If you're offering your house sitting services unpaid you'll find there will be a lot of competition for every available job out there in these hard financial times, but being successful at getting unpaid house sitting jobs is not difficult.
First you need to create a really good house sitter profile that you are going to place on the major house sitting websites so that home owners can find and take a look at you and you also need to have some good references, which can be a problem if you've never done any house sitting.
But have you ever been at someone's house and they've left you there while they've gone out? If this has happened to you then believe it or not you were house sitting and they can give you a reference!
You also need some good character references, preferably from professional people such as your doctor, lawyer, etc., but perhaps you have old school friends who are now in business or a respected profession or maybe your school teachers could give you character references?
Once you've completed half a dozen successful house sits and you have good references from happy home owners for each of them you can start charging for your services. Make sure that initially you charge somewhere around 50% of the charges made by the house sitting agencies (just call up the agencies as a homeowner and get a quote to find out what they charge, then make sure you undercut it).
Then set up a very simple website that showcases you as a house sitter and also displays your charges, but keep searching for and taking unpaid jobs to fill any gaps.
You'll find that some people will insist on paying you even though your profile may say you don't charge, especially if you can get to a job they've been let down on, and any income is a big help.
You're not going to earn a fortune yet, but what you earn could pay your daily living costs and leave you with some cash in hand and this, on top of the extremely low overheads you will be enjoying, can relieve any financial pressures on you and make your life better.
Home owners, like house sitters, not only come in all shapes and sizes, but they have their own ideas about how they're going to treat you. Some will buy you food and not charge you for any utilities including reasonable phone use. You can't beat house sitting for these people!
Some will not supply food and will either give you an agreed consumption rate for the utilities you use or charge you for them by the month.
Some will want you to pay a bond and sign a contract as well as pay for your utilities. When it comes to this kind of arrangement (I have never paid a bond nor had a single contract) you want to check the contract out very carefully or have a lawyer do it in case it's going to make it difficult for you to get your money back.
Most home owners don't want you to sign a contract, pay a bond or pay for utilities (as long as you don't rack up high charges) which is great, but my advice is that you do need something that outlines the basis of your job even if it's only contained in the emails you've exchanged with the owner.
This is because not all home owners stick to their word, fortunately those that don't are a tiny minority and generally you'll find the home owners you house sit for honour their end of the bargain, become your friends and they'll want you to come back time and time again.
And so it will become easier and easier to fill your year with house sitting and once you catch the house sitting bug you'll find it becomes a really pleasurable way of life.
Jess Miller's website contains everything you need to know to confidently set yourself up as a successful house sitter including avoiding pitfalls and tips & tricks that will quickly turn you into a 'professional'. Get all the inside information on sorting out your finances by becoming a house sitter in these stressful financial times => housesittingexpert.com housesittingexpert.com
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