Whether you’re trading homes for a joint sabbatical (genius!), or pursuing a house swap for your travels, there are many things you can do to put your mind at ease – and welcome your guests into your home as if it was theirs. There are also some things you can do to make their experience even better – and maybe your home swap will be an annual event, if you love it at their home! There are many websites for home swaps, and you will have done your due diligence and found a great house exchange partner, gotten to know them, given all the important facts they need to get to and into your house (directions, security system codes, insurance, etc.), agreed upon terms, discussed a car exchange (or not), cleaning standards, etc.. Now what?

Here’s how to prepare your home for a Home Swap

1.    Clean your house

I can’t say this enough – deep clean your house! Hire carpet cleaners (they can do upholstery, too). Wash the windows. Face your books (speaks the librarian). Scrub the shower. Tidy the silverware drawer. Fix broken things. Make your house clean and sparkling and welcome. Put fresh flowers out. Make sure the lawn is freshly mowed and your outdoor plants and garden are watered.

2.    Fresh towels and sheets

While it’s tiresome to do this the morning you leave, be sure to put fresh sheets on the beds and clean towels in the bathrooms. Don’t forget kitchen towels and your dishrag and a new sponge. Be sure there is plenty of toilet paper, paper towels, and other general home supplies (lightbulbs, batteries, etc.) in an easily accessible location.

3.    Make space

Clear room in your closets. Clean out your drawers. Depending on how long your house swap is, decide how much to put away (if it is for a sabbatical year, pack all your clothes away). Make room for your home exchange partners to live there.

4.    Important numbers list

This is the first of three important sets of information. Make a directory page of all your important numbers – your vet if they are also pet-sitting, neighbors who can help, emergency numbers (including 911, if your partners are coming from another country), a number for your plumber and other home repair specialists, your favorite babysitters, and any other specific numbers that they might need.

5.    Your own personal guide

Have a favorite restaurant or pizza joint? What is your favorite café? Where do you buy groceries? Which gas station do you prefer? Where do you shop? Where are your favorite parks, pokemon go pokestops, walking trails, pools, beaches, jazz clubs? Make a visitor’s guide to your place.  Share your favorites, your best local tips, and places that tourists don’t usually see. Include customs that might not be familiar to international visitors, and any less-desirable locations in town to avoid.

6.    Directions

For the third document you’re preparing, include how to connect their laptops and devices to the wifi (and how to reset it if the internet goes out), links to online appliance guides, the trash pickup days and how to do it, your preferences for home things (like keeping windows open, what cleaning products you prefer if they run out- especially if you have chemical sensitivities), where the fire extinguishers are and how to use them, and directions for watering your plants and caring for your yard/sidewalks/driveway (depending on the season). 

7.    Prepay your bills

You’ve probably been paying your bills online for years, but if you haven’t been, switch now. You can prepay any bills that can’t be paid online before you go. Your home exchange partners should not have to deal with this. You can hold your mail for a short period, but if you’re going to be gone for a while, just ask your house swap partners to keep it in one place, and let you know if there’s something that needs to be dealt with immediately.

8.    Let’s talk food

Clean out your fridge, except for condiments. Clear your cupboards of shelf-stable items, or let them know that they are free to consume any of them. Now here’s the good part:  buy your favorite coffee for them (the coffeeshop/local roaster you probably already recommended in your favorite places guide), fresh milk and juice, fruit, maybe a loaf of bread from your favorite bakery, etc. If they are coming in late at night, have eggs and other breakfast foods in the fridge, so they aren’t hungry. If you’ve communicated well beforehand, you will know their preferences and can have it ready for them.

9.    Put away your valuables

This might seem obvious, but wrap and store your valuables. This might include art, special glassware, jewelry, collectibles, your wine collection, precious historical family photos- anything you have that can’t be replaced. 

10.    Think of what you’d want, in a home exchange

Maybe it’s a stroller, access to locals, toys for the kids, the fastest route to campus, a quiet walking path, or something else, advise your partners on the best tips for your area, and ask your friends to help welcome them in a variety of ways. And, be sure you’re available by phone or email for problems or help.