11 Tips To Find Your First House Sit
You’ve read about how to become a house sitter and now you’re ready to find your first house sit and make sure it’s a success? We’re here to help.
Luke and I have been house sitting abroad for more than five years. We’ve house sat in wonderful locations including Mexico, Costa Rica and Guatemala. We’ve learned a lot about finding house sits over the years, and that’s why we’ve put together this guide of 11 tips for finding your first house sit.
1. Sign Up to TrustedHousesitters
The first step to find a house or pet sit is to sign up to a reliable platform that connects homeowners with house sitters. We recommend TrustedHousesitters, which is a platform we’ve used before and have heard many success stories from. You can get 25% off your annual membership fee with this link.
Whilst house sitting platforms are the quickest and easiest way to find house sits, there is the option to set up your own website and advertise yourself instead. It means more hard work and doesn’t give you the same quick connection to homeowners in need of house sitters, but we’ve also found many house sits by organising them independently. Read more about this option in our guide to becoming a house sitter.
2. Add Great Photos to Your Profile
Photos communicate so much! The better your photos, the more likely a homeowner is to feel a connection with you. It’s important that you and the homeowner get on well and that they feel they’ve left their home and pets in safe hands. Photos which clearly show your face are important as they give the homeowner a clear picture of you. If you’re applying for pet sits too, include photos of you with animals you’ve looked after or your own pets. Finally, add photos which show your personality, hobbies and interests. Homeowners want to get to know you and these types of photos really help.
3. Write Up a Clear and Professional Profile
Your written profile helps homeowners to get to know you and build trust. Your profile should cover: who you are, why you want to house sit, why you’d be a great house sitter, your previous experience (either house sitting or looking after pets for friends or family), and your hobbies and interests. Talk about your attributes too — are you neat and tidy? Do you love playing with animals? Can you garden? Do you speak any other languages?
We also include info about our online work so that homeowners know that we’ll reliably be at home with their pets, that we have commitments and projects we’re working on so won’t get bored in rural areas, and that we do need a reliable internet connection at any house sit we agree to.
Try to communicate some of your personality in your profile too. If you’re fun and outgoing, then don’t shy away from those traits! If you’re more shy and reserved, explain your personality a bit more. This way homeowners can get a better sense of you.
4. Be Flexible with Your Availability
House sitting dates rarely match up perfectly with everyone’s calendar. A little flexibility is required in order to make dates align and sometimes a day either side can make a difference. If you can, then it’s better to set your calendar to be available as much as possible. This way homeowners are more likely to contact you to discuss dates.
5. Think About Where You’d Be Happy
When you set locations to house sit overseas, be sure that the countries or areas you’re putting down are places you would be happy to travel to. Luke and I tend to be very open with locations as we’re keen to travel to lots of places. But that’s not for everyone! Finding a house sit you’ll love is important and you don’t want to end up somewhere you’d be unhappy or isn’t possible for you to travel to.
You can also select the type of areas you prefer, such as cities, mountains, beaches and countryside. It may be hard to believe but Luke and I are not so keen on long-term house sits based at the beach, so instead we select options for cities and mountain towns as we love these types of locations.
6. Gather Cracking References
References are really important in house sitting. On your profile, you’ll want to have at least three references. If this is your first time looking for a house sit, don’t worry — you can add character references from people who have known you for at least a few years, references from landlords, and references from your employer. What’s important is to show that you’re reliable and trustworthy.
7. Read Listings Fully
The house sit search — the most exciting part! This is actually when you can get over-excited and start shooting messages to lots of homeowners. Hold off here. It’s better to be thorough and methodical. Read listings carefully and right to the end to ensure you understand the requirements of the sit. It’s common for homeowners to add preferences or specifics, such as preferring a couple if it’s a rural area, or wanting someone who also has experience gardening.
Applying for sits that aren’t right for you is time consuming and won’t be fruitful! It’s better to be selective and message homeowners whose listings match up well with your situation and the type of house sit you want. You’re more likely to be successful this way.
8. Send Thoughtful Messages
When you message a homeowner, focus on why you’re the right person to look after their home and pets. You may have your own reasons for wanting to house sit, but this message is about what you can do for the homeowner, not what they can do for you. Refer to any specifics written in their listing so they can see you’ve read it fully and you’re the right sitter for them.
9. Set Up Email Notifications
The early bird catches the worm! Email notifications will let you know immediately when new house sits in the locations you’ve selected are listed. This means you’ll be able to see the listing and write the homeowner a message if it’s relevant to you. There are lots of people who are keen to house sit, so getting there early is important.
10. Respond Quickly
The fast bird also catches the worm! Being quick to respond is important as it lets the homeowner know you’re serious about house sitting for them, and that you’re a good communicator. Messaging with the homeowner lets you build a rapport early on, and quick responses will help you stand out from other sitters who message.
11. Discuss and Agree Everything Up-Front
Clear communication before the house sit is essential to making sure it goes smoothly. We’d always recommend organising a Skype call to run through all the requirements and get a clear picture of the sit. We love to speak with homeowners face-to-face first to make sure they feel comfortable with us, and we also love to see their home and pets ahead of time.
Talk through all the important points: what are their expectations of you, what will you need to do for their pets and around the house, who will cover the cost of bills and wifi, is the wifi connection reliable, what local transport is available, how many days would they like you to arrive before and after, and so on. We also like to get this confirmed in writing after the call so we’re all on the same page.
