Housesitters Required?

[seaeagle]

A non TV member friend of mine has asked me to post this request.

The family are members of an international Home Exchange scheme. I know they've had some excellent holidays around the world, and the whole thing works on going to stay at the other place overseas, while they come and stay in their place here on Phuket. No costs involved, and only travel fares to pay.

For Christmas and New Year, they had agreed an exchange with a family in California. Due to a terminal illness elsewhere in the immediate family, they've had to cancel their trip to California. However, the Californian family (a scientist and software programmer, with 2 small children) are now, to say the least, stuck - air tickets obtained, but no place to stay.

Okay, they understand that there's a chance they'll just have to book a hotel for their holiday here. However, my friend is wondering this..........

Are there any of you who will be, simply, leaving your homes empty for your own holidays over Christmas / New Year, who would consider having this family from USA 'house-sit' for you? Benefits are that they'll look after plants, pets etc, and your home will be occupied, rather than an empty burglars invitation.

I'm told that, normally, utility bills aren't paid for, since the other half of the exchange uses utilties anyway - it's all net=ted off. Here, I think that some sort of utilty payment will be on offer, of course.

Failing a house sit, then you could always consider using the exchange facility and going to California, but I don't know the specifics of that, and you'd need to discuss this with my frind.

So, if anyone out there is interested, and can help out, please post or PM.

[ilyelol]

can you give more info about the california house? location? style?

i might be interested if its not too far from LV or LA

[seaeagle]

Think I'll be asking my friend to sign up to TV!!!!

He's told me that the best way to view what they have is to go to www.homeexchange.com.

Then put in their reference number - 128191. This will bring up their details and property pictures.

You don't have to be an exchange member to do this, apparently.

[Jimi007]

Due to a terminal illness elsewhere in the immediate family, they've had to cancel their trip to California.

How very sad for the family, it not a very happy time of year for me either. My mother died Christmas morning.

But that aside, didn't they enter into a legal contract of any sort? I would be rather upset if I had entered into an agreement, booked my tickets and the other party backed out for whatever reason. I already have an empty house in California and I wouldn't be there at that time of the year anyway. The good skiing hasn't started really yet, plus who want's to ski with the holiday crowd? And by the beach it can be very nice at times or very rainy and cold... But it's usually pretty nice that time of the year here. I already have one friend coming to visit in November and another in December from California.

Best wishes for everyone involved! Hopefully you will all have a happy holiday...

[viciouskitty74]

The homes exchange thingy......is not popular for asians.

If the Phuket family is unable to compensate with hotel stays.....due to the sudden need of financials for the terminal illness thingy.

Why not check with some of the locals? Some so called locals, goes off to holiday to their northern thailand/cambodia/myanmar/laos homes during the christmas/new year period. And that leaves their homes empty. They might be willing to rent out their homes at cheap prices.

I know my father rather pack the doggies and put the house empty, let the neighbours water his plants on such long road trips to northern thailand with his thai wife. He had bad experiences with his brother in laws staying in his empty homes and the brother in laws, lets say, really messed up.

[steelepulse]

It's kind of a reach to trade peak time in Phuket for cold Bay Area. I'm in a different home exchange program and I usually get an offer to stay in a big city in Europe over the holidays for the Euros to come stay in warm sunny Phuket. It's tough to find a trade which suits both parties. Best offer I got was a nice home in Calgary 15 minutes from a ski resort, but it's too cold for us.

[Lannatyne]

It's kind of a reach to trade peak time in Phuket for cold Bay Area. I'm in a different home exchange program and I usually get an offer to stay in a big city in Europe over the holidays for the Euros to come stay in warm sunny Phuket. It's tough to find a trade which suits both parties. Best offer I got was a nice home in Calgary 15 minutes from a ski resort, but it's too cold for us.

If you read the information correctly on their "exchange page", they can exchange at any time, and also offer a couple of options in Europe, too. So, you could visit California / Europe in the high season, not just at the time they want to come to Phuket.

[steelepulse]

I didn't read the page as the houses available were way below the standard of the program I'm involved in. BTW, how convenient is it to have to move out of your own house and rent something or stay with someone else when the other exchange party stays are your house. I'd say not very convenient at all.

[Lannatyne]

I didn't read the page as the houses available were way below the standard of the program I'm involved in. BTW, how convenient is it to have to move out of your own house and rent something or stay with someone else when the other exchange party stays are your house. I'd say not very convenient at all.

You seem very keen to knock this call for help, steelepulse.

As long as the house isn't a tin shack, then I'd suggest that it is the DESTINATION that most people would like to visit, rather than the host house. For example, I'd be more than willing to exchange my beautiful 4 bedroom pool villa, for a 2 bedroom apartment in Sydney. I need a room for us and one for the child and just want to go to Sydney - get it?

For me, at least once a year I have to / wish to visit in-laws here or family overseas. It is then that exchanges can occur at good times of the year, as a house can still be looked after. And the other part of the exchange can take place at a better time in the other destination.

Quite easy, really, and VERY convenient.

[steelepulse]

Did I ever doubt it's the destination? If so where did I say this? I'm merely pointing out I wouldn't trade peak time here for off time and bad weather somewhere else. I'm also pointing out that your logic of not doing direct trade makes it a pain in the ass for both parties as you have to abandon your residence while you let someone stay at your house, even though you are not switching houses at the same time with that theoretical apartment in Sydney, get it?

>>For me, at least once a year I have to / wish to visit in-laws here or family overseas

what if the other party doesn't want to visit when you are visiting familes overseas? Now you'll have to leave again when they do want to come.

Overall I think the idea of a home exchange is good, it just needs to be value for value and at an acceptable time to be convenient to all parties, whatever you work out.

Since you feel your "beautiful pool villa" is so nice, why not try to get listed here http://www.exclusiveexchanges.com/login.aspx where at least you'll be having a choice of high end properties.