Afraid to Leave the House? Find a House Sitter in 10 Steps!
These days, in a typical household anywhere across the world, there is no one at the house in the daytime. With the improvement in lifestyle, nowadays every household has more than one earning member.
While the adults are out for offices to earn, the teenagers are found to be in school or college. We switch off the lights, shut the windows down, and lock the doors because we know – no one is going to be home anytime sooner. But, beware!
According to a very fresh survey, 65% of burglaries are committed during the day, because the burglars already know that no one will be at the house. So, house-sitters have become a necessity for more than one reason.
House sitting Australia is rather very famous. They not just protect your house, but also take care of your pets and toddlers for you. But, how to find the right house-sitter? Here’s how!
Step 1: Plan ahead – when do you need one?
First and foremost – shuffle through your schedules and plan when you are really going to need a house-sitting service for your house. Many times, we always have a person back at home due to some reasons. But, since getting a house -sitter is only a necessity when there is no one at the house, so mark the date when you know your house is going to be fully vacant.
Step 2: What do you want the house-sitter to do?
You may be looking for house-sitters around you because you do not want to leave your pet on its own. Or maybe there is an infant at home that needs to be taken care of at all times. Whatever the reason is, firstly decide the services that you want your house sitter to provide because they are going to charge you accordingly.
Step 3: Choose a house-sitting website online
Up next, you need to choose a well-reputed house-sitting website from the internet. You will be bombarded with a lot of options. Therefore, make sure to go through the reviews, comments, testimonials to see double-check their credibility. Ask your neighbors for referrals, if needed.
Step 4: Create an advert
Now that you are done looking for a website, prepare for creating an advert for your house. List down all the details – when you will need the house-sitting service, what is the exact purpose for needing one, where is your house located, how much you are willing to pay, etc. Publish the advert and wait for the responses.
Step 5: Read all the applications
After a few days, when your advert has received applications, take out some time to read and review all the applications. See what the prospective house-sitter has to say, what are their demands, and if they have anything to enquire about. Respond to all the applications and select the one you feel to be the best among the lot.
Step 6: Get a police check done
No matter how reputed the website is, after all the house sitter is a stranger to you. And obviously, you cannot just leave your house in the confidence of a total stranger. Therefore, never miss out on getting a police check of the person to find out if he/she has any criminal record or not. You can also ask the person for referrals from his/her previous clients.
Step 7: Meet and greet
Now that you are fully sure that the person is an honest one with a good, professional background, it is important to give them a house tour. Show them the house, the kitchen, the rooms. Tell them what they should do if so and so happens. Make sure they are left with no queries regarding their service.
Step 8: Finalize the deal
Now that the house sitter is selected and well-acquainted with their responsibilities, finalize your deal with them. Generally, house sitters have a fixed rate and there is not much scope for a bargain. So, finalize the deal at a price that suits them and your pocket both.
Step 9: Notify the rest of the applicants
Now that you have finally found the ideal house sitter for your house and have made a deal with them, do not leave the rest of the applicants hanging. Notify the unsuccessful applicants and thank them for showing interest.
Step 10: Take down the advert
Lastly, do not forget to take down the advert from the website to prevent more applications from coming in. It is a waste of time, both for you and the house sitter sending applications in hopes to work for you.
Over to you…
House sitting is an extremely useful service, especially for those who have to leave their house vacant every once in a while. Here, we listed the 10 steps through which you can find an ideal house sitter for your house. So, next time before leaving your house unattended, consider employing a house sitter.