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House Sitting
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HOUSE SITTING
How Much Do House Sitters Make
Wondering how much do house sitters make in your area or overseas? That question and more will be answered in this post.
What Is House Sitting
Homeowners who will be away for long periods of time will need someone to tend to their home in their absence.
House sitting means to stay at and look after a house while its owner is away
There are different levels of house sitting. Some clients require the sitter to stay overnight and some do not.
An occupied home is less likely to be broken into.
Why Be A House Sitter
Housesitting benefits both the sitter and the homeowner. Examine the questions below. Many housesitters would answer yes to these questions. Perhaps the most common reasons for house-sitting are the need for free accommodations, the love of pets, and traveling.
Are you a student?
Do you love animals?
Do you love to travel?
Are you saving for college?
Do you love living in luxury?
Are you saving to buy a home?
Are you currently unemployed?
Do you need another side hustle?
Do you need free accommodation?
Need a quiet place to paint or write books?
Will A House Sitter Be Paid?
This is a great question.
How much do house sitters make and will a house sitter be paid are both important questions
The most common form of house sitting arrangement is when the Sitter looks after the home and pets in exchange for rent-free accommodation and no money changes hands.
The house sitter and the homeowner would go over the terms and agree on them before proceeding with their arrangement. Most sitters are happy to sit in exchange for the comforts of a home.
Some websites do allow sitters to charge for their services
That being said, the rate of pay typically depends on several factors, such as:
● Is pet care involved
● Is it a high-end home
● Is pool maintenance required
● Is the sitter staying overnight
● Is the house sitter just dropping by daily
● Is plant watering or outdoor gardening required
If you think house sitting isn’t worth it …think again
It is actually a win-win situation for both the homeowner and the sitter, with an extra win for the pets, if any.
Although the typical pay rate is on the low side, the advantages and benefits quickly outweigh the payment.
Think of it as an extended vacation with no hotel fees
If you will be paid for your services, you can typically expect to earn less than $20 per hour on average. Most homeowners will offer a daily rate of pay rather than hourly.
How Much Do House Sitters Make Overseas
The answer to this question would best be found on each website. As stated before no money changes hands for the majority of sitting jobs.
House Sitting Sites
New Zealand’s Finest
Do You Love Traveling
Here are some places you could travel to while house sitting:
France, Italy, England, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Montenegro, Malaysia, Thailand, Ireland and so much more.
Additional Info
House sitting websites will run a background check on both homeowners and sitters.
Some sites offer insurance and vetting services.
They will also provide alerts when Sitters sign up so that a position can be applied for immediately upon receipt of the alert.
The competition can be high
Sitters do reviews on home owners and owners do reviews on Sitters so it works both ways.
There is a membership fee involved to sign up at most websites and this fee varies.
Some sites only charge the sitter a fee and not the homeowner, whereas some sites will charge both parties a membership or yearly fee.
Most websites have international listings in addition to local ones.
Why Do Owners Hire House Sitters?
~ For Safety Reasons
The main reason would be the peace of mind knowing that someone trusted and responsible is at their home while they are away for extended periods of time.
Whether homeowners are going on vacation or will be away on business they would feel more at ease knowing their home is not vacant.
~ For Pet Care
Pets are family members too but sometimes they can’t be taken on vacations or business trips and must be left behind. They do get stressed out when they have a change in routine or when put into kennels.
So for the comfort of their pets, owners prefer to leave them in their homes as opposed to boarding them. Some dogs do not get along with other dogs. Some dogs have special bedding or toys. They may also eat specific foods or require one on one pampering that may not be available at a kennel.
~Eliminate Kennel Cost
Wealthy families probably don’t think twice about the cost of kennel care for their dogs. For the not so affluent homeowners the cost of kennels may be a big concern especially for extended stays.
Kennel boarding is not cheap
Leaving their precious pets at home eliminates the expense of boarding them at a kennel. They are able to stick to their routine and familiar surroundings thus reducing their level of stress.
~Bad Weather
When owners are away and extreme weather conditions are in the forecast it is reassuring to know that a responsible adult will be in their homes to tend to emergencies and to keep them informed if something goes wrong.
House Sitting Chores
House sitting chores do vary. Some of the duties you will be required to do are listed below:
Bring in the mail
Put out the trash
Water the plants
Walk the dog or pets
Feed the dogs or pets
Cleaning up after pets
Clean up after yourself
Maintain home or garden
Being present in the home overnight
You may even be instructed to pay the utility bills while the host is away.
Must You Cleanup?
Whether or not the homeowner has a cleaning service, it is good etiquette to clean up after yourself first and foremost as well as the pets. If you want good reviews, good referrals and a good reputation then don’t leave a mess.
Puppies can and do have accidents. They also throw up and they tear up items so you would be required to clean up after the pets.
Job Duration
House sitting can only be for a day or it can last for several months. This period of time would be decided by the homeowner and agreed upon by the sitter.
Will A Sitter Be Fed?
This arrangement is made between the homeowner and the sitter. Some homeowners may allow you access to their food but they are not required to do so. Typically you will provide your own meals and transportation.
Schooling While Sitting
Online education really took off during the pandemic. Most working adults or parents just don’t have the time it takes to travel to a facility, school or college to attend classes. Online education is a perfect way for an individual to complete classes, earn a certificate or degree all while working and yes even while house sitting.
Supplement Your Income
Since you now know the answer to how much do house sitters make, you are probably wondering how to:
make more money!
The house sitting lifestyle is perfect for a traveler. You can house-sit your way overseas or locally without paying hotel fees.
Additional jobs that work well while house sitting includes:
•Teaching English or tutoring any subject online.
•Blogging as well as affiliate marketing would also be a great means of earning income online while literally being on the job working as a house sitter.
•If you are an author or want to write 100-word children’s books for example or low-content books like journals, it can be done while house sitting!
•Building and Flipping websites is also a lucrative online business.
Check here for more work from home online jobs that can be done concurrently with house sitting
Communicate Regularly
Touch base with your host regularly. Let them feel at ease knowing that their home and their pets are in good hands with someone responsible.
Ask them ahead of time what’s the best way to reach them or communicate with them. Send them regular updates or pictures of their pets.
Practice Good Etiquette
▪︎If you’ve used their bedding then it’s a good idea to wash the sheets, towels and clean the bathroom before you leave.
•If you’ve done laundry, fold them and don’t leave anything in the washer or dryer.
•Clean up after yourself and pets.
•Keep their key and home safe.
•Don’t leave gates open.
•Don’t have a party and invite your friends to the home.
•If you’ve eaten their food, you may want to replace what you’ve eaten right before the owners return.
•Do not download anything on their computer.
•Hand over the home in the same condition (or better) than when you arrived.
Wow them!
In Conclusion
You can avoid hotel expenses and travel to your heart’s content as a house sitter.
Being able to work additional jobs from “home” or further your education all while housesitting is definitely doable.
This is a great opportunity to explore new countries and cultures. If house sitting sounds like something you would benefit from then check out the sites mentioned above.
Hopefully, we have answered the question, “how much do house sitters make” to your satisfaction.
If you are disappointed in the low rate of pay, the benefits and the flexibility to work other jobs concurrently may make it more appealing to you.
Cheers to your new enjoyable side hustle with free accommodation!
Happy House Sitting!
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