What are the reasons you might consider either house-sitting or house letting? Perhaps if you have pets and you prefer for them to be cared for at home. Or if you are traveling away from home for more than a traditional two week holiday. And if you are travelling away from home for more than four weeks you need to think very carefully about leaving your home empty; insurance companies don’t like it. So we always say you should first consider house-sitting to keep your home occupied. But it that doesn’t work house letting can work for long term home absences.  We have clients who use both depending on their situation at the time.

What do you do when you can’t find house-sitters in time – try house letting!

As one of the top house-sitting networks in the business, we pride ourselves on being able to match the perfect house with the perfect sitters. No matter where you are in the world, there will always be the right person ready and waiting to remove the stress you feel about leaving your home unattended for long periods of time.

However, some homes can take a little longer to be snapped up than others.  It may be that the homeowner hasn’t supplied photos or the description of the house sitting assignment is not very informative and has failed to attract house sitters to apply. And if this is the case with your place, then you might need to re-think a few things. We’ve come up with just a few easy ways that you can improve your chances of getting your home occupied during your upcoming business trip or your posting abroad. We hope they help you!

Think about how you’re styling your home and where

It has to be said that the more attractive a house is to the online viewer, the more likely they are to take that house-sitting assignment. Although house-sitting can be an incredible way of seeing other parts of the world exchanging your services in home and pet care for free accommodation, many people have yet to try this form of affordable travel. If your property isn’t meeting certain standards or isn’t present well visually, then this could be the reason for the radio silence.

Think about how you style your home and how you keep and store home based clutter that everybody has. Is it tidy and simple in decor, easy for someone else to live in, such as the below image?  We always recommend that you keep your precious things and much of the home based clutter put away where you can reach it and know it is secure, and keep a clear common area where housesitters are invited to live in your absence.

If you are taking up house letting instead of house-sitting

Here are some top tips if you have decided on house letting instead of using house-sitters for long housesits. You will need to prepare your home to ensure you attract paying renters. If you have very singular decorating tastes, it might not be so easy for someone else to live with your style for six months or more, so try to present your home with neutral calming colours, cool tones and nothing too brash.

Regarding your own possessions it is best to keep these safely packed away to make sure that all your own home products and important items are safely put away for when you return. It is best to be safe and secure. While most house-sitters are respectful and will care for your things carefully, sometimes accidents happens. It would be a shame if a precious ornament were to break in an accident, especially in your absence.

Are there other solutions to your problem?

If you need your home occupied quickly letting out your property on a short-term lease is a real option. You will still get the security of knowing that your home is being cared for, that there is a constant presence to deter any burglars, and also the knowledge that while on your travels you will have a steady income going into your bank account each month.

If this sounds like something that would suit your lifestyle, then you’ll need to contact an estate agent in your local area, such as these Leeds estate agents if you’re living in the Yorkshire area for example. They’ll have the specific knowledge and expertise to tell you exactly what your home would be worth, and whether it would be well received on the market.

We hope you found these ideas useful. Don’t forget to leave us a comment with your story.

If you are thinking of finding housesitters to care for your property in your absence

or

If you want to start your own housesitting pet-sitting adventure why not register as a housesitter on HouseSitMatch.com