House Sitting is Fun

The whole idea behind house sitting, is the fact that it's cruise. Once the homeowner has thanked you, closed the door and left you in charge, the peace and nurturing begins. This is the easy part!

Securing the house sit, takes the most amount of effort and targeting. That involves marketing offline and online, networking, local advertising (free), interviewing and selling yourself. Once you make a contact with, a hopefully new client, you really have to bring your A game and your most genuine self.

House sitting is fun! That's one of the hireasons I love it so much. But you won't see me sitting in front of a computer for hours on end..not fun. I can do 2 hours tops...usually with a pre coffee to really power out for the two hours. Anything after that, my back hurts, my bum falls asleep, and I get annoyed.

I also have to make time for The Swim so can't be on the computer all day. That happens everyday and I love it! I'm lucky, in that my house sits, for the most part, are a skip and a jump, from the beach.

Blogging is another fun part of house sitting but I'm not a fanatic about it. I will take my time to let people get to know me. I know that everything worthwhile takes patience and time.

5 Steps to Becoming a Paid House Sitter

For whatever reason, transitions such as job loss, divorce, saving for retirement, natural disasters, or just wanting a change of pace, you would like to be paid for your services.

The fundamentals of being a paid house sitter, are the same, as those using house sitting as a trade for accomodation.

Here's the 5 first steps to becoming a paid house sitter:

1. Take on a couple of house sits for someone you know..to test the waters. This is very important as you will learn if you have the attributes for house sitting. You will be alone most of the time. Hopefully, you love animals as they may be sleeping with you. Are you feeling comfortable in a home that is not yours? You are responsible for keeping the place clean and picked up. This really is the only way to know if you have what it takes and if you will like it.

2. Do your research. Go online and you will see there is a community of house sitters and homeowners looking for each other. It is endless. Once you have done this, you will know more or less, if house sitting may be something that would work for you and meet your needs at this time in your life.

3. Put yourself out there as a house sitter. Start letting people know you want to house sit. Tell everyone you know. Word of mouth is the best! Put an ad on Craigslist in your area. My book is full of the how to's for posting an effective ad on Craiglist.

4. Sit down and work the numbers..make it a win/win for both you and the homeowners. Be confident in you and the service you provide. Know that what you do is a valuable service. People who call will be asking you what you charge so be ready with an answer that works for you both.

5. Be ready for calls..know yourself and your limits. You will get many characters calling you with different situations and not every call will work for you. There are many aspects of house sitting. Trust your instincts! The little voice knows best!

I hope this helps in getting you started..my guide book is filled with the details..this is only a preview..