Everyone wants to find the perfect house sit, and you can. As Buck and I reminisce about house and pet sitting, we are amazed at the number of fantastic experiences crammed into such a short time! In the past 14 months, we’ve had a blast traveling from the west coast of Canada, to the swamps of Florida, and all the way to Santiago, Chile as full-time house sitters. And we want to share key steps to successfully find the perfect house sit for YOU.
- Know what you want
- Potential house sitting websites to consider
- Get some street cred
- Have a great profile
- Showcase yourself
- Respond promptly
- Have questions
- Plan for the unexpected
- Be patient
To find the perfect house sit, know what you want.
When you envision the perfect house sit, what comes to mind? A pet sit? A single kitty or a menagerie of animals? No pets? A luxury mansion or castle? A cool pool in the middle of a hot summer? An espresso machine? There is no right answer. But before you consider potential sits, you should have a general idea of what you want, or don’t want. Obviously you can fine tune these ideas through experience, but you need to know your own preferences as you read and evaluate the various available house sits.
Do you want to be a tourist? Then applying to care for a menagerie of animals might not be the right fit. If you want to relax in a cafe along the Rue de Rivoli nursing an overpriced latte before strolling over to The Louvre for the afternoon, you might want to think “cat”. Do you want to kick back on the couch and read a bunch of books, then a pack of warm doggy pillows would be nice.
Know what you want, and perhaps the best way to determine this is to know what you don’t want. Don’t want to sweat? Maybe skip summer in Florida. Either way, when looking at a potential how sit, consider the location, the animals, the season, the weather, the cost and logistics of travel to and from the sit. Think of a house sit as a puzzle; the better you can fit the pieces, the clearer the picture.
Find A House Sitting Web Site
Potential house sitting websites to consider.
- Trustedhousesitters.com <—this is the web site we use
- Rover.com
- Housesitter.com
- Housesitmexico.com
- Housesittersamerica.com
- Mindmyhouse.com
There are a wide variety of home house sitting sites out there, and some have a particular flavor or sub-specialties. We have been using TrustedHousesitters with great success; the site has enabled us to quickly discover where and when new house sits are available, which is very important. Have you heard how the early bird gets the worm? It’s true when seeking a house sit, too…timing is crucial.
Get some street cred.
In your communication and your profile, you will showcase your related experience. If you’ve never house sat before, you can start small and build up. If you live in Ohio, USA and don’t have any previous house sitting experience, don’t apply for a villa in Tuscany caring for two St. Bernards and a chicken. I mean, you can, and good luck, but your efforts might be better spent focusing on a Shih Tzu in Cleveland. And Cleveland’s great! Or at least it looked okay on the Drew Carey Show.
Look for local house sits in your area. Not all great housesits are castles in the heart of Europe. Can you travel to a house sit and meet the homeowner in person before the sit? Your proximity to the house sit can give you a huge advantage over other applicants. Even without a lot of references and reviews, meeting a homeowner in person might be all you need to secure an assignment. That’s how we started. Our very first house sit was less than an hour drive from our apartment. Once you’ve built up a glowing house sitting resume, you’ll look like a better fit, and have better odds of landing house sits farther afield.
Also, see if you can sit for family and friends to gain some experience. Not only does it give you some experience, you can receive some candid, helpful feedback that someone you just met can’t comfortably provide. And if you have sat for family and friends, get them to provide a recommendation. Some sit companies ask for recommendations to be posted right online. For others, it’s like a job interview – you want to have a copy ready that you can provide. Nothing elaborate – just highlights of what would make you a good house/pet sitter…..loving/caring, responsible, practical.
To land a perfect house sit, have a great profile.
Most house sitting websites allow you to post a profile that homeowners can review. This is your business card, your resume, this is you, all dressed up for a job interview, or a first date, and you definitely want to make a good impression. When you house sit, you will have access to someone’s home and their pets. They want to feel good about this decision. Spend a lot of time on your profile. Craft it.
Garner as many references as you can from friends, family, employers, landlords, etc..
Definitely include a couple of good photos. Not glamour shots, but authentic photos of you being a normal, decent person, like someone who might make an acceptable dinner guest. Can you post a short introductory video? Do it. Making a video is a little work, but it’s a very effective way to communicate who you are, and the more information a homeowner has about you, the more likely they will consider you for a house sit.
Do you have certifications or training that would make you ideal for a house sit? Are you handy around the house? If you’re a previous homeowner or pet owner, say so. Plenty of house sits involve some plant watering; do you enjoy gardening? Will you be house sitting as a couple? This is like two heads–and bodies!–for the price of one, so spin it that way. Do you have a current passport and driver license?
Review your profile just as you would a resume before a job interview. Correct any typos and incomplete sentences – it’s an indication that you pay attention to details.
We have had people contact us, unsolicited, asking if we could house/pet sit for them. That wouldn’t happen unless we had taken care with our profile.
Showcase yourself.
Once you find a sit that interests you, help people understand why you would be the best fit for their sit.
If the house sit is also a pet sit and the pet is a crocodile and you have seen every episode of The Crocodile Hunter on DVD, then mention that in your application. Maybe include a photograph of yourself at the local zoo holding a crocodile. Or riding a crocodile. Okay, that’s probably going a bit far. But it is important to address all the specific points in the homeowners posting. If the homeowner has a cat named Skittles, let the homeowner know that you would love to care for “Skittles”. Use the pets name. Let them know that you will have a car, if the house sit requires a car. If you’re familiar with the locale, say so. If you’re going to spend a lot of time at the home, and you can lavish the pet with lots of attention, mention it!
In your initial communication, you also want to answer the question, “Why do you want to perform the house sit?”. This tells the homeowner we have a specific reason for wanting to be there, and that makes us a more viable candidate, it means we have a vested interest in seeing the house sit through. The homeowner wants committed house sitters, so give them reasons to feel confident in choosing you for the assignment.
Respond promptly.
The early bird gets the worm, and this was never truer than when seeking a house sit. Being one of the first applicants is a big advantage. It’s not always necessary, but if you want to stand out, being at the head of the line is an easy way to do so. Being seen first, however, isn’t as important as looking good, so be sure to look your best before getting in line.
Have questions.
The more information that is shared, then the less chance there will be of a misunderstanding. Ask about veterinary care in the event the pet should require it, ask about trash and recycling schedules, ask about mail, and plant care. Ask the homeowner to provide you with written instructions, and numbers for local contacts and services. Can you video chat with the homeowner? We’ve found this to be a great tool for both parties when a face to face meet before the house sit isn’t practical.
Things go wrong. You’ll have less stress and more success if you give yourself a margin of error. Travel is complicated, and delays are not uncommon. House sitting is great, but there are more people involved, more moving parts. So, give yourself a window of time before and after a sit, even if everything on your end goes off without a hitch, there are other parties involved in the equation, so be flexible.
Plan for the unexpected.
Ask questions that let the homeowner know you are interested in the welfare of their home and pet, and do this BEFORE addressing your own needs. Of course, your needs are equally important to the success of the house sit. Wifi, parking, workspace, laundry, television, heat and air conditioning, noise? If you have specific requirements or concerns, make certain that the house sit is the right fit before you commit. A successful house sit is a win/win for both the homeowner and the house sitter.
On two separate occasions we’ve had to deal with car trouble while on the road travelling between house sits, but having a window of time allowed us to resolve the problem. Flight delays are always a potential issue. The homeowners might have to cancel their trip, or there might be a hurricane, or you might get sick, or arrested. Who knows? Have a Plan B. And a Plan C isn’t a terrible idea either.
Be patient.
Once you start applying for house sits, it’s very exciting. It’s like being a kid in a candy store or waking up on Christmas morning. After applying for a sit, you may want to check your email constantly, but be patient. The response time for submitted inquiries can vary quite a bit. And maybe you’ll never receive a response at all. But be patient. Apply for multiple house sits that fit your criteria. Put yourself out there. You can’t catch a fish if you don’t have a line in the water. And when you don’t get a house sit you’ve applied for, don’t take it personally. The homeowner is going to review the applicants and choose whomever they feel is the perfect fit for their needs. If you’ve applied for a few with no nibbles, perhaps it’s time to have a trusted friend review your profile and make suggestions.
Keep applying until you are that perfect fit. And check out this blog to have success with each of the house sits that come your way.
The Perfect House Sit is waiting For You!
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