Trading your NYC apartment for a cheap(er) vacation

If you’ve ever wanted to put your New York City apartment to work by trading it for a week’s vacation somewhere else, this might be the year. Surging demand and fewer listings for short-term rentals are raising prices in popular vacation destinations and if you’re traveling with unvaccinated children, you might have an added incentive to seek an alternative to a busy hotel.

On this episode of the podcast, host Emily Myers is joined by Mary Lowengard, a contributing writer for Brick Underground who has decades of experience swapping her Upper East Side co-op for places in the U.S. and Europe. She has tips and advice for anyone who wants to try an apartment exchange. 

When you house-swap, you’re trading your place for someone else’s without any money changing hands, although you may pay fees to a home exchange service, if you use one. That's important because New York City's laws on short-term rentals mean charging someone to stay at your place when you're not there is against the rules—unless they are staying longer than 30 days.

The good news is that New York City is always in demand, particularly now as most pandemic restrictions have been lifted and culture and entertainment venues are opening their doors.

The Brick Underground podcast explores every aspect of buying, selling, and renting in NYC so you can better navigate the market, find a deal, make sense of the legal jargon, and stay one step ahead of the competition.

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