Housesitting as a Way of Life

(Page 3 of 3)

January/February 1976
By Jerry Azevedo  
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If you're fair and honest on your first job, house hunting will get successively easier. Word travels fast, so the second residence will be a bit less difficult to locate and the tenth will be a snap provided you've taken the time initially to establish a good reputation.

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You earn that good name by giving a little of yourself to keep up a home's appearance and by leaving the residence a bit better than you found it. Such maintenance, by the way, begins even before you move in. That is: During your first discussion with the owner, when you're developing a working relationship with him and gathering a feeling for his residence, you should privately be deciding whether or not you can maintain an appearance of the dwelling that goes with the householder's lifestyle. If he's overly fussy, the job may be physically and mentally impossible for you to handle.

If you do decide to take on the responsibility, stay in touch with the owner and reassure him — during your stay in his place — with letters and pictures that let him know both the pleasures and the problems you encounter. Justify his trust: Renovate and repair what you can in the house and ,garden. Do some planting. Enjoy the experience of every home.

A final word of advice: Remember that your neighbors are in a good position to provide help and constructive criticism or to tip off the owner if you're not doing your job. They can also be an important source of future housesitting opportunities, so take pains to get on well with them.

And that's about all the guidance we can give you. What you make of housesitting is up to you: It can be a temporary money saver, your chosen source of shelter, or just one part of a working system of barter which brings in the necessities of life without cash transactions. We offer suggestions, not rules; and we wish you the best of luck.

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  • Jane 1/4/2008 9:08:45 PM

    You can find great housesitting opportunities at www.caretaker.org

  • Evelyn 8/2/2007 12:09:11 AM

    How much should be paid to house sit a cat 24-7?

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