House Sitting vs Home Exchange: The Best Way to Keep Your Home Safe While Traveling

House sitting and home exchange are popular options for anyone looking to secure their homes while away, whether for a short or extended period.

Imagine being away on business or enjoying a relaxing vacation and knowing your home is in good hands. There would be no anxiety or worries about burglaries, burst pipes, or unattended pets or plants.

But what’s the difference between the two, which is better, and which option is right for you?

This article answers these and many other questions as we explore the pros and cons of both options and share practical tips for succeeding as a home exchanger.

What is house sitting?

House sitting is an arrangement in which you engage the services or help of a third party to stay in your home for a defined period. In this arrangement, the house sitter uses your property as their home base even if there’s provision to come and go.

One thing is clear: each house sitting plan is different. Each sitter oversees specific, often personalized, tasks for the homeowner.

Most people need house sitters for when they’re away for an extended period, but they’re also common for people with schedules that do not allow them to care for their pets.

For example, someone with a cat or dog who is okay with being alone all day but needs company at night may need a house sitter if they have dinner plans or have to spend the night at the office.

Great for insurance

Being away from home for 30 or sometimes 60 days consecutively nullifies many home and content insurance policies.

Getting a house sitter ensures this does not happen if your trip or absence lasts this long. This pro also applies to home swaps.

Companionship for your pets

House sitting is tailor-made for caring for your pets in your absence. As a matter of fact, some sitters still retain their full-time jobs and only come at regular intervals—mainly after work—to feed and cuddle your pets. It’s all about your specific needs.

A live-in house sitter can continue to meet your pets' needs round-the-clock and ensure their schedule is not thrown out of whack.

They can feed them at specific times, take them for a walk, give them cuddles and love, and ensure they remain in known surroundings instead of pet boarding or staying with a friend or family.

Accessible at a whim

Mostly, it’s much easier to book a house sitter in emergencies. Many platforms enable you to hire sitters almost instantaneously.

Handle different tasks around the house

Another advantage of house sitting is that the arrangement can include the sitter handling many more tasks.

This is especially true for house sitting assignments that you pay the sitter for. If you’re offering a paid gig, you can place more demands, like looking after your garden, and agree on terms that match these demands.

The fee can quickly stack up for long-term trips

Quality and trusted house sitters are hard to find. Most in this category offer a paid service. Even for the most inexperienced house sitters, you’re looking at a minimum of $50-60 and $75 for more experienced hands per overnight stay.

The sum quickly adds up even if you’re gone for a few weeks or a month. On top of that, you’re still paying your utility bills, rent or mortgage, and accommodation in your new location.

Requires some form of micromanagement

One of the potential drawbacks of house-sitting is that it requires a certain degree of micromanagement from you. A house sitter is expected to follow a set of responsibilities that you assign.

This means constant oversight, instructions, and check-ins to get the desired results, especially if this is your first time working with a particular sitter.

What is a home exchange?

Home exchange, also known as house swapping, is a process where you and someone else in another location agree to swap your homes.

Platforms like HomeExchange usually facilitate the exchange. These platforms handle all the administrative needs, such as background checks, house protection, and ensuring that listed houses conform to a particular standard.

You could, however, also swap homes with trusted friends and families.

So, on the agreed date/period, they will stay at your house, and you will stay at theirs. You’ll live in their home as if it were your own, and they’ll do likewise in yours.

Traditionally, both parties must agree on a suitable period for the swap. However, on HomeExchange, it’s possible to stay at someone else’s home even when they cannot stay at yours. This is possible through GuestPoints.

Pros

Some advantages of swapping homes are:

Cost-effective way to experience the world

One of the most compelling advantages of home swapping is how much you can reduce your travel budget, especially if you’re adventurous.

Let’s say you’re traveling to another country for a month. Despite not being around, you’ll still need to pay rent or mortgage, utility bills, and still pay for a hotel or other forms of accommodation at your destination.

Home exchanges ensure you’re not paying twice for accommodation. So you can save money.

The average cost of a seven-day vacation is $1,991 per person (it could be as high as $5,728); according to the European Union, accommodation accounts for 36% of all vacation expenditures.

Doing the maths, with home exchange, you’ll save about $716.76 for a trip that costs $1,991. Now imagine how much you’ll save with multiple travels per year.

With a platform like HomeExchange Collection, a modest annual fee, lower than the cost of a few nights in a hotel, gets you unlimited swaps yearly at some of the world's most breathtaking properties.

How does a home exchange work?

Offers a more authentic travel experience

Swapping homes will probably place you in residential areas where you get to live like a local and experience the local culture in ways you may not have if you were staying at a hotel.

These local areas are less likely to overflow with other tourists, irrespective of the time of the year. Plus, with your exchange partner on hand via direct communication to offer personalized recommendations, you can truly experience the destination like a local.

Comes with added protection and guarantees

Home swapping platforms often provide an added layer of financial protection and guarantees that aren’t typically part of a house-sitting arrangement.

For example, HomeExchange offers up to $2,000,000 in accidental property damage protection to your own home. Beyond that, there’s also compensation of up to $350 per night if your host cancels your arrangement and you cannot make another swap.

May also come with pet care

With an intermediary like HomeExchange, you get to combine the best of home swapping with pet sitting. You can search and filter for guests interested in helping with plant and pet care.

You don’t have to worry about boarding expenses or removing your pets from their comfort zone.

Flexibility

Home exchange can be incredibly flexible when it comes to the duration of your trip. You can swap for short weekends, a week, two weeks, a month, or even longer stays.

And without the burden of paying for accommodation, extended travel, sabbaticals, or digital nomad lifestyles become more practical for most people.

Better privacy than hotels

In a home exchange arrangement, you’re swapping the entire home in most cases, not just a room. This means you have the whole place to yourself, unlike a hotel or guesthouse where you might have strangers living next door or sharing common areas like the pool with other guests.

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What are the cons of home exchange?

Some potential cons of home exchange include:

Risk of unfair exchanges

While no two properties will ever be the same, there’s always the risk of a swap not being equivalent. Some homeowners can exaggerate their home or location in the property description, leading to mismatched expectations.

This is especially true for people with multi-million dollar homes seeking to swap homes with like-minded people.

HomeExchange mitigates this risk through a bespoke offering for high-end properties called HomeExchange Collection and by thoroughly vetting each property to ensure it meets minimum but very high standards.

Find out if your home is eligible!

Less control over guest actions

Another potential hiccup with home exchange is that you have less control over guests and can’t exactly “put them to task” like you would a house sitter. However, this is not a deal breaker as you’ll equally have the same freedom while living in someone else’s house.

Also, one key aspect of Home Exchange Collection is the communication process during the finalization stage. Hosts and guests typically exchange several messages, providing ample opportunity to clarify expectations and agree on the level of 'work' such as watering plants or feeding pets the guest is comfortable with.

Which is better, house sitting vs. home exchange?

Home exchange is generally a better option than house sitting, primarily because it offers the added value of free accommodation in another location.

Home swapping on a credible platform like HomeExchange also provides the added benefit of protection against damage and guarantees against cancellations, making the process more secure.

That said, home sitting may be a more viable option in certain situations. For example, when you need someone to look after your home for a short period, such as an overnight stay, and you’re not traveling elsewhere, home sitting may be a more viable option.

Effective tips for a home exchange

Here are a few of our recommendations for making the most of home exchanges:

• Choose a reputable home exchange platform like HomeExchange that vets properties and owners and provides protections and guarantees for cancellations and damages.
• Add a detailed description of your home, highlighting all its amenities and vital information, such as house rules and nearby attractions.
• Set clear expectations and house rules, and communicate openly with home exchangers to establish trust and rapport. You may even create a home guidebook filled with information to help your guests.
• Prepare your home for guests. We’ve published a detailed guide/checklist; check it out here.
• Maintain open communication throughout.

Takeaway: Home exchange is the superior choice for keeping your home safe thanks to its additional benefits

Home sitting and home exchange are both practical ways to keep your home safe while traveling.

However, home exchange stands out as the more cost-effective and secure option, especially when using a reputable platform like HomeExchange.
With added benefits like free accommodation, financial protections, and flexible travel opportunities, home swapping provides significant value beyond just home security.

Ultimately, the best option depends on your specific needs.

Do you want to explore a world of luxury, comfort, and cultural immersion while saving money? Then HomeExchange Collection is for you. HomeExchange Collection is an exclusive home-swapping community for high net-worth travelers. Join today to stay in extraordinary homes worldwide!

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