I have to say that I am an avid fan of House Sitting!! I hadn’t even heard of House Sitting until 2 years ago when a friend asked me if I would live in their home while they were away in the U.K. for 3 months. They had a cat and a parrot (they love each other) and didn’t want to put the cat into a ‘cattery’ because she was quite old. The Parrot needed someone who understood its special needs, and I fitted the bill..
I have my own 2 bedroom unit and I must say the prospect of a 3 bedroom home with lots of room and a garden appealed to me.
After 3 months my friends returned home, were absolutely delighted with all I had done, gave me a beautiful gift and I returned to my flat.
I am an Accountant and work for myself. I can do a lot of my work over the internet and I also had some annual leave coming up. I read a few articles and thought I would try House Sitting again, this time for someone I didn’t know… the rest is history as they say!
My last House Sit was through Mindahome. It was for a family who lived on the outskirts of Melbourne and they were going away for 6 weeks with their children. The family pets were two bichon balls of fluff. The family looked at my profile and liked my photo and details so contacted me. I was surprised to hear from them because I had checked the Home Owners available at nothing suited me. This family did not like to list on websites and prefer to contact directly. That was fine by me.
We excha
nged several emails and then I went to visit them in their home. They were a lovely family and Tiny and Tim were gorgeous dogs. They checked my references, police check and I agreed to House Sit.
Some weeks later I arrived at the house, they handed me the key as they drove off to enjoy their holiday. Tiny and Tim were anxiously watching from the door but were pleased to see me again and soon settled down.
The family had left a list of anything I may need and all emergency numbers. In addition, their contact details for where they would be staying.
I settled in for my 6 week stay. My Flat was now rented out and I stayed periodically with my sister. I like this arrangement! It costs me next to nothing to live, I am saving for another property, and perhaps I can House Sit for a while and save more money!
I am on to my next one now and I am booked until mid 2010. After that, I am going overseas for a while but I am going to look for a House Sit there too. What fun to absorb myself in the local culture! I can’t wait.
This is my story to date, I hope there are many more.
Thanks to Mindahome for being so helpful, it has been my pleasure to write a bit about my experience.
Georgia