My family and I had plans to make a step visit to Lago Maggiore this coming weekend. We wanted to have a look at a romantic cottage that was for sale. It came with a private setting, a large garden with fig and palm trees and a breathtaking view over the lake and the mountains. (In the back of my mind I could already picture numerous new and exotic home exchange offers coming our way with such a spectacular second home in sight.) 

A month ago, in the course of my annual search for a summer swap I contacted the owner of a JewettStreet listing in the Upper Italian Lakes region. I was a bit disappointed when I got no response. Meanwhile, I had all forgotten about this particular home exchange request, when suddenly a few days ago I received a friendly reply from the listing holder. His answer came late; however, the timing couldn’t have been better!  A summer swap was not possible for him, but he was interested in an exchange at a later date. I looked up the location of his listing. It was only 10 km (6 miles) from the place we planed to visit! Would he be interested in a swap this weekend? Yes, he would!  

We had finalized the details of the home exchange arrangement, when I learned from the real estate broker, that the extraordinary cottage we had laid eyes on was sold yesterday. Suddenly, the purpose of our visit was gone, but not so the desire to explore Lago Maggiore and the possibility of purchasing a second home there. Again, we hit a stroke of luck. Instead of a rush weekend now, we have agreed on a 10-day swap in May, when the camilias are in bloom…  

Serendipity home exchanges are a rare gift. They happen when you least expect them.