How to be a house sitter – and how I started Trustedhousesitters.com

Today we are pleased to have a guest post from Andy Peck, CEO and Founder of Trusted Housesitters. We are huge fans of their service and have used housesitting many times during our trip and cannot recommend it highly enough. Stay tuned to the end to see how you can save on signing up today.

My journey into house sitting began two years ago when I was looking for somewhere ideal to write a screenplay I was working on. I’d heard of house sitting and the benefits of this, but despite scouring the internet, was having difficulty finding any good opportunities.

Eventually, after months of looking, I found an advert ‘house sitter needed for a luxurious mountain retreat in Northern Spain’. I made contact with the owner, Elle, who needed someone to look after her home, three dogs and two cats.

Work and family commitments meant for a large amount of time the house was left empty and Elle was becoming increasingly upset about having to leave her pets in kennels.

We spoke on the telephone and I provided the details of three referees. Elle called them, and then we agreed to speak on Skype to discuss her requirements and make the necessary arrangements. Three weeks later I met Elle and her husband at Porto airport, to begin a five-week stay at their house.

The home was stunning. A remote farmhouse converted from a 300-year-old building with original stonework, it had a huge open-plan living space, traditional Galician kitchen, Roman Watermills, and a terrace outside overlooking their pool, vineyard and gardens with views across the valley to Portugal.  The pets were real characters; we all quickly bonded and enjoyed long walks with the dogs exploring the surrounding countryside. The neighbours invited us for lunch in their vineyard, and we soon became immersed within the local community.

I could barely believe how fortunate I was to find such a fabulous place to stay, and Elle had relayed the great peace of mind in having her home and pets cared for. This was fabulous – I could get used to this lifestyle – and I’d already been invited back for two more occasions when they were going away again. Usually in season, this retreat rented out for over $2000 USD per week, and I was going to be here for 12 weeks!

Aside from the cost saving, what was really magical for me was the way I was welcomed back when I returned; the neighbours waving as I arrived, the homeowners whom I had become good friends with, the pets – who I got really attached to, and so looked forward to seeing again, the girl who arrived at 10am at the end of the path each day to sell fresh bread, the owner of the local rustic bar, and the old guy who walked his goats past each day – I felt a real part of it.

I’ve back-packed, ‘flash-packed’, but it didn’t take me long to realize that I had discovered my favourite means of travelling.

Creating a New Business

After picking Elle and her partner up from the airport on their return we discussed over dinner the win-win benefits of house sitting for everyone and the need for a portal where homeowners could easily search for ideal house sitters.

I spent the next year researching the market and home/pet-owner needs and soon afterwards launched my website, Trusted Housesitters.

To date we’ve had sitters join from 45 countries, looking to housesit all around the world. House sitting attracts a wide range of people including retirees, writers, artists or others able to work remotely, round the world, travelling, like Warren and Betsy and those just looking for something affordable and a little bit different to do with their vacation time. House sitting throws up fabulous ‘off-the-beaten-track opportunities to locations that you might never find, and in my experience, definitely more adventures than you would find in any guidebook.

Others use the service as a means of visiting family who may not have space to accommodate them (or want to accommodate them for long periods of time!) or even as a solution when relocating to a new area to check it out. House sitting works brilliantly to save on accommodation at any time of year, and especially when costs are at a premium, eg summer holiday times and Christmas, as this is when the demand for sitters is especially high.

With experience of travelling to many different countries worldwide, what interests me is getting under the skin of a region that I’d like to discover, and I think this is what house sitting brings – immersing within a local community, not just looking out at it from a hotel room.

You don’t necessarily need housesitting experience to join TrustedHousesitters.com as everyone has to start somewhere. Common sense and an adaptable nature are just as important and most people have other skills and experience that are just as valuable to a homeowner.

Each day we get excited to see new homes registered to need sitters. In the last few days for example, there has been need for sitters in the UK, Christmas and New Year in New York, Australia, winter in Barcelona, a month in Mexico City and many opportunities in France – amongst many other countries.

House sitters registered on our website get daily updates about the latest house sitting opportunities in countries they are interested in. The best opportunities often do get snapped up, so it is best to be registered rather than randomly checking to see what becomes available.

House sitters create a listing on the website to provide information about why they would be an ideal sitter. The more information you can provide the more this gives home and pet owners peace of mind when choosing a house sitter and means you are much more likely to get a house sit.

There are some commitments required in looking after a home and pets when the owner is away. Not to say you can’t go out and enjoy the region around you, but as you are there to care for the owners home and often pets, there is an unwritten respect on both sides. It can work extremely well for some ‘downtime’ intermingled with travels too.

House sitting has become a way of life for me – I cannot see any other way to enjoy travelling so affordably and decadently, and to be in the thick of a local community. It gives so much opportunity for random experiences and adventure.

During the next year I intend to house sit around the world while working remotely with my partner Rachel, managing the business with colleagues in various locations worldwide. The number of house sitting opportunities is rapidly growing worldwide, and as I believe with running any business, I want to be an integral part of it too.

If you think house sitting might be for you, and you have the qualities to be an ideal sitter, get registered with Trustedhousesitters.com and we hope that we can help you find some fabulous house sitting adventures too!

Try It Out Today for Less

Membership with Trustedhousesitters.com costs $30 for 3 months, $45 for 6 months, or $60 for a year, although you can get a 25% discount by using promotional code ‘Married’. Using this code, you can also find a house sitter free of charge if needed for when you are away.

For more information about house sitting, visit www.trustedhousesitters.com, and check out many of the fabulous house sitting opportunities that arrive on our site every day.