How To Get The Best HouseSitter

Leaving what for most is their most valuable asset in the hands of a complete stranger is a daunting process. 

There are several things you can do at the time of listing your housesitting position that will help you greatly to secure a house sitter who is going to do a fine job for you.

It is my belief that most housesitters want to do a great job and take pride in the way they return both your home and your pets.  To attract the person who is serious about what they do, well it makes sense that you have to put some effort into your listing.

When you’ve done a lot of housesitting you get good at reading between the lines.  People leave clues and if you haven’t included certain details, you can bet that a good house sitter will disregard your listing.

Seven things you must include if you don’t want to be the listing that gets all the fly by nighters.

1.  Make It Appealing

Your text in your listing needs to be appealing.

Think like a real estate agent does when they are listing properties.  Make your property come alive for us.  The good sitters take the cream off the top because we know we have good references and we know we present well, so we go for the great listings and leave the rest.

The more appealing your listing is, the more appealing your applicants will be.

2.  Include Photos

I rarely consider listings without photos.

Please include relevant photos of your property and the animals that will be cared for.  Many include pictures of historic landmarks.  I can get sightseeing tips on Google once I get the sit.  What I want from a listing is to ascertain if I think I can live and work in your property. 

If there are no pictures of the inside and outside of the property, then I assume you have something to hide.

3.  Incorporate Details That Will Be Relevant to a Sitter

There are very many types of sitters but in general there are two types of people you want to attract, travellers who may wish to take in the sights and people like me who live and work on the road. 

Many listings only speak to travellers, but someone like me who works from their laptop will be home all day with your pets.  I believe the reason I’ve had such great results with the pets I’ve cared for is because I’m home with them 90% of the time. 

The sorts of things that someone with a mobile office seeks to know are:

After being on the road for several
months, this well designed and ultra well
organised home office was heaven for me

• Do you have fast wifi 

• Is your property easily accessed via public transport 

• Are there shops near by

• Do you have a separate office space

• Is your space quiet

The more detail you have in your listing, the more likely you are to attract the right person.

4.  Share Your Dates

Sounds like a DUH point huh!  Well you would be surprised how many people put up a listing and give no indication when they will be away.

If you only have a vague idea of your travel plans, that’s better than no details at all.

I would view a listing without dates with extreme caution because it would indicate to me that someone who can’t get that detail right, well I’d wonder how organised the rest of their life is.

The good house sitters aim to have their calendars full months ahead.

By being vague you could lock out the perfect person.

Someone really good may not even consider your ill-defined offering, but they could have been the absolutely perfect to look after your property.

As housesitting becomes more and more popular, there are many perfect sits all around the world.  The smart sitter will go for the people who provide the most details initially.

5.  Animate Your Pets

When it comes to pets, I have a couple of things I’m looking for beyond the usual - “they're well behaved”. 

I look for three key things

• Names of the pets included in the listing

• People talking lovingly about their pets

• Pets likes and dislikes

One Very Sweet Cat As It Turned Out

I remember one sit in particular, the owner headed up their listing with ”San Francisco Bay area 2BR house with 1 sweet cat”.

This delightful photo of Sylvie was included with the listing.

When I turned up, that was exactly what I got .... a delightful and sweet cat and a very successful sit. 

Of course, if they're not sweet don't describe them that way.  Its important that you are honest and that honesty, even if perhaps they aren't the best behaved will pay off in the end.  Maybe you'll get someone who enjoys the challenge of a spirited dog.

Another listing described how they took their dog to the park for an arranged meeting everyday with neighbours and their dogs.  This showed me that they must really love their dog if they are willing to put their life on hold everyday at 3pm.  The couple treated me exceptionally well too.  Like I say people leave clues.

6.  Describe Your Area in Detail

The Saturday Morning Markets in Sechelt BC Canada

Again the details bring an area to life.  For instance most say “plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby", but the following actual example gives so much more detail.  "The neighborhood is wonderful--ethnically and socioeconomically diverse, but safe. Some of our favorites restaurants in walking distance include Vietnamese, Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian, and vegetarian food".

This high level of detail will also repel the people who are wrong for your sit.  For instance someone who is used to living in a gated community may have struggled with this ethnically diverse community.  I loved it because it reminded me of the eclectic suburbs in Melbourne Australia.

Perhaps your area has local markets or bike and hiking trails.  Bring your local area to life for us so we choose your over the listing that is in an area that sounds much more alive and appealing.

7.  Be Generous

I’m very generous with my time and what I do when I’m in a sit.  If I see something that needs doing and it hasn’t been mentioned, such as watering the garden if the weather gets unexpectedly hot, then I just do it.

I often get a sense when reading listings that some people think they are doing the sitter a favour by letting them stay over.  Indeed there is huge value in being able to stay rent free in a beautiful setting.  But something that is important to remember is that having your pet in a kennel or cattery will cost upwards of $40 a day.  That’s a saving of $560 over a two week period.  Plus the pets won’t fret so much if they are in familiar surroundings, so you don't come back to sick pets and massive vet bills when you return. 

Plus you have someone in the house ensuring the place looks lived in and that someone is home.  Anyone who has returned home to find their house ransacked by alert burglars would consider having the place look lived in as a priceless gem.

I believe the core essence of a successful sit is mutual generosity of spirit and genuine gratitude shown by both parties for the equal exchange that is occurring. 

Every sit I’ve done so far the people walk out telling me to eat whatever I like and use whatever I like.  They show a degree of trust that makes me want to do an extra good job for them. 

So when you write your listing, put yourself in the sitters shoes and bring your listing to life .... I’d like to bet you get a much better batch of contenders to choose from.

Playing Ball

A large part of a housesitters life is spent playing ball.  You become an expert!



One of the greatest ball players I've known is a gorgeous little Lhasa Apso gal named Shanti.

Shanti McGanti came to stay with me over Christmas one year and I swear I threw that ball a thousand times.

She would run down the hall, as she flew through the fly screen door, it would be open long enough for me to throw the ball through from the top step in the hall before the fly screen door closed.  She would race down the stairs and be ready to chase the ball as it hit the concrete below.

It always made me laugh that she took so long to get back up the steps because they were open, but she flew down them (technically way more dangerous) at speed without worrying.

Yes, you guessed right, I got sick of the game first :-)