Home exchanges over the Internet have vastly expanded vacation options, says Douglas Gray, author of the newly published Recreational Property in Canada (John Wiley & Sons, $26.99).

"I have done 14 home exchanges throughout the world," says Gray, who owns homes in Vancouver and Whistler. "I have never been burned."

The Internet lifts your visibility, making a short-term swap of your city home or lake cottage entirely possible, Gray says. "The Internet has changed the world of marketing and renting recreational property."

In a simple exchange, you spend one or several weeks in someone else's place -- while they spend the same time in yours. If you own two properties, your options expand.

With two homes, you can do a non-simultaneous swap. You could go to Australia when it's summer there -- and your counterpart could come to Canada when it's summer here.

A third option is simply to find a suitable home where you want to go and rent it for cash. This can provide more space and comfort than a typical hotel experience.

If you list your property, Gray warns, "It's a highly competitive market." To boost your chances, he has three tips: Provide as much information as possible; hire a professional photographer; and include a link to your own website where you show more information and more professional photos.

The Complete Guide to Buying and Owning Recreational Property in Canada also includes chapters on investment, legal, tax, insurance and estate-planning aspects of recreational properties, plus the pros and cons of shared or fractional ownership.

-- Edmonton Journal

SITE SEEING

Selected home-exchange websites:

- www.digsville.com

- www.greatrentals.com

- www.holiday-rentals.com

- www.homeexchange.com

- www.homelink.ca

- www.intervac.com

- www.vacationrentals.com

- www.vacationvillas.net

© The Vancouver Province 2008