I swapped houses with a stranger to see if I'd like living in Seattle. One month in, I got my answer.

Heather Snow swapped homes with a stranger for a month to see if she wanted to move to Seattle permanently. The 18-year San Francisco resident had been considering the move, but wanted to test the city first. She traded her San Francisco condo for a house with a yard in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood through HomeExchange. During her month in Seattle, Heather prioritized spending time in Ballard, the neighborhood she was most interested in moving to.

She loved the residential parts of Ballard with single-family homes on tree-lined streets, but found the location also walkable to a historic core filled with shops, restaurants, and bars. However, staying for a month also highlighted some of the pain points of living in Seattle. While Ballard was walkable, the rest of Seattle felt more spread out and suburban, and rush-hour traffic was worse than what she was used to in San Francisco.

Heather also learned about dog regulations in Seattle, such as restrictions on water access and off-leash areas. Although Seattle isn't the right city for her, the experience helped Heather figure out what she wants in her next home. She appreciated the community in her Noe Valley neighborhood and realized she values a house with a yard, walkability, and a sense of community.

Ideally, she wants to find a place that combines the best parts of both Seattle and San Francisco, without the high cost of housing. Trading homes was a low-cost, low-risk way to test a major life decision. With a clearer vision of what she wants in her next home, Heather is still searching for her new city, but is more certain about her vision for the future.