It’s really important that you and the owner(s) feel good about your choice. They need to know they can relax with you in their home, and you want to feel like it’s a good fit for you as well. Once you confirm a sit, you’re committed.

One of the biggest compliments we get from owners is how they didn’t feel like they had anything to worry about with their home and pets in our care. That shouldn’t be one-sided, though. If you have doubts, concerns, etc., you want those ironed out before you both say yes.

First things first

What are your deal breakers? You want to take some time to sit down and write the things that are the most important to you, the things you just can’t accept if you’re going to take a sit. For instance, is it important to you that they have cable/satellite TV with English language channels?

It may sound silly, but for some people that’s a big deal. We couldn’t care less if they don’t have TV; however, if there is no WiFi, we probably cannot take the sit. I do a lot of my income earning online, it’s how I stay connected, my son does his education online, and he keeps in touch with his friends via the Internet.

We did say yes to a house sit in Morocco that required 3G dongles, but it was an opportunity to live on an oasis in Morocco! Hello!

Next, write down the things that are of importance to you. Will your child be able to have their own room (one of my son’s deal breakers)? Do you not want to take dogs on a walk fives times a day in every kind of weather?

If a car is required/recommended, will you be able to use theirs or will you need to rent/own one yourself?

This list comes in handy when assessing potential sits as well. Neither one of us wants to muck stables, so if a sit lists that they have horses I will either not apply or will ask what would our responsibilities be for the horses. We had a sit that included five horses, but they had someone else who did 100% of their care so it wasn’t an issue.

Other questions

• What are you expected to pay yourself? For instance, do they want the sitters to pay for their utilities? If one of the animals has to have vet services, will you have to pay for this out of pocket initially? (Almost every sit we’ve done has either left behind emergency money and/or had an account with the vet.) If your budget is pretty tight, you’ll want to know what contingencies to be prepared for.
• If they haven’t sent you any photos of the home, you might want to ask for these. We discovered one of our potential sits only had a one-burner camping stove as a cooking surface when they sent us some photos. It had never even occurred to me to ask “Do you have a stove?” This was in Thailand, though, and I already knew that homes commonly didn’t have a kitchen. Plus, I can work with that so no big deal. Of course, photos aren’t always 100% reliable, but at least you can get a general idea about the place.
• How will you do your food shopping? Are the shops only a 10-minute walk away, or will you need a car or something? For the oasis, shopping was at least a half-day process that required 2-3 trips into town a week because of our tiny refrigerator. For our sit in Mexico, they picked us up the day before so we could get groceries to last for a while. They also left behind money to be used for paying for a couple of trips back and forth by taxi and for the delivery charge if we wanted to order delivery a couple of times. As they were quite remote, this was a huge help.
• If the bus is your only method of available transportation, make sure you either find out from the owner or you have researched the cost. A friend of ours was shocked to learn that her bus trip into town for shopping was going to cost her 11 EUR (about $12.50 USD). If you’re using their vehicle and can only drive an automatic, make sure to find about this as well. Many cars outside the US are manuals.
• Along with the above, make sure you’ve researched how to get there from the airport, etc. We had a very attractive potential sit, but after doing some research and confirming with the owners, I discovered it was going to be an additional $300 in transportation costs. This isn’t something you want to find out after you’ve already committed to doing the sit!

• Do they have a lot of animals to care for? You may want to ask about their routine so you don’t get any surprises. I know of some sits where the sitters have to cook for the pets. If there are “livestock” animals (chickens, sheep, ducks, horses, etc.), you may want to find out where they are located in relation to the house. When we had 35 chickens and were told the house was “an old farm house,” so I just assumed they would be located in a field on the same property. Nope!
• If you’ll be there during the summer or winter, find out what type of cooling and heating they have. For some places it’s no issue, but if you’re doing a sit in the mountains where it’s 100 degrees below the point where Hell freezes over, you may want to know that there is only a wood stove in the living room that doesn’t quite heat the bedroom. Most homeowners include these nuggets of info, but not always. In Malaysia, we knew we would only have fans for every room but the main bedroom (which had AC). We were used to the tropical heat at that point, so it wasn’t as big of a deal. If that were to be the case now, I’d probably have to pass because I’m pretty sure I would melt.
• Will they want you to arrive early and/or stay later than the dates of the actual sit? Mostly this is just so you can properly plan for flights, etc. Sometimes owners want you there for 2 days before they go to make sure you completely understand the routine. If they’re flying somewhere far away (or to a place that often has rough weather), you might want to plan your departure for the day after their scheduled routine in case they have issues getting back. We had one sit where they weren’t returning until later in the evening, and a friend was coming so we wouldn’t be able to stay in the home afterward. That was helpful to know for planning purposes. However, our homeowners in Florida were kind enough to allow us to stay a couple of nights beyond the sit because airfares were a lot cheaper then.
• What are the opportunities for you to get away and do a little exploring? Some owners don’t want their pets left alone for more than 3-4 hours, while others are perfectly fine being sans human for most of the day. If you can only leave Fifi for 3 hours and the train ride into town takes 1 hour, you won’t get much of a break. Are you OK with that?For long sits (more than a month) in remote locations, you may want to ask about arranging another sitter for 2-3 days or something for a break. I knew that living on an oasis for 2 months was going to be pretty isolated, so we arranged to hire (at our expense) the couple’s handyman to stay at the home for a few days to break up the sit while we went to the “big city” a few hours away. It was a good recharge for us. Later, we were thrilled to be in a small, rural village in the UK for a few weeks, especially after 9 weeks of steady travel. Similarly, we stayed in a rural location on an island near Seattle, and it was like being in a forest getaway. Even though we had a car to use, we were pretty content to mostly stay at home.
• Last, but not least, make sure you’re aware of how long you can stay in the country if it’s a foreign house sit. You don’t want to say yes to a 4-month sit in France only to discover you’ll be staying there illegally after 90 days and could end up being banned from entering most of Europe for the next 2 years. Also, some visas have to be applied for in advance, and some can be an absolute trial by fire to acquire.

What tips do you have for things to find out before getting to yes?

Here are just some of our favorite house sitting jobs:

• Living on an oasis in Morocco for 2 months
• Caring for a bunch of cats while living on a beach on an island in Thailand
• Caring for a menagerie including 35 laying hens (and one pet chicken) in the English countryside
• Enjoying a bit of luxury living in Cozumel, Mexico.

Sits can be quite varied. I was recently asked about a house sit in Costa Rica that involved caring for a pet monkey (among other animals). We’ve stayed in a farm house that was over 100 years old, a humble bungalow on the beach, and a luxury home with a community pool and private beach.

Aside from the great cultural and animal experiences, house sitting has also allowed us to stay in places longer than we could have afforded otherwise. For example, we stayed in the UK for 5 weeks while house sitting. Since our only cost was buying groceries, we lived off about $160 per week. Often, just two nights in a hotel would come to more than that!

Morocco was so inexpensive that I was able to save $2000 during that house sit.

Finding house sitting jobs

So your curiosity is piqued, and you want to give it a shot. Here are some tips to make things easier for finding and acquiring those assignments.

• There are multiple sites now. I have memberships with the following: Trusted House Sitters (the best in my opinion), Mind My House, and Housecarers. THS is probably the most active site and has the most pickings, especially in the UK. I also tend to get more responses, even if it’s a denial, from their homeowners. Mind My House isn’t as productive; however, they get some interesting assignments, and their membership is much less expensive, so it makes it worth joining. Housecarers seems to have more sits in Australia and the US. If those regions are in your sights, I’d definitely get a membership with them, too.

  You can search their database to look at their offerings without being a member, so if money is tight you can wait to join a site until you find a sit you really want to apply for.

• There are far more sitters than available jobs. This means competition is high, especially in areas like Australia which are quite popular for sits. You generally have to be among the first 10 or so candidates if you want a strong chance at being selected.
• How do you get to be among the top? Twitter is your friend. Each of these companies have newsletters and/or alerts; however, those emails are sent out once a day. I have heard from homeowners who had 100 applicants before the newsletter even went out. Don’t wait for the newsletter.In Twitter, follow each of the company accounts. I use Tweetdeck to manage my Twitter accounts, so I created a column for the hashtag “#housesitting” (without the quotes). Each of these sites tweet new assignments shortly after they become available. This is a great way to be notified right away so you can be one of the first to apply. I recently started this strategy and within days I had 3 house sitting assignments finalized.

• I discuss this in my housesitting series, but you want to make sure your initial emails stands out. Don’t write a novel, but make sure you hit key points:
  • If they mention their pet’s name, include it in your message. For many people their animals are like their children. If you can’t be bothered to take the time to acknowledge their pet’s name, then you may not be the type of person who will be special to their furry/scaly/feathered family member.
  • Mention any experience you have caring for animals (unless the sit doesn’t involve animal care, which some don’t), particularly if there is something special about the breed of their pet. For instance, if they have a Dalmatian, they’re going to want to know that you already get that they have a lot of energy and can be a bit more needy for attention than say a golden retriever. If it’s a Newfoundland, they’ll want to know that you understand you need to brush their coat in two different directions. When you show you know how to properly care for their precious pet, you’re going to be higher on their list of candidates.
  • If they mention a garden and you love to putter in them, that would be great for them to know.
  • Make your message a bit personal. Remember that they are looking to invite someone into their home to stay there and take care of it. That’s really a big decision.
  • If they’ve mentioned some specifics about the home, the area, or the animals, acknowledge that so they know you took the time to read the whole profile.

• Know what your deal breakers are. For example, we can’t take a sit without reliable WiFi. Some people might find that ridiculous, but I need it to earn our income, and my son uses it for his education and socialization. So for us it’s a must. If the sit is a longer one, we also need 2 bedrooms or at least 2 beds. I love my child, but I’m not sharing a bed with him unless I’m desperate.
• Really think through remote sits. Sometimes they sound good in theory, but once you’re there and isolated it can be a different story. If you haven’t had a previous positive experience with remote rural life, I wouldn’t suggest taking a 3-month sit.
• Make sure to find out about transportation issues before you say yes, including availability of public transportation and exact costs if a car won’t be available. A friend of mine took a sit only to discover afterward that a trip to the grocery store was going to cost €11 on the local bus!
• Don’t look at house sitting as simply a free place to stay. Remember you are providing a service, especially if animal care is involved. Most homeowners are really reasonable and are just thrilled to have someone reliable and caring in their home, but there are a small group that seem to misunderstand the concept and expect far too much with too little in return. If you approach sits from the perspective that you are providing a service, it will also translate into the care you exercise with their home and pets. That also instills more confidence in the homeowner.
• If the sit involves international travel, make sure to double check entry requirements and the length of stay granted. If you’re from the US, a house sit in Spain for 4 months will require an advance visa.

What else would you like to know about house sitting? Do you have any other helpful tips for finding and getting these jobs?

We are living in a home built in 1860. Our furry companions include three dogs and two cats. However, we also have a pet chicken in the home. She was a battery hen rescue (egg factory). She had broken one of her legs, and of course it was never noticed there. Unfortunately the leg healed badly, so she can only hop around on one leg. She would get attacked by the other chickens, so Grace lives in the home where she keeps the dogs in line.

People are amazingly friendly here, and across the street we have the village shop which has various grocery items as well as serving as the village post office.

About three doors down we have an excellent fish & chips shop, and we have two pubs in extremely close proximity. As I look out my living room windows, it isn’t uncommon to see people riding their horses past our house. It is a sleepy town indeed.

Thankfully, a neighbor takes care of the six horses. I’m not into mucking out stalls thank you very much. However, I am in charge of caring for 34 hens. They reside in a field down the street which gives us and the dogs some exercise daily.

A typical day for me begins with starting a fire in the stove in the living room to take the chill out of the air while my water comes to a boil for my morning coffee. We have an Aga stove which is quite an interesting contraption. I had never heard of these before coming to this sit.

After enjoying my morning dose of caffeine, checking emails, doing my social media stuff, etc., it’s time to move Grace from her bed near the Aga to the dogs’ sitting room. Then I don my Wellies and grab the dogs for our morning rounds with the hens. We are greeted enthusiastically with lots of clucking.

This outfit just screams springtime, no?

After taking care of the water and checking their feeders, it’s time to put on my bright pink rubber gloves and grab a bucket. After cleaning out the . . . chicken leavings and putting down fresh shavings and straw, we collect their eggs. I love the beautiful varying hues of their eggs. So different from what you get in the supermarket.

Naturally, there is also doggy doo-doo pickup in the yard, too.

The rest of the day is pretty relaxed. I usually have a fire going in the wood-burning stove, and the dogs gather in front of it to soak up some heat while one of the cats, Mike, does a gargoyle impression next to me.

In the afternoon, we’ll do another walk to the field for another check on the ladies.

Tigger is at the age where he hibernates in his room for a large portion of the day. We’re both really enjoying having our own space again. And we’re both pretty thrilled to have dogs and cats to cuddle, pet, and love.

I’m enjoying being able to give Tigger the experience of taking care of this large a group of chickens. In Morocco, we had five of them, so 34 is quite the different workload. I think he has as much fun as me collecting the eggs. It’s almost like finding a bunch of presents every day.

I also like that he is able to discover the difference between the taste of healthy, truly free-range chicken eggs as compared to the factory eggs in the stores. And for me it’s kind of fun just living in a home this old. I know for many Europeans an 1860 home is not that old, but for us North Americans they’re a rare find.

We’re in North Yorkshire until early April, and we’ll be returning in late May to house sit here again. For now we’re really enjoying the slower village life and being surrounded by pets.

Have you been to Yorkshire? What’s your favorite area?

Let’s do this!

Okay, so you’ve decided housesitting is for you. Time to sign up for a membership, get your profile set up, and start contacting owners.

We have a discount code for Trusted House Sitters! It’s 1dad1kid. If you are joining as a sitter, you get 20% off the membership fee. Homeowners get 3 months free. [Editor’s note: We have not and will not receive anything with your use of the code.]

Profile tips

Your profile is the first or second thing they’re going to see. It will determine if they move on to the next step. So, yeah, it’s a big deal.

• Brevity, shyness, and humility are not necessarily your best friends here. Show your personality! Why should these people give you the keys to their home and put their beloved animals into your care? When being considered for Thailand, do you know how we won them over? They saw our Camel Balls video. Yes, camel balls got us the assignment. It was about personality.
• Sell yourself. What skills and experience do you have that make you desirable as a housesitter? Did you work as a veterinarian technician for 12 years? Do you believe that if you made a piece of toast the whole kitchen has to be cleaned again? Have you owned a home before? Can your partner build a house with just a supply of wood, duct tape, and bailing wire? Dig deep!
• Include photos and/or video. One of my strongest selling points is I have an adorable, photogenic child who is an extreme animal lover. I use that. On our profile, I have some photos of us doing fun things together, but I also have photos of Tigger being extremely cute with pets. I think this is especially important for homeowners who may not be so sure about having a child in their home. When they see photos of how Tigger is with pets, that gives them some reassurance that they won’t have a kiddo terrorizing poor Fluffy.Videos are the future. We haven’t done ours yet, but I’m working on it. They really are a great way of introducing people to you. They can see and hear you which helps them get a better feel for you and your personality. If people feel a connection with you, they’re more likely to seriously consider you as their choice.
• Tell them why you want to housesit. What is your theory about housesitting? Why do you want to do it? Is it just so you can save money? Well, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just be honest and open.
• Look at other profiles. You can search for a housesitter and see their profiles to get ideas.

Making first contact

“Hi there, I’m so and so, and I’d like to stay in your house for free. I’m a great person. Thanks.”

How would you respond?

Since you’re contacting them in this case, they’ll see your email before your profile. Give them a reason to want to view your profile.

• Give them a brief description of your experience as a homeowner or sitter.
• If animals are involved, tell them if you taught the Dog Whisperer everything he knows. If you grew up on a farm with 10 dogs, 20 cats, and a bunch of other animals, that’s good info to share.
• Personalize it. If they mentioned their pets’ names in their profile, make sure you do the same in your email. They love their animals, and they want to know you will, too. If you can’t be bothered to name them, chances are you won’t be spoiling them like mommy does either. If the photo of their kitty made your heart melt and start searching for catnip, tell them that. Just be honest. Don’t make stuff up just to close the deal.Sometimes I’ll make a connection with their pets. For example, one housesit had pet rats. I had pet rats as a kid and loved them, so I shared that and what I enjoyed about them. If they have a breed of dog that you know has tons of extra energy, point out that you know that and can meet that need: “Dalmatians sure have a lot of energy! We love taking long walks, so we’ll be able to give him plenty of opportunities for exercise.”
• Does your lifestyle make you especially suited for this assignment? For instance, they have a highly energetic doc, and you never fail to go for a 5-mile run every day. That would sure get my attention as a pet owner. I work online, so even though we’re active and get out to explore every day, we’re also home for a good portion of the day. That’s good for them to know, especially if their pets are used to someone being home for most of the day.Are they “house proud,” and your home would make a hospital surgical room look filthy? Tell them that.
• Do you have a blog, website, or a Facebook fan page? If the answer is yes, then share that with them. Our site offers homeowners a chance to get to know us better to see if we’d be a good fit.If you don’t at least have a Facebook fan page, I HIGHLY encourage you create one. It’s free and separate from your personal profile. It doesn’t have to be fancy. “Carla’s Homesitting” is a very workable title. Post relevant photos that introduce you (and your family, if applicable) to them. Video clips, photos, favorite quotes, pictures from that time you volunteered at the local animal shelter, etc. It preserves both of your privacy while also giving them an opportunity to see more about you.Give them something a little extra, and you stand out just that much more. This is critical since there are more sitters than there are homeowners searching.
• Get people to do a reference for you. Trusted House Sitters has a function where the person is emailed, and their reference appears on your profile. There are different categories for close friends, employers, homeowners you’ve sat for, etc. For Housecarers you can import the reference as a document so people can view it.

Getting an assignment

As I mentioned above, competition can be fierce, especially for highly desirable areas. The early bird usually gets this worm, too. Often the first person they talk to that they like gets the gig. Sign up for email alerts, but if you’re looking for an area that’s rather popular (like Paris, Hawaii, Bali, Australia or New Zealand), I would suggest you do a search first thing in the morning and later at night (time zone differences) for recently posted assignments on top of getting the email alerts.

Trusted House Sitters has a Facebook page, and they often feature cool housesits. If you like their page, as soon as you see a possible assignment show up that you’re interested in, email the owner right away! You can have an absolutely stellar profile, video, and first message, but if you’re the 25th person to contact them, good luck. It is not uncommon for some people to receive 100 candidate messages!

As the internal messaging systems are a bit clunky, once I’m in conversation with a homeowner, I give them my email address and offer to chat with them via regular email. It’s a lot more convenient.

If I’ve made it to the first round, I always offer to do a Skype call. Skype calls between users are free, so really you have nothing to lose. Even if you have to go to an Internet cafe to have the conversation, it’s worth the little money you’ll have to spend.

During those initial emails, when they’re asking a lot of questions, or apologizing for asking a lot of questions, I reassure them that I understand. They’re entrusting their home to you, and for many people it’s even a bigger deal to trust you with caring for their furry or scaly children. Let them know it’s okay and you understand, offer to put them in touch with others housesits you’ve done (if you have their permission to give out their contact information), and so on.

Confirm dates. Sometimes they need flexibility, sometimes the dates are very fixed. Make sure you’re clear on everything and keep those emails. They can come in handy if there is a misunderstanding later on. I keep every single email conversation with them for at least a year after the housesit is over.

Prep work

It’s a good idea to offer to arrive 1-2 days early so that you have ample time to go over routines; schedules; how to turn off the gas, water, electricity, etc. Use a prewritten checklist to go over with them to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

If they have plants, make sure you know the watering frequency and if you need to apply plant food, etc.

If there is a pool, make sure you’re clear on the chemical use (if it isn’t salt water) or at least what is expected of you if they have someone to service the it. It’s a good idea to know where the pump is located and how to turn it off and on.

In many countries, you can’t drink the tap water. If that’s the case where they are, find out if there is a delivery service, or a place to refill water bottles. Not only is that important for the environment, but you’ll save a LOT of money on refilling water containers over buying new ones each time.

If there are a few months in between your acceptance and the start of the gig, make sure to stay in semi-frequent contact with the homeowners. Especially if they’re newer to this. It helps reassure them you’re still coming and that you’ll keep the communication going once their precious furballs are in your care.

Is a family out of luck?

If you’ve gotten this far and are still asking this question . . .

I think families may have a bit of an extra challenge getting a housesit, but it’s definitely doable. At the time of publication of this post, we’ve completed our 4th housesit outside of the US and are scheduled for our 5th. I know a larger family that had an extremely nice assignment, and the fact they were a larger family was a bonus for the owners because it meant more people were available to give their animals attention.

Patience is a virtue

The big thing is not to give up. Sometimes it can get frustrating sending out that 20th request only to not hear back, not be chosen, or be told “Oh sorry, we already found someone.”

Be persistent, and it will pay off.

What tips or questions about housesitting do you have?

I have been getting a lot of questions about housesitting lately, so I figured I’d do a post with my tips, experiences, information on which sites I use, etc.

Why housesit?

Housesitting offers many positive benefits. Here are just some of them.

• “Free” accommodation. This is one of the biggest benefits. We saved a ton of money during our housesit in Morocco. In Thailand, the savings enabled us to take care of some other needs, like dental care for Tigger, while being able to splurge on eating out more and at some nicer places than we typically enjoy.It isn’t just for travelers. I’ve read articles from people who use housesits as their primary residence in an area. Often homeowners have needs at regular intervals, and obviously they prefer to use someone they already know. They have friends who need a housesitter. . . You get the idea.
• Living more like a local. Some housesits are more “local” than others, but generally we’ve lived surrounded by locals. It really gives you an opportunity to learn more about the culture, see what life is really like in a place, and to feel like a small part of a community. In Thailand, we’ve really enjoyed being able to escape the tourist hordes, and we have a beach (which is just a few footsteps from our patio) practically to ourselves.
• Getting a pet fix. Not all housesits involve caring for pets, and you can specify with sites if you don’t want to take care of animals. Granted, you won’t find as many available assignments, but they do exist. For long-term traveling animal lovers who are doing it sans pets, it’s a great way to have temporary pets. We grew very fond of the dogs we cared for in Mexico and Morocco. The cats in Thailand have to be rehomed since their humans are moving back to Australia, and it isn’t possible to move with the cats. One of the cats is being rehomed to some American friends we met in Ecuador, so we have another level of connection with them, and with the kitty Nugget. We get to have the joy of loving and being loved by pets while still being able to travel without the challenges of having permanent pets.
• A unique way to do long-term or slow travel. We’ve been to some places we probably never would have otherwise because of assignments. For example, spending 2 months living in an oasis in southern Morocco, which was one of the highlights of my life and was also life changing. We have an upcoming housesit in New Zealand which will enable us to spend more time in that country, and to do so in a non-touristy area. Because we’ve stayed put in an area for a longer period of time, we’ve had experiences that are just so much richer.
• Allows a nice break. We have periods where travel is more fast paced and hectic. It’s really nice to be able to be in a home where we can unpack our suitcases and just kind of settle in. We can take our time exploring the area and seeing the sights rather than feeling pressured to get everything in before it’s time to go to the next location.
• Extending your time in a popular area. Some housesits are in very expensive locations, like Paris and Hawaii. Some of these areas can put a serious drain on your bank account, and you may have to spend much less time there than you’d like. However, a housesit can make it extremely affordable and allow you to stay in an area for significantly longer than you could otherwise afford.

Housesitting sites

There are several options for sites, and they can vary quite a bit depending on the region. For US sits, I have had the best experiences with Housecarers.com (HC). They’re also good if you’re looking for sits in Australia and New Zealand.

For UK sits, it’s hard to beat Trusted House Sitters (THS). However, they also have a ton of sits all over the world. We also use Mind My House (MMH) quite a bit. In my opinion, THS is #1. It has a lot of offerings, pretty good search functionality, and allows you have to references that homeowners can review (as does Housecarers). I generally get more responses from homeowners using THS than the other sites, even if it’s just to say they’re considering everyone and will let you know.

MMH’s search function is extremely basic and requires more of your time. They do have alerts that get emailed to you with new housesits, so I tend to rely on those more.

With MMH, I often never hear back from a homeowner. We did get our Morocco housesit through them; however, the homeowners found us through that site and contacted us directly.

MMH membership is cheaper than THS, but in my opinion this is a great example of you get what you pay for.

Bottom line: Definitely sign up with THS. Check out the MMH and HC sites before you decide, do a search on locations you’d be interested in, see what the offerings are, etc.

Things to consider

• Length of assignment. Six months on an island in the middle of the Pacific may sound extremely glamorous, but if you’ve never lived in a very remote location before, especially for long periods of time, really consider if you’re sure you can handle it. If after a week on the road you MUST have a hamburger, remote island life may make you absolutely nuts. I adored life on the oasis, but by the time 2 months was up, I needed something besides the limited range of southern Moroccan cuisine. And I could’ve killed to get decent WiFi.After doing two 2-month housesits, we changed our optimum to 4-6 weeks. For us and where we are right now travel-wise, 2 months is just too long to be in one spot, especially if there isn’t a lot to see and experience, and if we can’t break away with side trips. Some things can improve that feeling, like if we have access to motorized transportation, but we’ve decided 6 weeks is about our tops currently. Unless it’s in a HIGHLY desirable location, but even then I’m not sure we’d go for something longer.
• Inability to get away. Your job is to take care of their home and their pets. You may not be able to get away for a weekend or an overnighter. This can be negotiable, but if it’s important to you, make sure you get that approved with the homeowner before you accept the assignment. In Morocco, they simply cannot have the house empty overnight. We had worked out being able to take a few days away from the oasis ahead of time. We just had to pay their handyman to stay there at night and to take care of the animals (1 dog, 2 rabbits, and 5 chickens) while we were away. That worked out quite well, and when we did take a 3-day trip, it was exactly what we needed. Not everyone is going to be that flexible, though, so make sure you have that settled ahead of time.
• Living arrangements. Everyone has a different level of what are acceptable living conditions. Some assignments are taking care of properties that are quite luxurious, while others may be much more humble. Be honest with yourself about what you can feel comfortable with. You’re going to be living there for a while, and you can’t simply leave because you don’t like the layout or didn’t realize that the water heater is on demand and never gets above lukewarm. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If a homeowner is bothered by you asking, there’s a good chance you don’t want to work with them. It’s much better to go into something completely aware than blind. If their ad had minimal to no photos, don’t be shy about asking for additional pictures. The assignment may only be 3 weeks, but if you feel like you’re living in hell, it can seem like years.Our housesit amenities in Morocco were sometimes a bit above camping, but we knew that going into it. Internet is important to me because I work online. I knew ahead of time they only had 3G service and how much it would cost per month. For that assignment it was acceptable, for another I turned it down because the options were too expensive and inconvenient.Everyone has different needs. Don’t feel bad if hot water is one of your non-negotiables.
• Utilities. Some homeowners want you to pay for some or all of the utilities during the housesit. My feeling is this: If they wouldn’t cancel the service if we weren’t there, then I won’t pay for it. Generally, you won’t cancel your electricity, Internet, water, etc., while on vacation, so I won’t pay for those. Now, in some areas where electricity is quite expensive, asking me to pay for anything that goes above their usual I might consider. In Morocco, we had to use propane for the refrigerator, hot water, and stove. When it was time to replace the tanks, we paid for that. Since they wouldn’t be using these if they weren’t home, it’s fair to ask me to pay for that.However, remember you are also providing a service. You are taking care of their home, watering their plants and yard, taking care of their animals, etc. You aren’t just sleeping there only at night. Don’t short change yourself. On our 1st official housesit, we ended up paying for things that I wouldn’t now that I’ve had some experiences.Likewise, some homeowners try to charge you rent. That is not housesitting. Do what feels right for you, but personally I would not pay rent for a housesitting gig, especially if it comes with more responsibilities than just keeping their home lived in. A vacation rental has a much different obligation level than a housesit.

• Ask questions ahead of time. Make a checklist of the things that are important to you ahead of time. When you are in negotiation with a homeowner, make sure you cover all those issues before you accept. Once they’ve scheduled you, it really isn’t fair to them for you to back out because of some detail you overlooked. They’re putting a lot of trust in you. Some things that are important to know ahead of time:
  • Will they leave you money for pet food and needs? While you may not mind being reimbursed later, only you know your budget. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of having to wait for reimbursement, then make alternate arrangements beforehand.
  • Do they expect you to pay for any of the utilities (see above).
  • What about transportation? Are they close to public transportation? If you don’t plan on a car hire, you’re going to need to know this. Some homeowners will offer you use of their vehicle. Good to know either way.
  • If you may have friends or family wanting to visit, are they okay with you having guests? We love to couchsurf, but I won’t offer to host couchsurfers since it isn’t my home. Unless they’re people I actually know in real life, in which case I get permission ahead of time from the homeowners.
  • If yard work, pool cleaning, etc., is required, do they have people to do that already, and how will their payment be taken care of? I treat this just like I do utilities: If they would have to pay for it if I wasn’t there, then I’m not going to pay for it. If a housekeeper is optional, and I choose to have that service, then I’d happily pay for it. And I do mean happily! I have often paid for a cleaner to come in and do a thorough clean before the assignment finishes just to make sure the place is extra nice for them to come home to. If you’re a neat freak, this probably wouldn’t be an opportunity you’d want to pay for.
  • If they have preferred service providers, i.e., plumbers, electricians, make sure you get a list with their contact information.

The bloggers of Hecktic Travels have written an ebook about housesitting which I highly recommend. They have some incredibly thorough checklists (as well as a discount code to join THS) in their book.

How does all of this work? Who pays for what?

There are some paid assignments, but they’re pretty rare. Generally speaking, you will provide your own transportation to where they live. I do know some people who have negotiated the cost of travel into their agreement, but that is definitely not the norm.

If you will need to make sure bills are paid as they come in, I would recommend they have funds available for you. Obviously, for shorter housesits this won’t be an issue.

Make sure to keep receipts for anything out of the ordinary, like unexpected veterinarian visits. Often homeowners will set something up with their trusted vet before they leave, but that doesn’t always happen.

Linens and towels are usually provided. Obviously, make sure you have them freshly laundered before you finish the assignment.

You’ll be expected to leave the home in at least the same condition as they left it. I usually take photos or video of a place right away. (Make sure you get their permission before sharing photos of their home on social media and/or a blog, though, and never show identifying information such as addresses, license plate numbers, etc.)

Most people will want regular updates from you via email. My general practice is to email them weekly with a brief update on the home and the pets.

Some will ask for regular Skype calls, too. I’ve seen some ads requesting weekly updates with photos and video on top of a weekly Skype video conference with their pets. Again, know your comfort level and be honest with yourself and them about it.

In the event they let you use their vehicle, you may be required to pay for your own insurance, a usage fee, etc. In Thailand, they had a scooter they were trying to sell. We ended up renting it for about $3/day so that we’d have access to it. Some homeowners will only ask that you pay for your own gas, oil, etc. If you use it, make sure you leave it nice and clean for them, though. If they have pets, make sure you know ahead of time how they feel about you bringing along their pets on rides, what their requirements are, as well as any applicable local laws (for example, dogs may not be allowed to ride in the open area of a pickup truck without a safety harness).

What’s next?

Check back for part 2 of my housesitting tips where I’ll include some tips on securing your assignments, what to include in your profile and communication, etc.

Either the rooster has stopped crowing, or I’ve just tuned him out, because he no longer wakes me up in the morning.  I’m really thinking he’s just become lazy, because he’s right outside my bedroom window.  Nevertheless, when I wake up, blessedly without an alarm clock, the first “chore” is to let the chickens and rabbits out of their houses.  We have 3 adult chickens and 2 tweens.  They get fed, and then I generally go from there to the garden which is watered on a daily basis.

Our irrigation water comes from cisterns.  We have one on the roof, and the hoses and drip irrigation system are connected to that.  When the cisterns get close to being used up, a call is made, and water is moved through the oasis via canals to our in-ground tanks.  Every couple of days or so, I have to pump (electric) water from the cistern into the rooftop tank to water the plants.  The rest of our water, which is potable, comes from the town’s supply and comes from indoor plumbing (yay!).

After the garden is watered, then it’s time for breakfast.  After we eat, we take the dog on a walk around the oasis, and then he gets his meal.  If it isn’t watering day for the rest of the plants, then I’m basically free until the afternoon call to prayer, which is when I give the chickens and rabbits their second meal of the day.  After that we take the dog on his second walk.

We refer to the call to prayer at around 5:45 PM as the “call for chickens.”  That’s when it’s time to put the chickens and bunnies in their houses.

Rough day, huh?

Every two days, I have to water the rest of the plants on the property.  Most of that is handled by the aforementioned irrigation system.  Since we don’t have a lot of water pressure, I have to manage which valves get turned on at the same time.  The whole process takes about a couple of hours.  While the drip system runs, I use the hose or pots to water the plants that aren’t on the system, including the ones in the inner courtyard of our home.

So what do I do in the large number of hours in between?  This is why I’m thankful I was already trained for “slow living.”  There is the occasional minor cleaning, and there are always dishes to do (no dishwashing machine).  Laundry is done about once a week.  We have a washer, and the clothes are line dried.

Other than that, I can often be found writing, either doing articles, working on a book, or working on the blog.  Tigger and I have all of our meals together, which is nice.  We have a bit of a challenge with 3G signal strength sometimes, so he often is sitting in the outer courtyard where the signal is stronger, and I’m usually in the inner courtyard where it’s more comfy.  He comes in for regular hugs and kisses, and I watch him jump and hop around the yard every so often as he gets his extra energy out.

Sometimes I change places where I’m sitting just for a change of scenery.  We do the same with meals.  Sometimes we eat in the kitchen, other times we eat in the “outdoor lounge” area.  We’ve yet to use the room I call “the formal dining and living room.”

What’s the house like?

We have lots of photos of the house and property on our Facebook page.  It’s really a gorgeous home with an interesting layout.  Each room of the house opens onto the inner courtyard.  We have a kitchen and sitting area in one room, then there’s my bedroom, Tigger has his own bedroom (both bedrooms have their own full bathroom, although I have a tub), and then there is a room with a living room and nice dining area with a TV (for DVDs) and a stereo.

There are a couple of sitting areas in the courtyard, including a large one that also has an outdoor mattress so you can sleep al fresco.  It’s almost like glamping.  You have such an amazing view of the sky, and since there are no city lights, the night sky is absolutely full of stars.

What I call the outer courtyard is the rest of the property.  Here we have a lovely garden with spinach, garlic, coriander, sweet potatoes, and the local plant that the chickens and rabbits are fed.  There are numerous trees and plants around the yard, so it’s quite beautiful and peaceful.  The walls are ringed by large date palms.

We are definitely enjoying our little slice of heaven, but I’m sure we’ll be ready for some bigger city amenities when it’s time to leave in mid January.

What do you think? Could you handle living in such a remote location?

How to become a Housesitter* has about 51 pages of information about this interesting subject.  They give some brief examples of the opportunities they’ve enjoyed so far, situations that have saved them approximately $30,000 USD since they’ve been traveling, but really that isn’t the focus of this ebook.

I found several areas of the book to be quite helpful.  They offer suggestions and examples of how to create a winning profile, how to write a contact message that will increase your chances, a wonderful comparison of the most popular sites, including a map of which sites have the most available offerings by region, and some invaluable checklists to use when you do get your assignment.

Being a complete neophyte I read their book and pondered if it was worth spending the money to register with a couple of sites.  My only reluctance was that we’re a family and I would think that would rule us out.  The Hecks stress that they know of families who have housesat, so I finally decided that even if we got only one assignment, it would have more than paid for the fee.  Being such a low risk, I figured why not!

I used their advice when creating my profile and when contacting people.  We quickly got an email back from a lady in Belgium.  She wasn’t quite sure of when she would need someone (some people don’t have the dates fixed yet, just have the time period or know they need people regularly), but she thought we were so cool that she invited us to come stay with her for a week even if she didn’t need a housesitter.  She said we could do a few chores around the mini farm to cover food.  I spent $65 USD in registration fees (for two different sites and after using the discount code for TrustedHouseSitters.com that they offer in their book).  Even if we were to give this a very conservative €20 a night fee ($25), we will have paid for the registration fees AND saved $110 just on lodging alone, not including the savings on food.

I am currently in discussions with a family who needs a sitter in New Zealand for about a month next year, and we have some interesting possibilities for other places while we’re in Europe as well.

Did I mention they include a discount code for the site with the most options (which is also the most easy to use and the most robust website)?  If you use the discount code at TrustedHouseSitters.com, you basically will have only paid $5 for this informative book.

If you have the slightest interest in figuring out how to do long-term travel on a budget, How to Become a Housesitter really is a fantastic resource.

*Please note this is an affiliate link.  After reading the book and deciding it was something I would wholeheartedly recommend, I signed up for their affiliate program and will receive some money if a purchase is made with the above links.  Regardless of potential for compensation, I do not recommend items or services that I would not suggest to a loved one or use myself.