Things you Need to Prepare Before Guests Arrive in your Home for a House Swap

Swaphouse offers an exciting opportunity to live like a local and immerse yourself in a new world while working remotely. After all the excitement and joy overwhelms you in the beginning, the stress and anxiety of preparing start to set in. Having a prepared and happy home is essential for a successful house swap, but sometimes it can be hard to know where to start.

While there is no detailed guide of every single thing that can be done to prepare your home for guests, there are a lot of common and practical things that can be accomplished beforehand. Before you panic, take a look at this checklist. This guide is here to give you an overview of how to properly prepare your home for a house swap before guests arrive.

Create a Welcome Pack

Creating a welcome pack for your guests they can look at as soon as they arrive is one of the best ideas to provide important information. Guests will appreciate a simple and convenient way to get all the information they may need throughout their stay. When creating a welcome pack, consider adding the following information:

Address & Contact Details: Be sure to leave the address of the property, as well as important contact details. Phone numbers and email addresses of you, as well as neighbors or close friends that may be able to help in case of a problem or emergency. Additionally, emergency contacts such as hospitals, ambulances, police departments, and fire stations.

Recommend Local Spots: One of the best parts of a house swap is getting the chance to live like a local. Recommend local spots such as restaurants, shops, or favorite places around the area. Mention your favorite things to do, dishes to eat, and other things to try that a typical tourist may not be aware of.

WiFi & Internet Access: As a remote worker, internet access is one of the most important factors to look for when doing a house swap. Include all networks and passwords, in addition to contact information for the providing company, just in case any problems arise.

High Maintenance Decor: Leave proper instructions for high maintenance decor around the house that guests need to be responsible for. Maintenance such as lawn work, watering plants, feeding pets, or other various duties should all be listed.

Updates & Safety

Before your guests arrive, it is essential to make all updates needed on or around the home that are needed for safety reasons. Feeling safe is one of the most important factors of a house swap, so being prepped and prepared ahead of time will bring good reviews for your Swaphouse profile. When preparing your house for safety, consider these factors:

Clear Space: Make space for your guests. A house swap is meant to feel like a home-away-from-home, not a hotel. Clear space for guests to store their belongings such as closets, dressers, counters and draw space in the bathroom. Additionally, remote workers will highly appreciate a clear and spacious work area.

Hide Valuable Items: Trust is a big factor when it comes to having a successful house swap and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. If there are any personal items of value or memorabilia laying around, it’s best to put that in a safe and secure area. Your guests will appreciate not having the extra responsibility, and you can keep your peace of mind that your values are safe while you are away.

Locks & Doors: Before your guests arrive, make sure all doors and windows on the property lock and work properly. Guests should feel safe and secure knowing that they are in a safe environment and that their things can be locked up while away from the home. Double-check all locks and make duplicates and extra keys for each guest.

Fuses & Breaker Box: Double-check all breaker boxes and fuses throughout the house before your guests arrive to be sure they work properly. It’s also a good idea to leave these locations and instruction information for guests all well, in case of a power outage or extreme weather conditions.

Safety Items: Provide guests all safety items needed around the house during their stay in case of an emergency. Consider items such as flashlights, batteries, a snow shovel, or a fire extinguisher.

Housing & Purchases

A house swap is a perfect opportunity to let your house shine at its brightest and its uniqueness stand out. Guests will be overjoyed with happiness as they are walking into a clean and happy home, filled with everything they may need. When preparing your home for a house swap, a clean and stocked house will go a long way for the satisfaction of your guests; make sure you perform the following duties such as:

Deep Clean: Clean your home before guests arrive. Deep clean everything. Cleanliness is important for the health and safety of not only yourself but also your guests. House swappers expect to arrive at a clean and prepared home, just as you are expecting the same at their home. If you haven’t performed a good spring cleaning on your home for a while, before a house swap would be an excellent time to do that.

Home Maintenance Supplies: For your guests to take part in responsibilities around the house, they must have the supplies needed to do so. Stock your home with enough supplies to get your guests started, such as laundry detergent, sponges, bathroom cleaners, air fresheners, etc.

Stock Bathroom Amenities: Not all guests are going to bring all the bathroom amenities they may need. As a house swap should feel like a home rather than a hotel, stock the bathroom with all the miscellaneous items needed such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, Qtips, floss, and hand sanitizer.

Kitchen & Groceries: Typically, house swappers tend to leave the basic and most common food and drink items guests will need until they can do their own grocery shopping. The most commonly left products are milk, eggs, bread, water, butter, and coffee/tea. Additionally, clean out the refrigerator and cupboards of any food products that may ruin or expire quickly.

Remember, this list is just a place to start. There is so much more to consider when preparing your home for a house swap. We hope you have enjoyed our prep list, and hope you take all these things into consideration when preparing your home.