House Caretaking

[shiny]

Has anyone ever done any house/pet caretaking or used a house caretaker?

I've been thinking of things we might like to do after DH leaves w*rk, but before we settle down somewhere. I've stumbled across a few blogs/stories of people who move around place to place and do caretaking for people who are traveling. I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with it.

I've check a couple of caretaker websites, there is some interesting info, but many are for heavy duty work, more like live in maintenance workers. Here's one though that seems interesting though. House Sitters & Sitting from Housecarers .

[simple girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shiny Has anyone ever done any house/pet caretaking or used a house caretaker? I've been thinking of things we might like to do after DH leaves w*rk, but before we settle down somewhere. I've stumbled across a few blogs/stories of people who move around place to place and do caretaking for people who are traveling. I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with it. I've check a couple of caretaker websites, there is some interesting info, but many are for heavy duty work, more like live in maintenance workers. Here's one though that seems interesting though. House Sitters & Sitting from Housecarers .

We have no experience with this yet. However, we have the exact same plan! I frequent that site quite a bit as I daydream about our future after being FIRE'd.

[Sarah in SC]

My housecarers folks arrive on Thursday!
We used this website after lots of research and I was blown away by the quality of our applicants. We narrowed it down to half dozen really super sounding folks, then phone interviewed the top two.

Our folks are coming for 18 days to care for 5 cats, 4 dogs, fish and two sheep. They are semi retired, he's a college professor. I think it is going to be awesome to have them here. We usually have my dad or cousin come by for shorter trips but wanted there to be someone here full time for a trip this long.

It is really a win-win situation--we get nice folks to stay in the house, and they get a free place to stay in an area they want to explore. Be very clear in your housesitting assignment exactly what you need, and describe your situation so there is no confusion. I also sent our folks a three page guide to caretaking the house and pets ahead of time.

I'll let you know if they burned the place down when we return mid-July!

On the other side, as a housesitter looking for assignments--what we looked for are people that are stable, "normal" sounding, and that had experience with pets, but none of their own. Older was better, not high-maintenance, couples were our preference. References were a plus!

[harley]

Hi everyone, this is my first post, although I've been lurking around for a while.

I had a similar dream/plan when I was still working. So I subscribed to the Caretaker Gazette, a newsletter for people looking to be caretakers, as well as people looking for caretakers. WELCOME PAGE - The Caretaker Gazette - #1 Source for Caretaker Opportunities since 1983!

It had a number of different options in it, from the maintenance type positions to the pet sitting jobs, and many others. My particular favorite was the island in Maine for the winter (boat access only, bring lots of books). Couldn't get my DW to go for it, though. But it was a good resource.

Since I retired a couple years ago I've been so busy I let my subscription lapse. If I ever get enough free time I may get back into it, although I think I'd be more interested in house-swap situations now. But it still sounds like a great way to see different parts of the world.

Good luck.

Harley

[shiny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC On the other side, as a housesitter looking for assignments--what we looked for are people that are stable, "normal" sounding, and that had experience with pets, but none of their own. Older was better, not high-maintenance, couples were our preference. References were a plus!

Maybe later you can help simple girl and me with our caretaking profiles! How to sound normal (speaking for myself only of course!)

Do you think there is any market for couples that do have a small dog? We only have one now and she is 13. I like to daydream about it, but perhaps it cannot happen for a while.

Have fun on your trip!

[Sarah in SC]

Shiny, one small dog would not pose a problem for us, only cat-eating alsatian-types would make me nervous! And honestly, knowing folks have experience with dogs and cats makes pet owners feel right at home. A small, easily adaptable dog would not be a negative pretty much most places.

I think you can manage the normal thing--I'm remembering an applicant who said that her chakras would be better near the ocean or something like that. um, yeah. And I also ditched the one with a kid--didn't want the liability, you know?

When you or Simple Girl are ready for your first assignment, let us know--I'm sure we'll find somewhere to go and y'all can take care of the herd!

[simple girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC When you or Simple Girl are ready for your first assignment, let us know--I'm sure we'll find somewhere to go and y'all can take care of the herd!

We graciously accept the invitation to herd your herd! Now all we have to do is get FIRED and free! Sadly, that looks like it will be several more years

[Sarah in SC]

That's fine, Simple Girl, it will take us several more years to recover from the cost of this vacation!
Aaaacccckkkk, if Jeff Yeager the Ultimate Cheapskate could see us now...we'd get our LBYM card taken away.

[shiny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC When you or Simple Girl are ready for your first assignment, let us know--I'm sure we'll find somewhere to go and y'all can take care of the herd!

That would be cool, we could then list you as a reference and our pet/house sitting dreams would be on their way! My chakras are happy just thinking about it .

You may be spending a lot, but just think of all the money you are saving on kennel costs!

[Zoocat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC My housecarers folks arrive on Thursday! References were a plus!

Sarah, if you don't mind, would you tell us how much you are paying them per day?

[REWahoo]

Since her house caretakers arrived yesterday, I'd bet she's gone...

[simple girl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Since her house caretakers arrived yesterday, I'd bet she's gone...

Yes, she likely is, and I can't wait to hear about Mongolia!

And, FYI, most housesitters work for free, unless otherwise arranged by the two parties. It is thought that the stay in an area will offer free accommodation to explore the local area while the owner gets someone to watch their house/pets for free.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simple girl Yes, she likely is, and I can't wait to hear about Mongolia! And, FYI, most housesitters work for free, unless otherwise arranged by the two parties. It is thought that the stay in an area will offer free accommodation to explore the local area while the owner gets someone to watch their house/pets for free.

What are the general expectations of the housesitters? Beyond caring for animals, which could keep you somewhat housebound if there are several involved, are they generally responsible to mow, water and do other routine chores?

[shiny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by youbet What are the general expectations of the housesitters? Beyond caring for animals, which could keep you somewhat housebound if there are several involved, are they generally responsible to mow, water and do other routine chores?

It really depends on the situation. Some of the listings seems to be looking for some slave labor while others just want you to be there to pet their cat. It seems that most people with a house do ask for a little yard work if they are gone longer than a week or two.

I've been reading some of the carers profiles and it really seems like an interesting way to travel and meet people. But you are certainly right - it is not pure vacation.

[Sarah in SC]

An update:

The folks were awesome! When we came home, the house was clean, the dogs and cats and sheep were happy, all was well! We even had a welcome home sign on our door and flowers (they'd left that morning).

They were just what we thought, a nice older couple--I kinda wish we'd had more time to get to know them instead of bolting out the next morning. My parents had them over for dinner and kayaking and said they all had a great time together.
This was such a relief for us, knowing that we could leave on our trip and that the animals would have such good folks staying there. Couldn't have been better!

To answer a couple of questions: no pay, it is a trade. They would have mowed, but we didn't check them out on the tractor ahead of time as it wasn't a priority for us. I wouldn't expect someone to mow unless they wanted to do it. Our main thing was to take care of feeding the animals. I think they had a lot of free time--the guy said he read 8 books!

All in all, I think everyone felt the experience met their expectations.

[donheff]

Sarah:

Did you find them through a service or web site? If so, which one?

[Sarah in SC]

It was housecarers.com, which seems to be the most comprehensive we found, and the one Shiny asked about. I think the key is to completely describe your situation and expectations, so that the folks coming will know exactly what they are getting into.

[simple girl]

Hey Sarah - so cool to hear the housesitters worked out so well!

[simple girl]

Sarah,

I'm curious - what is the story with your housesitters? Do they just do this in the summers? (I see you wrote he is a professor and they are semi-retired.) Do they have their own pets?

[Sarah in SC]

They have done a few assignments in the past, but never in someone's home--I think one was staying at a ranger cabin in Washington State. This was their first actual house-sit, they have no pets of their own (but have had them in the past), and I think they just plan to do housesitting in the summer. She does some volunteer work and I think he may teach a class or two during the academic year.

They are avid birdwatchers and kayak/canoers, so our place offered some good opportunities: he just sent me an email inquiring about the nesting pair of Mississippi kites in one of our sweetgum trees and saying how much he enjoyed watching them. I didn't even know about them!