The typical home exchange is a great idea, but it is limited because your home is only available when you are away, so you have to coordinate your plans with the one other person you can find in the place you want to travel to. Second homes are available much more of the time, and can be used whether you are travelling or not.
I'm interested in sharing ideas on how to get a "second home" exchange going. It would work maybe more like a timeshare, except each place would be privately owned, and not part of a big resort complex. There would have to be some system (hopefully simple) to schedule visits, but that should be easy with some sort of website. And of course all the members of the group would have to be able to trust each other completely.
We're interested in buying a place in Paris or Rio, a small 1 BR apt., and had thought about renting it out part of the year. We wonder who has had experience in getting management for that sort of place, with cleaning and repairs an all.
