House swap

• Source: Global Times
• [23:09 November 04 2009]
• Comments

By Liu Chang

If you have watched the movie The Holiday, you might remember how Cameron Diaz swaps her house in Los Angeles with Kate Winslet in Surrey and how the two girls find life and love in their new homes.

Wu Muyang, a businessman from Shanghai, was inspired by the film to start an online house swapping platform, Haoeasy.cn, for those who want to swap houses with others in China.

Wu initially launched the site for travelers who wanted to spend an extended amount of at their destination with low costs and home comforts. Despite Wu's original intention, when his website was up, he found that many members were using the site for much more than travel.

"There are a lot of people trying to swap houses because of job changes and their children's education," Wu explained. "It's common to see o. ce workers in Beijing sent to Shanghai for one or two months."

"In this case, the best way is to find someone who would like to swap houses with you!" Wu laughed, adding that it is a simple and cost e. ective solution. Wu told the Global Times that a pair of o. ce workers recently swapped their homes in Yunnan and Sichuan. The man from Yunnan was sent to Chengdu by his company and the man from Sichuan wanted to visit Yunnan for a holiday. The two met on Haoeasy. cn, exchanged information and made the swap.

"Not only [did the swap] save them money and trouble, but also made them good friends," he added.

Besides inter-city house swapping, many people also want to swap their home for one in a di. erent part of the city, closer to their work or children school. In large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the line from home to work or school can sometimes be complicated and lengthy. Many people spend hours zigzagging across the city at least twice a day.