If you have invited housesitters into your home then you should try to get to know them first. Sometime you can meet them and sometimes you have virtual meetings. Either way it is good to be prepared for their arrival. As the homeowner you will want to prepare your home too. Here are some top tips on how to prepare for your house sitters.

Top tips – How to prepare for your house sitters

Welcome your Housesitters

Having new visitors in our homes can make some of us a little nervous. It puts a little steam into our dusting and vacuuming routines before they arrive. Preparing your home for housesitters can also inspire some people to go the extra mile to prepare their home for a guest, a newcomer, and this is not a bad thing.

Here are some top tips gleaned from our years of experience in housesitting pet-sitting and working alongside homeowners and housesitters to optimise the experience on both sides of the exchange.  To make the best impression, and optimise the chances of repeat housesitter visits follow these tips and prepare your home for your housesitters ahead of the dates.

Top Tips – Preparing for Housesitters

1. Welcome your housesitters – Create a welcoming home

First impressions are important and however simple, rustic or sophisticated your home making the housesitter feel welcome is important. Inviting new housesitters into your home will often mean that you haven’t met them before. It is an opportunity to create a good first impression and put them at ease by making them feel welcome.

Please note that you may well become friendly with your visitors.  I have made new friends whenever I have housesat through our house sitting network. Creating a welcoming atmosphere to introduce your housesitters to your home will help set everyone at ease. it creates a positive and relaxed tone to your meeting.

      2. Prepare the inside of your home – Clean and clutter-free surfaces

The ideal way to present your home to housesitters is with clutter-free surfaces and tidy organised spaces. Here are some top tips:

• Put away all your loose paperwork – kitchens tend to gather all manner of paperwork, post opened and unopened
• Replace items back into their home cupboards, if they live on the counter push them back to make sure the counter clutter is at a minimum
• Keep your surfaces and counters are tidy and clear of your possessions when the housesitters take over
• Ensure you have cleaning materials soaps, sponges, wiping cloths near the sink and that there is a plentiful supply, and use them to clean before the housesitter takes over. If you set the standard you want the housesitter to maintain while you are away, you will show them exactly what you expect them to maintain. Show by example. It is the best method.

Following these tips serves two purposes, it means that your own things are safely put away and they are where they should be, and you have created a ‘clean and clutter free standard’ you want the housesitter to maintain.

     3. Manage key areas for the housesitters stay – bedroom, kitchen and bathroom

However, grand or modest your home the key and vital areas should be clean and presentable and welcoming your housesitters. Set them a standard you want them to maintain in your absence, and above all they need some dedicated space e.g their own bedroom.

Bedroom – Prepare a bedroom for the housesitter, making sure there is clean linen and somewhere for them to put their things.

Bathroom – If you are sharing a bathroom remember to leave it clean and tidy as you would wish to find it returning home.

Kitchen – Don’t forget to clean your microwave if you have one, your hob and give the counter tops a really good clean. These areas of a kitchen are easily forgotten as you are preparing to leave for a holiday. Don’t forget to clean them. Leave cleaning products to make sure your sitter has the means to clean after themselves also.  In your briefing document explain to the sitter how you like your home to be cleaned.

‘Utility room’ and white goods – make sure you spend a little time showing the housesitter how to use the washing machine, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner and any other machine you want them to use to keep your home clean.

Preparing your pets for the house sitters

Many homeowners choose to use housesitters to care for their pets. They say they prefer this kennel alternative or pet boarding elsewhere. They want the pets to maintain routines and minimise disruption and reduce pet anxiety. Ahead of the pet-sitting it is important to introduce your pets to the housesitters with you present if you possibly can. The ‘pet meet and greet’ is very important if you can dedicate the time.

Some homeowners like to spend a day or two with the housesitter to help pets and sitters slip into the same routines, to allow the pets to get used to the sitters smell, their touch and reduce pet anxiety. It is also useful for you to detail the pet routines so the sitter has a document in hand. As a result the document should have all the necessary information for the care of your pets. You can also include the details on maintenance of daily and weekly routines for pets and property.

A warm welcome and clear instructions can help you forge a good relationship from the outset. This often makes for a lasting friendship between housesitters and homeowners. It’s good to plan ahead and make an effort to start the relationship on the best possible footing.

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