House-sitting in Amsterdam

My name is Caroline Grillot and I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Macquarie University (Sydney). From October 2010 to April 2011, I will pursue my research under a co-tutelle agreement at the VU Department of Anthropology. I will stay there with my husband and little boy. Due to a shortage of student accommodations, VU Amsterdam can no longer provide apartments to students with a family and I am now looking for an affordable place to stay. Ideally, we are looking for a “house-sitting” arrangement near the VU Amsterdam or close to the centre of the city (our son will attend the French school near Sarphatipark). We are ready to spend up to 600-700 euros a month to take care of the place and/or swap it for our apartment in Kunming, China for the same period. We do not smoke and are very tidy and responsible persons.