What if your perfect buyer has a house to sell? AND that house is something you desire.
I read this article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.
The concept of trading homes temporarily for vacations has long existed, but now it's being adapted to the slumping real-estate market as people, particularly in the Sunbelt and other slow spots, scout for ways to unshackle themselves from their property. Anecdotal evidence suggests the number of people doing this is still relatively small, but it has popped up from virtually nothing in recent years....
Not everyone is a potential swap candidate, however. Swapping typically requires one party, or both, willing to settle for a new dwelling that is less than their ideal, either in amenities or exact locale. And searching for a swap is much like using a dating service: The odds can be good but the goods can be odd....
The article mentions that closer swap proximities are likely to work better than across-the-country swaps. For example, a downsizing family in El Dorado Hills may want to swap with a growing family from Midtown.
They mention companies who provide this service include: Craigslist.org, OnlineHouseTrading.com, GoSwap.org, and others...
At Craigslist.org, the popular ad site, the number of "home swap" listings -- which includes people trading homes temporarily for vacation -- jumped 56%, to 7,392 in the 12 months ending in December, the company says, and much of the growth came from people trying to permanently sell each other their homes.
My thoughts: All transactions should require title transfer, inspections, disclosure and research on the part of both owners.