With a simple handshake and an agreement to exchange services, you can improve your home without spending cash. (Photo: iStockphoto)
My fellow blogger, Heather Boerner, recently wrote a story for Cyberhomes about how in today's slow economy, some people are bartering for home services.
I have recently found out -- quite by accident -- that bartering can work.
I have done very little to update my home since purchasing it seven years ago. However, I recently had custom curtains designed and installed by a local New Jersey interior design shop, Pat's Decor, of Cranbury, N.J. The owner and I got to talking, and before I knew it, she had commissioned me to create a Facebook page for her business. It seems that with the economy down, fewer homeowners have been enlisting her interior design services. She's hoping that the Facebook page (which will be regularly updated with news about the shop and its promotions, etc.) will help her reach out to new clients.
In exchange for getting her Facebook page started for her, the shop owner is visiting my home next week to help me pick out new window coverings for my kitchen. It works out for both of us, since she doesn't have to pay cash for my work, and I don't need to go to the expense of buying new curtains.
For more on how you may be able to barter to improve the look of your home, read Heather's story. The story includes helpful links to online barter exchanges, where you can trade your services.
Readers: Have you ever used the bartering system? Do you think it's a viable way to get home improvements done?—Lauren Baier Kim