A house sitter is a person who occupies a dwelling to provide security and maintenance while the owner is away. There is usually a mutual agreement between the house sitter and the house owner.
House-sitting is done by interested individuals during their free time to earn extra bucks or professionally as a career path.
The house sitters enjoy the privilege of living in the house rent-free, while others may only work during the day to ensure the house is in order, following the owner’s instructions before their return.
Although outsourcing can be pretty tricky when there’s no surety of the persons applying: specific organizations are in charge of regulating the entire process of filing and training house sitters.
This guide will walk you through how to become a house sitter.
Qualities a house sitter should possess
In becoming a house sitter, certain qualities can boost your chances at house sitting. If you don’t have them all, there’s room for learning.
They are great communicators
Effective communication shows that you’re confident and can be trusted. You listen more than you speak.
Great communicators frequently ask questions to clarify things and to make sure that there’s an established understanding. Besides speaking literally, non-verbal communication often speaks louder than verbal communication.
It’s in the ability to pay attention to people’s posture, hand movements, and eye contact. This quality is valuable to house sitters asides from their resumé.
They are respectful
No one wants another king on their throne. When you give out respect, it has a way of coming back. Respect the house owners, their properties, rules, pets, privacy, and belongings generally.
Respect indicates your level of maturity and experience in the field.
They ought to be clean and tidy
Making the house conducive for living is one of the requirements of the house sitter. Cleaning should be a part of your everyday life if you consider house sitting.
However, you can consciously and intentionally begin to build the habit if you’re aspiring to tow this path. Your ability to keep their house clean and tidy makes you a responsible house sitter. The house owner seeks the welfare of their home.
They are animal lovers
You should love their home and their pets too. If you have a problem with pet sitting, be honest about it so you don’t ruin your chances of referrals in the future. You boost your interest by taking classes on pet care.
The homeowners want their pets in good hands; let them trust you.
Know something about everything
House sitting involves knowing everything concerning a home. You don’t have to be an authority in the field, but versatility will surely aid your competence and confidence. Curiosity is an important trait.
When used for the right reasons, ask questions before and on the job. Be familiar with the basic skills in gardening, be a handyman as well.
How to become a house sitter?
Looking for jobs and recommendations can be pretty easy when you are intentional about paving a path in this job space.
There are specific requirements to becoming a house sitter; this will help you gain clarity.
Creating your house-sitting resume
When creating your house-sitting resume, keep it friendly yet professional. This kind of resume will make your house owner see you as warm and approachable.
Include the specific skills you can add to your experiences if you’ve worked with pets, gardening, farms, large families, and so on.
Stating these experiences on your resume can quickly put you out for what exactly the owner wants from you.
Apart from your personal experiences and specific skills, you can describe yourself; this will help the house owner get to know you better and make communication efficient.
Adding reviews to your profile is a good one too. You can get your previous employers to write reviews and comment about the services you render.
Setting your house-sitting preference
You might want to work for an extended period or take jobs during the holiday seasons to earn some money. Deciding your duration is very professional.
You wouldn’t like to opt out of a job without prior mutual agreement. You can also choose the location you would prefer, which would help you weigh your options.
Be honest about the services you can and cannot provide. If you’re not good with pets, you shouldn’t take on jobs that would require you to pet sit.
Creating your personal brand and advertising for opportunities
If you’re willing to build a business from house sitting, then you have to develop a personal brand for customers’ trust.
You can meet face to face with your potential customers to advertise yourself, although this can be limiting. Establishing an online presence is powerful.
It gets you in touch with a more extensive range of ideal customers. Personal branding also automatically builds relationships for you.
You are not just connected to customers but other thriving house sitters. In this branding process, you are building your image to stand out in your niche. It makes advertising more accessible.
If you’re just starting, your family and friends can be of great help; they’ll bridge the gap between you and someone in need of a house sitter.
Some companies also help connect customers with homesitters; you can find them online. Newspapers, magazines, and other advertising platforms can propagate your chances.
Before you accept an opportunity
You can ruin future opportunities when you don’t make the right decisions at the right time. It would be best if you didn’t accept offers because of the big pay, make sure that they align with your values and preferences.
When considering the offer, ask plenty of questions, research the neighborhood and even the family to ensure your safety.
You can go ahead and ask for the picture of their home to know precisely what you’re going to offer. Be polite and don’t appear creepy.
Accept the job if you’re okay with what’s involved and the offers alongside. You can also ask for the customers’ likes and dislikes to put yourself in check.
House sitting might not be so entrepreneurial because you’re working for someone, but it has its benefits if you invest in it maximally. Becoming a house sitter also builds you for your future home.
