So you’ve selected a house sitting website and created a great profile. Now what? Here are considerations to keep in mind to make a successful house sit.
TIPS FOR FINDING A SUCCESSFUL HOUSE SIT
Follow Your Instinct.
Some house sit listings will reach out to you more than others. Don’t ignore your spidey-sense. If something about a house sit listing strikes you as being a bit “off”, then maybe there is a good reason. Words like “messy”, “interesting” and “unique” can sometimes mean “dirty”, “problematic” and “oh, NO”. Look at the reviews, but also consider the lack of reviews, too. If previous house sitters can’t find anything positive to say, that might be a sign.
Consider Pet and House Needs.
House sitting is often pet sitting, which means you will be cleaning up after pets. Small dogs generally have smaller poops and larger dogs have larger poops; that’s science. If you are in the city and taking care of a dog, you will need to take the dog out for regular walks, no matter what floor of the building you live on, no matter what the weather.
It might be your responsibility to shovel the driveway and sidewalk if you are in a snowy area during the winter. If a house sit is in a remote area, unless otherwise stated, realize you will need your own transportation. Sometimes a house sit involves paying some share for the utilities, or the internet service, or providing a security deposit, if this is referenced in the listing, you want to clarify that up front.
If a special needs pet is part of the house sit, carefully consider what that might entail. Pets that are very young, old, medically challenged or recently rescued will have needs and schedules that require your attention and devotion. Make certain that the responsibilities of the house sit are a good match for what you hope to get out of the house sit. Basically, don’t be sooooooo excited about a house sit that you gloss over the pet-related and house-related needs and responsibilities.
Consider the Season.
For a successful house sit, definitely consider the weather. That is worth putting in all caps: CONSIDER THE WEATHER. Few places have temperate weather year-round. When you see a listing for a house sit, it will often depict a single season. However, the sit dates may not reflect the season depicted in the pictures. Check weather websites to find the average temperatures and rainfall/snowfall for a given area and time of year so you will know what to expect.
Is the area where you will be house sitting seasonal? Will businesses and activities be open and available while you are there, or will the activities that you have an interest in be out of season? People often vacation during off-season periods. Also, how easy will it be to get to the sit? Factor in potential weather or crowd delays. Is it a holiday season? If a sit starts on December 23rd in the US, perhaps you want to be in the area a couple days early instead of being in the skies or on the road with a bazillion other holiday-traveling folk.
Your Personal Preferences.
Know what you need for a successful house sit ahead of time, and have a list ready to ask the homeowner about each specific requirement. Will you need WiFi? Do you need internet for work, and does it have to be fast internet? Are there frequent power outages? Will you require a place to park a car?
Do A Pre-sit Walk though
Delays Occur.
Whenever possible, try to arrive in the area of the house sit a couple days prior to the start of the sit to meet the homeowners and pets. Best to be prepared, and giving yourself a buffer of time is a great way to minimize the stress of travel. There is a reason that Murphy’s Law is a “LAW”. Things WILL go wrong. You might experience transportation delays, getting lost, banking issues with your credit cards and foreign currency….who knows!
People Are Different.
It’s always ideal to get to spend a little time with the homeowners before they head out on their travels, even if the home owners have sent you detailed house and pet instructions beforehand. When walking you through their home and pet routines, people often mention new and unexpected details, especially for extended sits.
On one sit, the owner asked, “If you get the chance, can you put some of that yard trimming pile out during each garbage pick-up day?” I have some friends who abhor yard work and would not have been thrilled at this request, especially since it was a fairly gargantuan pile.
Just before starting another sit, we were told that the oven was on the fritz. The stove top worked during our lengthy sit, but the oven didn’t. Since we create cooking videos, this definitely required some creativity and flexibility on our part. We were grateful that we did the walk-through before purchasing lots of baking supplies for the house sit.
Another homeowner requested that we drive into town once a week to check their P.O. box for important mail.
A face-to-face walk through with the homeowners provides more time to ask questions and clarify expectations, and is a very good idea whenever possible.
THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE HOMEOWNER LEAVES
- Review all home and pet instructions again, trust your spider-sense and ask any lingering questions.
- Make sure you have emergency numbers and locations for hospitals, veterinarians, local contacts, etc..
- Know the exact location of the main water and electricity turn-off switches. In case of a power outage, do you know where the flashlights, candles/matches, lanterns are? Hopefully you never have to use these things but ‘plan for the worst and expect the best’.
- Agree on a primary and backup mode of communicating with the homeowner during the sit. Text? Phone? Email? Know how you are going to keep in touch. It doesn’t matter if you are watching someone’s pet or just their house, a periodic pic or status text can be reassuring.
- Any food/other allergies? Are there items to avoid bringing into the home? This is also a subtle way to start discussion of what kinds of food folks like….to get ideas of what to cook when they return.
HOUSE SIT BEGINS – FIRST THINGS TO DO
- Set phone/email reminders. You are in a new environment so why leave key tasks to chance? We set reminders for scheduled tasks; things like garbage and recycle days, flea/tick/worm pill, nail clipping, and grooming appointments.
- Walk through the house, thinking through how you will spend your time. Identify any comfort items you want to purchase for yourself…and maybe the pets. Identify locations to set key items (e.g. poop bags, animal treats, flashlight). The objective is to save time and aggravation if you’re stumbling around in the dark trying to dress so you can get the dog out before they leave you a ‘present’ in the house, or if you lose power, or if there is an emergency that requires a quick exit such as a fire, tsunami/hurricane, etc.. We actually had a tsunami alert during one of our first house sits, so it can happen!)
- Go shopping. Buy your comfort items as well as own supply of regular household items like shampoo/conditioner, soap, dish & laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper. If you cook a bit, buy your own often-used spices, oil, Ziploc, foil…you get the idea. When the homeowners return, they shouldn’t have to run to the store for non-perishable items that they had before they left. This is especially important for extended stays.
HOUSE SITTING – PREPARING FOR THE OWNERS’ RETURN
- Don’t leave all preparations til the last day. Plans change. People come home early. You can misunderstand the return date or time. You never know what can come up that needs your attention.
- Get a majority of things ready a day or two before. Make sure everything is cleaned, dusted, vacuumed. Prepare a written status note/email of key items e.g. appointment date/time for a vet, pest control. It’s okay to reiterate a couple of the things you told folks in a previous phone call, text or email.
- Whenever possible, do these things on the day of folks’ return. Clean sheets and towels. Prepare a meal or two that can be reheated.
- Through it all, keep the pets and yourself stress-free. You don’t want to frantically run around so that the house is clean but the pets are stressed out when the owners return.
- And ideally, jot down a couple thoughts regarding the housesit, especially if you have the opportunity to provide ‘official’ feedback regarding the site. You can polish your thoughts when you leave but perhaps you can jot down a couple of descriptive, constructive thoughts regarding the housesit.
GENERAL HOUSE SITTING HABITS aka BE A GREAT HOUSE GUEST
- Follow the house and pet instructions.
- Love the animals.
- Did you use up the last egg, onion or garlic? Replace it. Use the last of their favorite condiment e.g. mayonnaise, mustard? Buy another of the same brand. If the world is perfect, when they return they will have enough to cook a meal or two before going shopping.
- Love the animals some more.
- Prepare the homeowners a meal and have it waiting in the fridge on their return; they’ll likely be arriving after long travels and will appreciate the gesture.
AFTER EACH HOUSE/PET SIT – ESSENTIAL FINAL STEPS
The homeowners have returned. You’ve provided your final status report and waved ‘bye-bye’. The successful house sit is complete, so what else is left to do?
Promptly Review the House Sit. If the house sitting web site you use allows you to review the sit, do it! Be sure and post a thoughtful, concise review within a week of completing the sit.
Evaluate What Folks Say About You. Many sites provide homeowners the opportunity to review house sitters after each sit. Check back periodically to see if you receive a review. That feedback will help with future sits.
Leave a Buffer of Time Before Starting Your Next House Sit. Homeowner departure or return days/times may change unexpectedly due to such things as illness, unexpected emergencies, or transportation delays. And what if you experience some of those issues as you are traveling to the next sit? And lastly, in-between sits can be a great time to explore an area and regroup, and for you to have a responsibility-free mini-vacation.
Most of All, Have Fun!
I hope this post helps with your upcoming house sit experiences. We’ve got loads of house sitting information for you to check out and we’ll be adding even more as our own house sitting experiences grow.
Today CG and I were checking the TrustedHousesitters website and weighing a choice between a future house sit in Florida or one in Washington D.C.. What to do!? Maybe we will wait to see what we find tomorrow. It’s exciting, and a lot to think about, and definitely a rewarding way to travel and see the world.
Thanks for checking out our stuff, and we wish you health, happiness and a successful house sit your future travels!
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