When you plan to travel and stay away for several days, or even several weeks at a time, there are a lot of small details that need to be ironed out before you go.
For example, you might want to have the post office hold your mail. Or you might need to call the newspaper, if you still take one, and have them hold it while you are gone. Then, there may be lawns to water, as well as plants both inside and out that need to be cared for. If you have pets, they will need to be boarded or taken with you.
That’s a lot of tasks that have to be done before you can leave and you haven’t even packed yet!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had a house sitter to take care of all of that for you while you were gone? But should you hire a house sitter when you travel? Here are a few things to consider.
1. Cost
You can subscribe to a variety of house sitting websites( TrustedHousesitters,HouseCarers, HouseSitMatch,Nomador, MindMyHouse…) from anywhere between $0 to 120 per year. Once you divide the cost by the number of days you are traveling you can see that it is quite a cost effective way to have your home looked after while you are away. Also, you may be able to save by not having to pay for boarding fees for pets. For this reason alone hiring a house sitter when you travel may be a good idea.
2. Security
When you have to travel, whether it is for business or relaxation, there is always the concern that you will have a break-in. But when you hire a house sitter you have a built-in security guard watching over your home and contents. Additionally, it’s being done for much cheaper than you could hire by other means. This is just one more reason many homeowners are turning to house sitters when they travel.
3. Maintenance
What if a pipe breaks in your home while you are gone? Returning to a flooded home where water has been sitting for days could spell disaster for your contents. Hiring a house sitter to watch over your home while you are away gives you a greater chance of returning to a home that is just the way you left it.
4. Happy Pets
Many people feel their pets are a part of the family and as such worry about the well-being of their pets when they travel. As a result, some travelers will board their pets before they leave.
The problem is that some pets don’t tolerate this change of routine well due to sensitivity, medical conditions, or other reasons. When you hire a house sitter who likes animals, you can avoid these types of problems altogether making your pets happier and more comfortable.
5. Reliability
Who wants to spend hours sweating, moving, trimming, and fertilizing. Then find out the lawn, shrubs and flowers all die while you are away on vacation or a business trip? Asking a relative or friend may be an alternative. But, will it actually get done the way you want it to? Finding someone reliable to take care of things while you are gone isn’t always easy. But, hiring a house sitter eliminates that problem.
As you can see there are many benefits to why you should hire a house sitter when you travel. If you do, the only detail to take of is the travel arrangements.