How to Get a House Sitting Gig
Decide what services you will offer., Begin house sitting for friends and family., Make business cards and other advertising materials to show you have a professional house sitting service., Post your services on community classified boards...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide what services you will offer.
Most house sitting jobs require that you do light housekeeping and bring in the mail.
Other services include pet sitting, garden care, heavy house cleaning and a phone message service.
Depending on the season, you may also be expected to do some light gardening or snow shovelling.
The more services and experience you offer, the higher the rate you are likely to be able to request. -
Step 2: Begin house sitting for friends and family.
In order to get good house sitting jobs from strangers, you will need to provide a list of impeccable references.
Offer discounted or free house sitting to friends who are willing to be and write references.
Reach out to past employers as well to see if they will be willing to write a good reference.
Ask friends or family members to give pointers after your first few jobs.
This will help you to improve your services before you start charging full price.
Ask them if they were satisfied with your services and what you can do to improve. , Create a free portfolio website on WordPress.com or Blogger.com where you list reviews, quotes from former customers, the services offered and your professional credentials.
Hand out business cards to friends, family and customers to refer your services to others. , You can do this in any location where you are available for house sitting.
Consider posting free ads on Craigslist and on message boards, although you may also want to pay for small ads in newspapers and online.
In turn, you should also check local classifieds for house sitters that are needed.
To automate this process, you can create a Google Alert on Craigslist that looks for house sitting in your area.
Make sure to include the local Craigslist URL and the search terms "house" and "sitting."
Ask them to refer clients, and give them a finder's fee, if they request a percentage.
Give them a large stack of business cards that they can give out to clients.
In this case a finder's fee may be a flat rate or it could be an affiliate marketer percentage.
For every referral, you can offer a percentage of 10 percent to the referrer. , You may be required to pass a background check and pay a fee before being admitted into the listings; however, the company will be marketing house sitting services directly to potential customers.
You can research HouseCarers.com, The Caretaker Gazette and Mind My House.
The logic in paying a membership fee to an agency or website is that most people in need of a house sitter do not like to advertise too many details about their trip or needs.
They often feel safer contacting experienced house sitters, instead of trusting their homes with someone they find in a classified ad.
The agency takes on the responsibility of doing a criminal check for the customer. , In most cases, this type of house sitting is offered for little or no money in exchange with being provided a place to stay when you are abroad.
It's a chance to experience another culture with free accommodation but can come with certain risks.
Before you look for house sitting jobs, make sure you research the area you want to visit.
You should be aware of any language or transportation barriers you might face. , Many house sitters either post a range of prices for their services or delay all talk of money until they meet the home owners and see what will be required of them.
Each house sitting job is a negotiation, so figure out how high and low you are willing to go for each job.
With more experience, it should be easier to figure out benchmarks for different stays. , Search for house sitting contract templates online and change the terms to fit your situation.
A house sitting contract should be mutually beneficial, protecting both the home owner and the sitter from potential unforeseen circumstances. -
Step 3: Make business cards and other advertising materials to show you have a professional house sitting service.
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Step 4: Post your services on community classified boards.
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Step 5: Connect with real estate agents
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Step 6: travel agents and property management companies in your area.
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Step 7: Consider joining a house sitting agency.
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Step 8: Develop a long list of reviews and references before you start to do house sitting abroad.
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Step 9: Negotiate your fee.
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Step 10: Create your own house sitting contract.
Detailed Guide
Most house sitting jobs require that you do light housekeeping and bring in the mail.
Other services include pet sitting, garden care, heavy house cleaning and a phone message service.
Depending on the season, you may also be expected to do some light gardening or snow shovelling.
The more services and experience you offer, the higher the rate you are likely to be able to request.
In order to get good house sitting jobs from strangers, you will need to provide a list of impeccable references.
Offer discounted or free house sitting to friends who are willing to be and write references.
Reach out to past employers as well to see if they will be willing to write a good reference.
Ask friends or family members to give pointers after your first few jobs.
This will help you to improve your services before you start charging full price.
Ask them if they were satisfied with your services and what you can do to improve. , Create a free portfolio website on WordPress.com or Blogger.com where you list reviews, quotes from former customers, the services offered and your professional credentials.
Hand out business cards to friends, family and customers to refer your services to others. , You can do this in any location where you are available for house sitting.
Consider posting free ads on Craigslist and on message boards, although you may also want to pay for small ads in newspapers and online.
In turn, you should also check local classifieds for house sitters that are needed.
To automate this process, you can create a Google Alert on Craigslist that looks for house sitting in your area.
Make sure to include the local Craigslist URL and the search terms "house" and "sitting."
Ask them to refer clients, and give them a finder's fee, if they request a percentage.
Give them a large stack of business cards that they can give out to clients.
In this case a finder's fee may be a flat rate or it could be an affiliate marketer percentage.
For every referral, you can offer a percentage of 10 percent to the referrer. , You may be required to pass a background check and pay a fee before being admitted into the listings; however, the company will be marketing house sitting services directly to potential customers.
You can research HouseCarers.com, The Caretaker Gazette and Mind My House.
The logic in paying a membership fee to an agency or website is that most people in need of a house sitter do not like to advertise too many details about their trip or needs.
They often feel safer contacting experienced house sitters, instead of trusting their homes with someone they find in a classified ad.
The agency takes on the responsibility of doing a criminal check for the customer. , In most cases, this type of house sitting is offered for little or no money in exchange with being provided a place to stay when you are abroad.
It's a chance to experience another culture with free accommodation but can come with certain risks.
Before you look for house sitting jobs, make sure you research the area you want to visit.
You should be aware of any language or transportation barriers you might face. , Many house sitters either post a range of prices for their services or delay all talk of money until they meet the home owners and see what will be required of them.
Each house sitting job is a negotiation, so figure out how high and low you are willing to go for each job.
With more experience, it should be easier to figure out benchmarks for different stays. , Search for house sitting contract templates online and change the terms to fit your situation.
A house sitting contract should be mutually beneficial, protecting both the home owner and the sitter from potential unforeseen circumstances.
About the Author
Andrea Turner
Enthusiastic about teaching creative arts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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