Detailed Review
Review:
International Vacation Home Exchange, a CHECtravel club and very well designed website, specializes in luxury home exchanges. There are three different levels of membership (one-off joining fees are $125 for each level) which allow members to display their properties on the site and give them immediate credits which they can use to travel immediately. More information can be found at: http://www.ivhe.com/how_it_works.php#membership_fees. In addition to membership fees and yearly fees members must pay a 7% arrangement fee.
For trades, instead of direct email with other members, a trade request is submitted and IVHE contacts the member. References are required before the first exchange request is honored. Prime Time is a feature which allows members to pre allocate prime time weeks for credits straight away. IVHE offers many spectacular high end properties and management takes a more personal approach in facilitating the members’ trades. Most (92%) of their listings have images. 5% of every setup fee goes to Mercy Corps, the international relief fund, a noble cause if ever there was. Updated 02/10
Also Notable |
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| No limits to the number of properties | Cannot determine how many listings in a country without counting | CHECtravel member |
| IVHE makes trade requests for you based on your choices | No expiration date on listings | Each qualifying property is allocated a Credit Value based on the Weekly Vacation Rental Value of that property. |
| References required to initiate swap request | Complicated price structure | Referral: If you refer a New Qualifying Property to IVHE, you receive half the Credit value of the new member's property, the first time that another member stays in that property. |
| Unlimited pictures | 5% of set up fees go to Mercy Corps helping people in disaster areas around the world. | |
| Guarantee: After the first year, if we have not been successful in arranging a stay for you at an IVHE property we will waive the second year annual fee. | Rating system | |
