House-Swapping Attracts Variety Of Travelers

For some homeowners, spring cleaning means sprucing up the house, not for themselves but for strangers who’ll stay there while they vacation at the other family’s chateau or villa.

House-swapping, once mainly the province of teachers on extended leaves, now attracts a wide variety of travelers. And no wonder. The only significant cost is getting to your destination, making it the ultimate budget getaway - sort of like camping but infinitely more comfortable than a tent.

How can people dare to trust their homes - and often their cars and pets - to someone they’ll probably never meet? Fairly easily, judging by the thousands who do it year after year. Agencies that compile lists of would-be swappers say even minor complaints are rare since exchangers tend to be well-traveled types who settle into new environments with appreciation and respect. While most trade their neighborhood for a foreign culture, others often exchange for as briefly as a weekend.

Two major agencies publish catalogs of exchange possibilities, and a dozen or so newcomers are Internet-based. All are merely forums, however; it’s up to potential house swappers to interview one another, check credentials and iron out any concerns - such as how to handle cancellations. (One frequent exchanger guarantees her home: If she can’t leave town when she said she would, she stays with a neighbor or in a hotel so the swappees can have her house as promised.) Though agencies say the worst problem they ever hear about is messy housekeeping (which some homeowners head off by exchanging cleaning services, too), they recommend making sure your home and car insurance are paid up.

Intervac, based in San Francisco, is a network of 22 independently owned companies offering more than 10,000 homes in 30 countries (most listings are in Europe, led by France). The United States is the second most popular destination for its exchangers, representing about 20 percent of houses listed. Directories are published in January, March, May and June. A subscription fee of $65 ($60 if you’re over 62) plus $13 postage and handling buys three catalogs and one listing of your own home (add $11 if you want to include a photo); the fourth book is available for an additional $25. Call (800) 756-HOME.

Vacation Exchange Club/ Homelink, based in Key West, Fla., publishes five catalogs a year. The largest usually is January’s, which this year has about 8,000 entries from several dozen countries. About two-thirds are in Europe, the rest in North America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand. Members pay $83 for two years’ worth of directories, including one listing a year ($18 more if you want to include a photo). The company expects to have a Web site this summer. Call (800) 638-3841.

International Home Exchange Network is among the new Internet-based forums. Members pay $29.95 a year to post their home; changes and photos are free. You’ll find the site at http://www.homexchange.com.