Going away on a holiday takes a lot of planning. You’ve booked your vacation, hired a babysitter for your children, found a pet sitter for your dog’s care, but who is taking care of your home while you are away?

You should consider hiring a professional house sitter to make sure your home is safe, your plants are watered, and your errands are taken care of while you are on vacation. Your home is your largest investment: ensure it is well looked after in your absence.

Why should you hire a house sitter?

A house sitter can provide you with services that you need when you are not home. If you are on vacation, or if you work late hours, they can help you take care of errands, sign for a home delivery, meet the plumber or any maintenance person and generally make your house look occupied.

House sitters can attend to wide range of errands such as picking up your dry cleaning, taking mail to the post office, taking on your newspapers and flyers, and many more. They can also do your grocery shopping or, with direction, buy a gift that you may need if you do not have time to shop. . Be mindful though, a house sitter is not a housekeeper, so unless specifically agreed upon, she/he will not clean your house, do your laundry or prepare your meals. A clear outline of expectations on the part of both the homeowner and the house sitter is needed and should be signed by both parties.

Where can you find a house sitter?

Just like finding any other professional sitter, there are several ways you can hire a house sitter. Our house sitter listings are extensive and include sitters from across the United States and Canada; if you are looking for a house sitter, you have a good chance of finding him here. Go to the city that fulfils your needs and view the listings.

If you have a specific need or cannot find a house sitter that suits your requirements, another option is to post a job listing. This allows other sitters who match your request to contact you with their applications. Simply follow the on--line instructions and wait for the house sitters to contact you.

Your To-Do list once you have hired a house sitter

As your house sitter will take care of your home and specific duties while you are away, there are some key issues you should be mindful of.

  • Make sure you sitter has your dates of absence very clearly outlined, in writing is best. Suggest and then negotiate your expectations for the time you are gone.
  • Provide your house sitter with all the access needed to get in your house, garage, basement and so on. Provide her with keys and instruct her on how to handle various alarm or other security systems you might have installed in your home.
  • Provide your house sitter with your contact information and also emergency contact information, to make sure she will be able to inform you of any new situation that might occur.
  • Give clear instructions on how the duties expected should be performed. For example, what brand of groceries to buy, how often and how much water is needed for your plants, how to sort your mail and so on. Clear expectations make for a good experience on the part of both parties, and can lead to building of trust and a long term relationship.