6 week housesit for historic town near Lincolnshire Wolds English Home filled

0 comments
Once again your website has been invaluable. Within the space of a few days we able to find a wonderful couple who are going to housesit our home in England for 6 weeks.
Thank you so much for providing this website.
Homeowner - atlcollie2

We have a lovely, large detached (non-smoking) home located in a small historical village at the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Louth, a historic market town is close as is the beautiful city of Lincoln. We have central heating & double glazed windows so the house is warm and cozy. There is a wood burning fireplace in the lounge, dishwasher, washer & tumble dryer, large fridge/freezer, high speed wi-fi internet access, televisions/DVD players (one with Skyplus in the lounge). Many bells and whistles. There is also an attached granny flat w/separate bath/shower/kitchen and lounge. This is virtually a maintenance free assignment. Just a few indoor plants that need to be watered occasionally! We have no bus service in our village so a car is recommended. This is a non salaried position. We can be somewhat flexible on the dates

House Sitting Enables Modern Day Nomads to Travel

0 comments
November 25, 2005 -- Alys Henderson and Majella Gillen are modern day nomads. “Home” is wherever they are currently house sitting. However, it wasn’t necessarily the experience of different cultures and areas that attracted this pair to house sitting, it was the opportunity to be around different animals.

“We have had no fixed abode since March of 2003. The idea of changing environments and having a variety of pets to look after is what attracted us to house sitting. We love change and experiencing new things -- and we also adore animals. The Canberra and Blue Mountains fires, although not directly affecting us, reminded us to not become tied to possessions. We sold the majority of our belongings and rented out our home and started out sitting only in Sydney for the first two years while we both worked. Then we decided to see more of Australia and sit nationally so here we are in Kings Canyon at a Park Rangers house. We will eventually start sitting internationally.”

When asked which sits have been their favorite, they were quick to reply. “Our favorite sits are with dogs. We have come to love two poodles in Chipping Norton, a Westie in Alexandria and a pug in Newton. But, we have looked after many lovely animals and fondly remember them all. All of our sits have included pets, except for one. Pet types include: dogs, cats, a duck, chickens, fish, birds, guinea pig, a possum and a worm farm.”

“We always enjoy the interaction with animals the most. Whether it is talking to a possum and watching her eat a banana or cuddling a pussycat or walking and talking to a dog. Animals are not aware that their owners are going to be gone for so long, as they have no concept of the time. So, although the pets miss them, they usually just enjoy having someone around to fuss over them. The homeowners usually pine more than the animals.”

Alys Henderson and Majella Gillen are very busy. Their schedule is booked through July 2006, with only a few short gaps in between. Their stays range from one week to four months. “There are sits for periods like six months, or a year. But, we don’t enjoy that type of house sitting because you are locked into a place for a long time. We avoid the very long-terms ones because we thrive on change.”

When asked about the process of becoming a house sitter, they were quick to point out how simple it is to make connections. “It was very easy to become a sitter. The HouseCarers.com website makes it very easy to receive information from homeowners because we get an automatic email whenever a new homeowner advertises their need for a sitter. We can then choose to contact them by logging into the site. We get a lot of requests to sit and cannot do them all. We often give out the site’s details to homeowners looking for other sitters.”

Henderson and Gillen housesit approximately 11 months out of the year. “If we have gaps, we either go camping, go on a holiday, stay with friends or rent a room in Sydney. Our moves are down pat and we take only a few minutes to feel “at home” in any house. We do not feel the need to be anywhere permanently to feel at home. In fact, after about six weeks, we are looking forward to the next move.”

View the sitter profile for RainbowSitters

Contact:
Ian White
Sydney, N.S.W.
Access 2000 Pty. Ltd.
http://www.HouseCarers.com

# # #

5 month housesit in Fremantle Western Australia filled

0 comments
"Thank you for your excellent service. We had no trouble finding a House Sitter from your fast and informative responses. " Peter and Robyn (Charlie214)

Sitter required for older style, 2 bedroom Fremantle cottage. Ongoing garden maintenance and mail forwarding would be required. Quiet location opposite park, pets (husband and dog) will be on holidays with me so nothing extra to care for.

Great Tips for applying for housesits from sitters TOMARtwo

0 comments
Here are some great tips from sitters TOMARtwo - when applying for housesits.

“It is easy to make yourself available to be a sitter, but then in order to get someone to accept you-- to care for their home and pets--the essence lies in creating a feeling of trustworthiness. Before you even apply for a sit, do your homework. Know exactly what is being asked of you, and what is being offered in return. Research the area you will be visiting and take into consideration how you will adapt to the environment. If there are animals to be cared for, know exactly what you are taking on. If there is a breed of dog that you are unfamiliar with, read as much as you need to feel comfortable with the situation.”

Read Entire Press Release featuring sitters TOMARtwo

Sitter Profile for TOMARtwo

Newlywed Retirees Are Leading Active Lives House Sitting

0 comments
Newlywed Retirees Are Leading Active Lives House Sitting

Tony and Margaret Steele-Rijkelijkhuizen have only been married a little less than three years, yet these retirees are not sitting at home twiddling their thumbs. Before their marriage, both Tony and Margaret led very active lives, and they saw no reason why retirement should slow them down. As house sitters, the Steele-Rijkelijkhuizen’s are traveling the world. They recently returned back to their home in the Netherlands from a house sit in Greece.

“We stayed in Naplion, which is located to the southwest of Athens. We were there in September, which was not at the height of summer, but nevertheless, it was still quite hot and dry. We had plenty of opportunity to explore the surrounding countryside, which is steeped in ancient Greek history. We found Greece a wonderful place to visit. It offers something for everyone. Mediterranean climate, beautiful countryside, and a wealth of ancient Greek historical monuments to visits. Plus, of course, a huge Greek warm welcome everywhere we would go.”

Tony and Margaret Steel-Rijkelijkhuizen arrived at their house sit in Greece a few days early. This enabled them to become comfortable with the property and the pets they would be sitting for prior to the owners departure. When asked about house sitting in general and tips for future house sitters, they were quick to point out how it is important that a feeling of trustworthiness is felt between both the house sitters and the home owners.

“It is easy to make yourself available to be a sitter, but then in order to get someone to accept you-- to care for their home and pets--the essence lies in creating a feeling of trustworthiness. Before you even apply for a sit, do your homework. Know exactly what is being asked of you, and what is being offered in return. Research the area you will be visiting and take into consideration how you will adapt to the environment. If there are animals to be cared for, know exactly what you are taking on. If there is a breed of dog that you are unfamiliar with, read as much as you need to feel comfortable with the situation.”

Greece is not the last country this couple will be visiting. “Greece was our first assignment out of our known environment. We have previously sat for families in England and Holland. We are currently pursuing further assignments in France, Italy and the USA,” Tony reports. “Margaret’s children live in various locations in the USA and house sitting might offer the opportunity to spend more time in the USA, perhaps near her children. We are planning as far ahead as next Christmas time.”

Tony and Margaret Steel- Rijkelijkhuize are enrolled in the catalog of house sitters at HouseCarers.com. They report how happy they are to have found a way to stay active and travel the world as retirees-- without having to dip heavily into their retirement fund. They are just one of the many couples who house sit through HouseCarers.

Sitter Profile for Tony and Margaret

Contact:
Ian White
Sydney, N.S.W.
Access 2000 Pty. Ltd.
http://www.housecarers.com

###

Piemonte, Italy homeowner is going through the sitter applications

0 comments
I recently activated my ad on your site and have received an excellent response from house-sitters. We now have the onerous job of selecting one of the applicants. I think your site is very comprehensive and is excellent for anyone that is looking for sitters for the first time.....Thank you.

4 to 6 months
We have a three bedroom home in the hills of the Langhe. The area is famous for its wines, hazel nuts and the white truffles of Alba. We are looking for someone to stay at our home for 4-6 months. We would like people that are pleased to take care of the gardening and who could also do some general repairs etc. A car is necessary

Oakland California House sit filled

0 comments
Thanks much for a terrific service. We had about 10 responses
to an ad and found someone whom we like very much and are
lucky to have found, all in about 4 days. Homeowner mbkasma

Fraud Alert

4 comments
Unfortunately fraudsters are contacting house sitter members with
fraudulent proposals.

The foreign fraudsters offer to pay salaries for house/pet sitting. They send fake, but convincing looking money orders/ checks /cheques for around 5,000.00

The fraudsters usually say they are outside your country of origin. Recent ones say UK and Canada and need to settle a debt in your country.

They ask the victim to immediately deposit the money, keeping 1500.00 for themselves and forwarding the balance to settle a debt in the victims country.

They become more and more frantic with their email follow-ups.

Many of the fraudsters use a Yahoo email address.
Please immediately forward the entire email including headers to abuse@yahoo.com
If they are registered with us please report through the feedback form and
we will take action. We scutinize the registrations but sometimes they only
become apparent when they start their communciations.

The spirit of Housecarers.com is rent free accommodation in exchange for house sitting. View all direct emails offering up-front salaries and payment with suspicion.

Many legitimate homeowners don't register with us. We give you the option of displaying your email link to allow homeowners to contact you directly. Many homeowners simply want to contact directly those who interest them and dont wish to register. Just look out for the fraudsters.

The fraudsters wont give you a phone number - as they are hiding behind their anonymity. You should be able to phone a legitimate home owner.

All housesitter email links are encrypted to prevent harvesting by spambots. However scammers can still manually send an email. However they will soon give up - due to the effort required to email directly - and the zero returns they will get from
our aware members.

We cooperate fully with law enforcement in all countries. If we work together we can
soon put an end to their sick game.

Fortunately none of our members have reported being victims - though one came close.

Here is a variation on the fraud above - where a fraudster posts attractive photos of a too good to be true arrangement, including offers of payment for housesitting in cities such as London

Variation on Fraud

Brisbane Homeower PommieJohn gives thumbs up to housesitters jensenwarner

0 comments
Helen and John (jensenwarner) are a marvelous couple and we highly recommend them as "house sitters". Our house and gardens were looking great when we returned, our vegie garden was well tended.

Sitter profile:
http://www.housecarers.com/sitter.cfm/jensenwarner.htm

Daisy, our Border Collie was very happy with both Helen and John and kept them busy.
we would love to have them both back in the future. Regards Margaret and John (PommieJohn)

House Sitter CELESTE, South Africa shares her Australian house sitting experiences

0 comments
I want to tell you about the house sitting assignment that I got through your agency in Australia.

Hilary & John from Cobargo, a small village on the SaPphire Coast in South-Eastern Australia, accepted me as their house sitter. I was there for 6 weeks while they went visiting family and friends in the UK.

They welcomed me with the heartiest hospitality that you can ever imagine. They have a beautiful newly built house which was very housewife friendly. I looked after their two dogs and tended the garden. Giving me the opportunity to live in that part of Australia was a very wonderful experience for which I will be grateful for ever.
They also left me a vehicle which I used to travel around the area, playing tennis in the neighbouring town, making friends all over, getting lots of invites to lunches and simply had a marvellous time.

I have a very good impression of Australians on the whole and would like to go there again some time in the future. Thanks for your help in this regard. I'm very happy to have found you and Hilary & John. Will be in touch when I plan to do house sitting again somewhere.
Regards
CELESTE SOUTH AFRICA