rental property. So the idea quickly died. One year later (in 1990), we purchased our first home, made renovations and made various travel plans never thinking back to the article we had read a year earlier. Then in 1991 after investing far too much money in home renovations, it became obvious that holidays would not happen that year. That is when the home exchange idea came back. A quick search allowed us to find the article we had read two years earlier. After some of our questions, we decided to take the plunge and registered with the hope that this would work for us. Our main doubt was the fact that we were unsure whether or not Ottawa would be an attractive enough destination for fellow exchangers. We sent out exchange invitations and…it actually happened! A Florida couple was interested! We worked out the details for the very first exchange which was set for August 1992. As we worked out the details, we were still somewhat uncomfortable with some aspects of home exchanging. Luckily, our Florida exchangers were very experienced, having prepared and enjoyed a number of exchanges. They provided us with tips, shared some of their experiences and agreed to meet us in our home for dinner and a good chat before we actually took off with their house keys. In our case, this extra special attention made a world of difference. These people were not strangers: they were pretty much like us in many ways. Even more interesting was the fact that our 3 hours together did not add that much to what we already knew about them (letters and phone calls had been very effective for us). We left with peace in our minds and enjoyed a fantastic 3 week holiday. Years have passed since our first exchange. Our daughter was born in 1993 and our second son a few years later, in 1999. Those two years have been the only ones since 1992 when exchanges have not materialized as it was really impossible to plan them. In all, there have been 20 exchanges. Apart from the initial Florida exchange, many other exchanges have been memorable. For instance, in 1998, we were able to put together three successive exchanges which in fact gave us 6 weeks of continuous holidays in July and August of that year. Other exchanges have allowed us to really make the most of our time and financial resources. In 2005, a shortage of cash (3 children - one in university, another one with braces, etc., etc.) gave us the opportunity to exchange closer to home which had not happened before. We had short stays in Montreal (120 miles from home) and within our province of Ontario. This turned out to be the ideal scenario for us and introduced us to the idea of weekend exchanges which we hope to pursue in the next few years. On a final note, exchanges have been a source of lasting friendships for us. These friendships have even spawned 3 separate exchanges with one of our fellow exchangers (in 1996, again in 2001 and this year in 2006). Another couple has also visited us when the husband was on a work assignment in Ottawa for a period of six months. We are looking forward to our 2007 exchanges (2 in the works) and many more in the years to come. Raynald Proulx & Sylvie Bozozu
If you have any photos from your home exchange vacations that you want to share with us, we are always looking for fun photos to share on our site and to use for other promotional activities. Send photos to: switch1@homeexchange.com
 Summer has come and gone here in my neck of the woods, soccer has started for my kids, along with fall softball, volleyball and the 16 practices a week that come with all those sports! Sorry we missed you last month, we got so busy here at HomeExchange.com with all the new features and projects we've been working on, we took a one month summer holiday from the newsletter, but we are back in business this month! This month I would like to focus on what you can do to find a great home exchange through our site. BE PROACTIVE: Instead of putting your listing on the site and waiting for the offers to roll in, you are much better served by searching our many listings and sending out emails to listings that interest you. 2-3 emails just won't cut it though, you are increasing the odds of a successful home exchange with each email you send, so find 15 listings that are a match for your travel plans and send out those emails! You can always use the "MY SAVED LISTINGS" email feature which will allow you to send the same message to multiple listings with just a few simple clicks. READ THE LISTINGS: Before you fire off all those emails, make sure the listing you are viewing is a match for your home. Nothing worse then sending out 15 emails and then you find out 12 of them don't have enough beds for your party of 6. Also, if the listing states they only have 2 bedrooms and don't allow pets, no need to ask them if you can bring your 3 cats and all your neighbors. TRY TO BE FLEXIBLE: If you have your heart set on going to a very specific little village in Italy during the first week of April, you might find the going is a little tough. On the other hand, if you wanted to visit Paris during the summer, you would have hundreds of listings to choose from. It's great to have focus in your search, but don't rule anything out until you have given it some thought. You also might get a fantastic exchange offer from an area you weren't really considering, so keep those options open! KEEP CHECKING THE HOMEEXCHANGE.COM WEBSITE: New listings come in every day, every hour! While you can set up email notices to instantly get notified of new listings coming in, you can also see the 200 newest listings from your account area, and also simply browse the site to see all the new listings that come in. Make sure you check the list of who sent you email, sometimes emails can get blocked by SPAM of bulk email filters, so check to make sure the emails sent to you are getting through. SEARCH!: We have all kinds of searches you can make use of on our site. From simple destination searches, to a reverse search (to see who wants to come to your area) - you can search by country, city, or leisure activity. There is almost nothing you cannot search for. We have quick searches for a variety of listings right from the header of each page on the site, and you can also do a keyword search there as well. The more searches you do the more potential matches you will find! CHECK YOUR EMAIL: Not only should you check your email to see which inquiries are coming to you, but you need to make sure your email provider isn't putting too many road blocks in front of your own email address. AOL, Hotmail and Earthlink are all really tough on email, even email you want to receive. It is always a good idea to login to your HomeExchange.com account and send an email to your own listing just to make sure everything is working with your email provider. You want to make sure you are getting all those great email inquiries to your own listing!  So get out there and find a terrific exchange over the coming months! You will be glad you did. Until next month! -George P.S. I'm still looking for that 60's Fender Bass if you find one in the closet or your basement!
We hope you have enjoyed reading this issue of "Switch". Please feel free to send your friends a copy! Just send them this URL: http://www.homeexchange.com/affinity/_en/newsletter/200610.html Bon Voyage! The Staff of HomeExchange.com
The Best Travel Value on the Web! |
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Many of you have talked to Julie, or exchanged emails with her as she has
worked to answer your questions or help solve your problems.
We'd like you to see the face behind the voice and learn a little more about
our wonderful Concierge. She loves talking to you and we are so happy to
have her working with us. Julie has continued to surprise us with her skills. 
