Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Kelli and I have been house sitting since 2014.
Minus a few short sitting breaks, we’ve done over 70 sits all over the globe in places like:
- New Zealand
- Fiji
- Bali
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Oman
- Qatar
- Turkey
- Prague
- London
- Panama
- Costa Rica
- Nicaragua
- all up and down the East Coast of the United States
House sitting is a fun way to care for pets and circle the globe rent-free and mortgage-free.
But it is a skill that you need to:
- learn how to do
- practice
to land house sitting jobs.
Keep these 10 tips in mind on your house sitting journey.
1: Get Clear on Why You House Sit
Kelli and I love caring for pets and circling the globe.
We house sit primarily to have fun rendering useful service for homeowners.
Get clear on these reasons to become a credible house sitter.
Credible house sitters land the most in-demand jobs.
Living rent-free or mortgage-free in fabulous spots draws many to house sitting but landing desirable jobs means shifting from wanting free lodging to loving the process of rendering valuable service.
2: Boost Income to Avoid Relying Only on Sits for Free Lodging
Boost your income to frame house sitting in the proper light.
Put yourself in a position where you do not need to sit to secure free accomodation but do it primarily for fun.
We appreciate not paying rent or a mortgage but also rent apartments or homes between sit-free stretches.
As with everything in life, landing the best house sitting job depends on not desperately needing sits as an alterative to homelessness but wanting to house sit from abundance.
Some sitters struggle to land jobs because they come off as “needing somewhere to live for free” t0 homeowners.
Homeowners hire confident, relaxed, skilled sitters.
In most cases, boosting income helps to increase your confidence, posture and sitting skills.
3: Accept Jobs Primarily from Trusted House Sitting Sites
My only highly uncomfortable, somewhat unpleasant sit came from a Facebook Group for house sitting.
Job sources outside of trusted sites offer little to no vetting, scant transparency and basically give you a poor idea of the sit requirements and home condition.
I wound up sleeping on a trampoline in 105 degree temperatures with:
- no air conditioning
- no indoor couch
- no indoor chairs
in a teeny-weeny home.
I own this error and learned from it.
Virtually every time, Kelli and I only accept jobs from credible house sitting sites.
Join Trusted Housesitters.
Invest in the yearly fee to access reputable, trusted, vetted jobs.
Get an excellent idea of:
- job requirements
- home details
- prior house sitter experiences
to make confident decisions.
4: Set Up a Transparent Profile
Set up a transparent profile to send a clear message to home owners.
Detailed profiles paint a vivid picture for people who literally give you the keys to their home.
Add smiling pictures of yourself, house sitting skills and perhaps interests away from sitting to be….like…..a real person.
Kelli published a sensational profile for us on Trusted. Look it up after you join; or now, if you are a member.
5: Develop Communication Skills
Develop communication skills to seamlessly connect with homeowners.
Being proficient in-person and online puts people at ease before individuals place their pets and homes in your care.
Communicating effectively conveys confidence, a sense of responsibility and general comfort.
We have landed jobs in $5 million dollar estates, $4 million dollar apartments and a villa in a tropical paradise.
Prospering individuals trust sitters who can communicate with confidence.
6: Get Clear on Your Ideal Sits
We only apply for sits that light us up.
Basically, if the job seems fun, freeing and fascinating, we apply.
We never apply to anything else.
Getting clear allows both parties to find the perfect match which boosts your reputation and makes homeowners happy.
Homeowners look for different qualities in house sitters. Being equally discerning in selecting the ideal sit for you makes for the best matches.
7: Love Animals
Genuinely loving animals positions you to land the best jobs.
Most house sits entail caring for animals.
Our profile shows off our love for animals with cute photos but the bonds we build tend to please homeowners.
For example, during one house sit the dogs followed us into the car to drive to our next location after the homeowners arrived. The masters were tinkled pink that the dogs loved us and bonded with us so deeply that the pooches jumped into our rental car.
This level of pet love, genuine care and mindfulness positions you to land jobs regularly.
Care for pets by tuning in to their specific needs. Spot habits. Learn behaviors. Take these valuable experiences with you to future sits for an increasingly seamless experience.
8: Clean Homes Immaculately
I grew up with a German-Romanian mom who loved us but also cracked the cleaning whip. She rubbed off on me.
Kelli is also a meticulous cleaner.
We clean homes immaculately.
I always do 3-4 things in the cleaning department that perhaps homeowners missed.
For example, I recall cleaning a recessed area of cobwebs in the bathroom on one sit that had been overlooked for a while. The homeowners glowed about how we left the apartment in a super clean condition.
Spit shine, folks.
9: Reply Promptly to Homeowners
Kelli handles homeowner communication.
She replies in seconds or minutes from the initial point of contact during the interview process.
I’m not saying that you need to reply quite as quickly, but considering that our prior house sits have been:
- a million dollar, 4 story, luxury home in Turkey
- a multi-million dollar apartment on the river in Prague
- a $4500 a month apartment in a posh London neighborhood
- a luxury high-rise apartment in Saigon
in addition to the luxury sits mentioned prior, replying swiftly seems like a good idea to instill trust.
Homeowners want sitters who keep in touch promptly.
Whether it is just for checking in or to engage in an emergency situation, how swiftly you respond off the bat sets the tone for the relationship.
10: Build Your Resume
Begin building your resume now.
For all key points covered in this post, experience will teach you 50 other lessons for your intimately personal house sitting journey.
We only learned what we know by accepting jobs and house sitting.
Now, we are highly-skilled house sitters with a vast amount of experience in observing and caring for pets and tending to a wide array of house responsibilities.
9 years ago, we had zero house sitting experience. I had experience in caring for my pets from childhood through my late 30’s…..but I did not have experience caring for 75-100 different animals with different personalities, quirks, and health requirements.
I had rented two apartments and lived in two houses prior to sitting. 9 years later, I have lived in 70 different houses or apartments. I know far more about house care than most home owners because I’ve lived in 70 plus spots, most being houses with their various differences.
Some homeowners have similar preferences. Many have different preferences.
Being an experienced house sitter gives you immense confidence and comfort in handling jobs.
You respect people’s homes and love caring for their pets while becoming comfortable with feeling at home in their houses and apartments.
This, my friends, is a skill few people on planet earth have developed.
But when you dive in to sitting and gain invaluable experience you eventually learn that being comfortable in any environment may be the most valuable skill for a person to develop.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my house sitting guide.
Happy house sitting guys!
