Visit the country of your dreams with all the comforts of home for only the price of a plane ticket? It’s possible! In fact, house-sitting is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing travel trends of the decade.
In return for watching a pet, maybe some light gardening or housekeeping, you’ll have the opportunity to live like a local and experience the culture in a way not possible from a hotel room. Not to mention how much money you can save on accommodation costs.
However, the competition can be fierce for the prime spots. Some homeowners receive hundreds of applicants for their assignment. Sites that match the perfect house-sitter and homeowner often say the majority of their homeowners tend to search the profiles first, before listing their homes. Below are a few tips on how you can make your profile stand out to land the perfect house-sit!
When you are ready to jump into the world of House Sitting, check out this article to find Tips For First-Time House Sitters.
Where To Start
This is who we used for our first house-sit in Fiji. This Australia-based site has an extensive listing of New Zealand and Aussie opportunities from a few days to months at a time. But they also have many listings all over the world to choose from. The free membership allows you to make a basic profile, searching and notification of house-sits, while with the $50 annual membership you can upload photos and references (a good idea for those competitive positions), receive e-mails, and apply for assignments as soon as they become available (another must for landing the prized positions).
This organization has a strong Facebook presence and more than a few of their posts have made us drool. A yacht in the Greek Islands? A manor house in the Cotswolds? Sure, sign me up! Registration is required and there are 3 to choose from: 3 months /$30, 6 months/$45, and their most popular option of 1 year/$60. As a registered member you’ll receive a daily e-mail of new assignments or a real-time alert for those special places you don’t want to miss.
This site provides you with opportunities located all around New Zealand. From the tip of the North Island to the Southernmost Point of the Catlins, you can find it here. Home owners can list their add or browse sitters for free. If you are looking to house sit, you can create a profile and set up your account for $65 NZD per year.
By focusing specifically on the United States, this organization strives to provide the best match of homeowners and house-sitters looking for American positions. To join, you’ll be required to create an account for $30/year. This entitles you to immediately access homeowner data and contact information.
The web site for House Sitting International, providing a comprehensive listing of potential opportunities for all countries except Australia (a separate site is available at an additional cost). Listing for those interested in sitting in the US and Canada is FREE, while the yearly membership for access to listings abroad is $40.
Advertised as the “lowest annual fee on the web”, this site has been around since 2005. For the $20 yearly membership you’ll be able to create a profile, set up e-mail alerts, search their database (over 320 listings at the time of this post), contact homeowners, use the sample forms and have access to their large database of advice for potential house-sitters before you go.
This is the on-line publication for the Caretaker Gazette, a listing of house-sits and caretaker positions around the world. They advertise thousands of opportunities each year to use this modern day software for property caretakers on estates, mansions, farms, resorts, ranches, retreat centers, and even private islands! The $29.95 yearly subscription fee also includes new listings via e-mail several times a week when owners need to find house-sitters quickly.
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