Hey, Wanna Trade?

With the real estate values dropping on what seems like a daily basis, some owners are giving up on price tags altogether and opting for good old fashioned bartering. Buyers and sellers have increasingly joined web sites that are designed to facilitate house swapping. For example, if you own a beach house in Florida and want to trade for a condo in Arizona, you would create a profile and search for a match.

These sites have been particularly popular in places where real estate woes have been prevalent. Hard-hit states like Florida, Arizona and California have some of the highest amounts of listings on sites like Pad4Pad.com, OnlineHouseTrading.com and DomuSwap.com. Swapping can be a great alternative if you're looking to move to a specific location. But, like any real estate transaction, you have to make sure you know what you're getting into. Try to talk to other swappers who have used the service and, if possible, visit the property you're swapping into before you make the jump.

Would you ever consider swapping your house with someone? [Myrtle Beach Online]