Are you a single person with no dependents or a family who is open to relocating and trying alternative living styles? If so, give long term house sitting a try!
A place to call home is one of life’s biggest expenses. If you’re a single person or someone who lives in a major and expensive city, I’m sure you know how much your rent or mortgage payment eats into your monthly income.
In this day and age, long term house sitting is an excellent way to get creative and save money on housing expenses.
Read on to learn how to participate in long term house sitting.
What Does a House Sitter Do?
Before we get into how to participate in this increasingly-popular way of alternative living, let’s review what house sitting actually is. Housesitting – whether short-term or long-term – means that you’re watching over someone’s property for a specific period of time. Oftentimes, homeowners are looking for long term pet sitters, so you may be responsible for watching someone’s dog or cat. Additionally, you may also undertake light duties like watering the plants or checking the mail.
House Sitting Long Term
Let’s focus on long term house sitting, an excellent way to save money, live frugally and help other people.
House sitting long term is especially well-suited to those in specific demographics. These including the following:
- Digital nomads and remote workers
- Single people and families with a flexible lifestyle
- Those who enjoy taking care of pets and are interested in long term pet sitting
Let’s get into each type or group or person who will benefit the most from finding and participating in long term house sitting jobs!
Digital Nomads and Remote Workers
House Sitting and Traveling
In this day and age, many people work 100% remote. If you are someone who falls into this category, whether you’re employed, a contractor or self-employed, have you ever considered traveling and working remotely as a long term house sitter? Just be sure to check with your employer to see if you’re able to work remotely. Some companies have policies that do not allow this.
Renting a Storage Unit vs. Selling Your Furniture
Homeowner? Why not rent out your apartment or home right now? If you’re flexible and open to travel, wait until your lease is up and move out. Planning on coming back to your hometown in the near future (6 months to 1 year)? If so, it might be worth your while to rent out a storage unit. To determine whether it’s worth renting a storage unit or just selling your furniture, calculate the cost of both of these expenses:
- What you can expect to get for selling your furniture
- Cost of a storage unit x number of months you expect to use it
Let’s use an example to determine whether it’s better to sell your furniture or keep it and rent a storage unit.
Just say you’re a single person with a small amount of furniture and you can expect to get $2,000 at the least for your furniture.
Now, let’s say that a storage unit costs $200 per month. You expect that you’ll be gone for 18 months.
$200 monthly storage cost x 18 months = $3,600
Therefore, since a storage unit will cost you more long-term, it’s better to just sell your furniture. You can always buy it back later. Plus, you won’t have to worry about making bill payments while away.
If you own your home, you can rent it out to someone. Don’t want to deal with the headaches that come with being a landlord? You can hire someone to watch over your property for you.
Local House Sitting
Even if you don’t have the capacity to jet off to a foreign country or even another state, why not do long term house sitting in your own region or city? If you live in a large metropolitan area, you’re more likely to have a variety of house sitting options, such as single-detached family homes, townhouses, duplexes and apartments.
Local long term house sitting is also a great way to gain positive reviews before setting off on house sitting adventures around the world.
Sign up, find a housesitting option, bring your stuff over and enjoy long-term local living! Housesitting, whether close by or while traveling and working as a digital nomad, is an amazing way to experience a new space.
Important Notes About Long Term House Sitting
If you decide to undertake long term house sitting, there are some drawbacks. When you house sit, you’ll have a responsibility to take care of the home and any pets. If you’re anything like me, when you house sit in different locations, you’re excited to explore the region on your own terms. If you’re fine with a little commitment, long term house sitting is a great way to save on accommodation expenses and see the world!
Stick to a Schedule and Manage Your Time
One great part of house sitting is that you’re forced to stick to a routine. If you take the dog out in the morning and need to water the plants 3 times a week, you’ll be forced to a specific schedule off work time versus free time. When you have less time in the day for recreational activities, you might feel more apt to get out of the house more – instead of just laying around on the couch or poolside.
Importance of a Reliable Internet Connection when Long Term House Sitting
When you’re house sitting, be sure that your customer’s home has a reliable and stable internet connection. If you work from home, be sure to have a way to hotspot mobile data as a backup. Be sure to invest in a local SIM card and data plan! Don’t cut corners. You’re already saving money on accommodation expenses, so investing in a good backup power source is a small expense compared to what you’d be paying for housing.
Another pointer: house sitting isn’t always an 100% stable way to find long term house sitting. Sometimes, homeowners may change their mind about return dates from vacations or other commitments. Be sure to budget for travel so you have some backup funds. You may need to pay for a few nights in a hotel before moving onto your next house sitting adventure, so be prepared!
Single People and Families with a Flexible Lifestyle
If your family has minimal possessions and is flexible with where you live, long term house sitting can help you save money while having the amazing experience of living in a new space.
Own a home right now? You can rent out your space and make passive rental income. If you don’t, even better! End your lease and either put your possessions in storage or sell them. Just check the terms of your lease before committing to anything.
House sitting is even easier for those with a minimalist lifestyle. Those with minimal possessions will have less to worry about. You won’t need to stress about which furniture might be destroyed by the renters of your home (if you’re a homeowner) while you’re house sitting. Additionally, if you’re a renter, it’s even easier. You can just pack up what you own – likely not too much – and either throw it in storage, or sell it! If you aren’t yet a minimalist, why not look into the lifestyle? It’s all about owning things that bring you purpose and happiness and finding joy in the little things.
In general, if you’re flexible, have minimal possessions and are willing to pack up for 6 months or more, housesitting can be a great way to live. If you work remotely, you can even travel somewhere new!
Those Who Enjoy Taking Care of Pets
To succeed with house sitting long term, you’ll need to enjoy taking care of pets. Can you find gigs that don’t involve pets? Yes – some just involve tending to plants, checking the mail and dwelling in the home – however, many gigs involve tending to a furry friend. To maximize your chance of getting gigs, you’ll want to get some experience with pets – and enjoy doing it.
Have limited experience taking care of pets? Ask a friend or family member if you can watch their dog or cat for a couple days. After a successful stint as a dog or cat house sitter, ask them to be a reference for you! To avoid bias, choose references that aren’t related to you.
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How Do I Get Started With Long Term House Sitting?
Before you get into long-term local living, you’ll need to build a reputation as a trustworthy and professional person. Don’t have a strong profile and reputation yet? Create a profile that looks professional. Below are some tips on looking the part so you can start getting booked for long term house sitting assignments!
Prepare a Profile Photo
Make sure you have a clear, professional profile photo. Get a professional headshot done. If you’re on a budget, take a photo of yourself wearing a nice shirt in front of a minimal background. Make sure your appearance looks clean and professional. If you’re a woman, wear minimal jewellery and makeup.
Prepare Other Photos
Include photos showing that you’re a reliable house sitter. Prepares some photos of you holding and tending to pets. Additionally, include photos of you doing some household chores – gardening, taking out the trash and watering the plants. When potential customers – homeowners – see you happily completing house sitting tasks, they’ll see you as a trustworthy person.
Prepare References
Another crucial part of building a solid reputation? Be sure to have several references ready. If you’re brand-new to house sitting, you can ask some neighbors if you can house sit for them. After you’ve tended to their pets and gardens, ask them to be your reference!
Prepare for Interviews
Once you have your profile, photos and references ready, get ready to interview for the job. Create a list of potential answers to questions that clients may ask, including:
- What will you do if my pet gets sick?
- If the dishwasher starts leaking, who will you call?
- How will you respond if there’s a fire?
- Will you answer the door to strangers?
Make a list of 15-20 potential questions a customer might ask you and write down your answers to these situations. While most of these scenarios may never occur, it’s better to over-prepare. Remember, you’re competing against many others for the gig, so be as prepared as possible! If you’re applying for luxury house sitting jobs, you’ll want to be especially careful in preparing good references and a solid profile. When you take care of expensive property, home owners want to know that you’ll be gentle and responsible with their valuable possessions.
How to Find Long Term House Sitting Jobs
Now that you’ve decided you’re ready to house sit and have references and materials for a profile ready, it’s time to find house sitting gigs! Here are some great places to find them:
Trusted Housesitters
Trusted Housesitters offers gigs in over 100 countries. This website has the largest and most diverse array of opportunities for you to participate in house sitting jobs long term. All hosts are verified and there are tons of opportunities.
Interested in a particular region – say, house sitting in Canada? Filter by location to find opportunities.
While you can look through currently-available gigs for free, you’ll need to pay a membership fee (starting at $129) to apply for and be accepted to gigs. While there’s an upfront fee, it’s well worth it – so long as you commit to at least 2 or 3 gigs!
Trusted House Sitter reviews are excellent. In my opinion, the subscription cost is worth it – if you’re actually going to use it!
Nomador
Nomador has a good number of house and pet sitting gigs. Their membership costs $99 a year. This is great alternative to Trusted Housesitters. However, there are less listings.
HouseSitMatch
Want to house sit in the UK or Europe and are located in the UK Ireland, France, or Spain? Find a house sitting gig on HouseSitMatch and find opportunities for house sitting in the UK and other locations. Membership cost is £69 for a standard account or £89 for a premium account. Sign up and before you know it, you’ll see opportunities for house sitting in London, France or anywhere else you fancy! Ever thought about house sitting in Ireland? Browse HouseSitMatch and find the right location and opportunity of you. The possibilities are endless.
Word of Mouth
Do you have a solid network of family and friends who go off on vacation? Maybe you know a couple who goes to Florida every winter. Snowbird house sitting is a great way to live in a new place for a few months that isn’t too far from home. If you don’t know too many people, browse a website like Kijiji to find a House Sitting Wanted ad in your city – or if you’re open to traveling, a different state.
Long Term Paid House Sitting Jobs
Can you get paid as a house sitter? While most house sitting jobs are a one-for-one exchange where you get a free place to stay in exchange for your labor, these jobs do exist. Websites like House Sitters America offer paid sitting gigs. You do need to pay a membership fee, but it’s only $49. The fee is well worth it to stay for free and sometimes even get paid!
Can You Live as a House Sitter?
House sitting is an amazing way for a people or a family to save money, see the world and try out living in new places. Can you live as a house sitter long term? Absolutely. Just be prepared to be flexible with your location. As mentioned before, ensure you have some emergency housing funds in savings in case your house sitting arrangement falls through or ends early.
There are plenty of people who do house sitting long term. This lifestyle isn’t suited for someone who wants to settle down and build a community in a particular area. However, it’s a great way to see the world, save money and enjoy a frugal and minimalist lifestyle!
Is House Sitting a Good Idea?
Is house sitting a good idea? If you’re flexible, can commit to a minimalist lifestyle, are adventurous and the idea of long term cat sitting or dog sitting doesn’t scare you, then yes, it’s a great idea! Long term house sitting is a fantastic way to save on rent or mortgage costs, meet new people, tend to pets and see the world!
Even if you can’t leave your region, you can enjoy taking care of pets and meeting new people in your city or municipality.
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Janita is a frugal living expert and owner of Frugal Fun Finance. With over five years of personal experience finding and trying out the best ways to make and save more money, she's eager to share her knowledge. Janita's strategies have helped her save thousands of dollars for funding investments and traveling to over 20 countries.
Janita completed training in personal finance at The University of Western Ontario and McGill University, two prestigious Canadian universities. Her expertise has been shared on GoBankingRates, Yahoo Finance, and NASDAQ.com.
