{"id":22944,"date":"2022-02-15T15:02:50","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T20:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/?p=18734"},"modified":"2024-06-28T11:49:20","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T15:49:20","slug":"home-staging-tips-to-create-the-perfect-rental-or-house-swap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/your-home\/decor-design\/home-staging-tips-to-create-the-perfect-rental-or-house-swap\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Staging Tips to Create the Perfect Rental or House Swap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Looking for a change? Consider a house swap!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Home swaps rentals have never been more popular. Travelers and digital nomads looking for unique experiences love the individuality and hospitality of home exchanges, while owners around the world love using their homes to earn extra income.

If you\u2019re looking to join the tens of thousands of home trade and rental hosts around the country, sites like Airbnb, VRBO and HomeExchange make it relatively easy to list your property with pictures and a description to ensure its appeal to potential guests online. But it\u2019s the little details of the stay itself that can make or break your short-term rental or home exchange success. Keep reading for our top home staging tips to make your house swap a five-star experience for you \u2013 and your guests! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #1: Store your Stuff<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Create a relaxing and peaceful space in your home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Take a long hard look at your home and belongings. Pack away any personal items, mementos or effects, including family pictures and challenging artwork, to create as neutral and comfortable of a space as possible. Carefully wrap and pack anything fragile or breakable too. Replace ceramic or porcelain items with metal or plastic. Don\u2019t take away too much<\/em>, though. Invest in some basic landscape photos or canvases and add ambiance with a colorful throw or (washable) pillows on the couch and flowers on the coffee table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #2: Also Store your Furniture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve got furniture pieces that are valuable to you, take them to a climate-controlled, self-storage unit<\/a>. Things sometimes get damaged during home swaps. Try to lessen the emotional or financial fallout by removing anything that would break your heart (or wallet) if it were subjected to extensive wear and tear or even ruined. You can replace the missing items with new pieces from relatively cheap furniture stores, and no one will be the wiser.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #3: Make Space for Your Guests<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While you\u2019re making trips back and forth to your self-storage unit, don\u2019t forget to add all of your seasonal clothing to the mix. You\u2019ll want to make sure your guests have reasonable-to-ample dresser and closet space (with plenty of hangers!) in which to store their hung and folded clothes, shoes and bags \u2013 and that means moving your stuff out. Check out our recent blog post about How to Store your Winter Clothing and Gear<\/a> for more advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Organize and clear closets for your guests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #4: Make Home Staging a Priority<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Remember that you\u2019re competing for guests with other home exchange hosts and try to make your space as special and memorable as possible. Little touches like chocolates on the pillow or a rubber ducky in the shower can go a long way towards a rave review. Of course, make sure there are clean sheets and fresh towels ready to go as well (hint: you can store your personal ones at CubeSmart during the stay). You might want to also neatly label the drawers and cupboards to make guests feel at ease quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #5: Everybody Loves a Freebie<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Create a basket of toiletries for your guests including shampoo, conditioner, disposable razors and either a bar or liquid body soap. Save money and time by buying these items (along with toilet paper, paper towels, coffee pods, tea bags and hand soap) in bulk and keeping the backstock in your storage unit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Make your guests feel welcome with comforting amenities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #6: Leave the Plants<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most guests love fresh greenery \u2013 as long as it\u2019s low-maintenance and good-looking. Clean up your plants, including washing and dusting the leaves and trimming off any dead bits, and repot them in attractive, coordinated planters for the best effect. It\u2019s reasonable to ask your guests to water your plants if you must, but aim to get plants that can survive best in low-water situations (e.g., snake plants, spider plants and sago or ponytail palms). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #7: Create a Home Exchange Welcome Kit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While online platforms like Airbnb allow hosts to add important info and recommendations to their listings, it\u2019s much more personal to leave a binder or book full of helpful advice on the coffee table or kitchen counter. Have fun with it! List need-to-know details, of course, but also support small businesses by recommending your favorite neighborhood sights, restaurants and grocery stores. You can add a book or two on local history for your guests to familiarize themselves with your location as well. Give your guests the same information you would give a friend or family member staying at your house \u2013 they\u2019ll truly appreciate the effort! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Creating a welcome kit or guide to the local area adds something extra for your guests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #8: Prepare for All Kinds of Weather<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps it\u2019s misplaced optimism, but almost nobody goes on a vacation or a prolonged stay in a new place and prepares for bad weather. You can make their trip comfortable no matter what Mother Nature has in store by keeping an extra umbrella, shovel, ice melt and automobile ice-scraper close at hand. Just pop all the foul weather supplies in a decorative basket by the door and your guests will have just what they need when they need it. If you live in a particularly damp or snowy environment, it would also be wise to add a boot tray near the main doorway. Your floors and carpets will thank you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #9: Safety First, Last, and Always<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is critical that you pay attention to safety issues within your rental. Secure paintings, dressers, TV stands and bookcases to the walls. Place flashlights (with extra batteries) in an easy-to-find location. Prep and stock a first aid kit, with bandages, first aid ointment, ibuprofen, and aspirin. Buy one or more fire extinguishers, and also make sure that baking soda is located near the stove (in case of grease fires). Be sure to make mention of all of these items to your guests during the welcome tour as well as in the written information.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Swap Tip #10: Stop Stressing and Enjoy the Ride<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the last tip on our list \u2013 but it should probably be the first. Stop stressing! Home swaps are meant to be easygoing encounters that give guests a taste of \u201creal life\u201d in your town or city, and give you extra income. Things will go wrong. Things will get broken. You will probably get a midnight phone call about a toilet. The internet will definitely stop working. To lessen the impact of these occurrences, communicate as much as possible about your home and all of its quirks with your guests before the stay so that everyone has similar expectations. And learn from your experiences! Ask your guests for a positive review at the end. If it\u2019s not positive \u2013 find out what went wrong so that you can make it better for the next guests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home staging for a house swap doesn’t have to be tricky. You can make your guests feel at home within your home, but also leave plenty of room for them to be themselves and enjoy their vacations on their own terms. Do some research before you get started by taking a look at the reviews for other, highly ranked home exchanges in your area. Does anything in particular stand out that you could add to \u2013 or change about \u2013 your rental? Take advice, share your tips freely, and enjoy your home swap experience!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Home swaps rentals have never been more popular. Travelers and digital nomads looking for unique experiences love the individuality and hospitality of home exchanges, while owners around the world love using their homes to earn extra income. If you\u2019re looking to join the tens of thousands of home trade and rental hosts around the country, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":22988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,640],"tags":[1560,1561,1562],"class_list":["post-22944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-decor-design","category-your-home","tag-home-exchange","tag-home-staging-ideas","tag-house-swap"],"yoast_head":"\r\nHome Staging Tips to Create the Perfect Rental or House Swap | The Storage Space<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Renting or swapping your home? 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