Why Hire a Professional House Sitter over a Family Member?

Planning a family vacation? Traveling for work? Have a business conference coming up? Planning to spend some extended time away from home? Then you’ve likely thought about having someone care for your home while you are away.

Regardless of why you are traveling, you want it to be a worry free experience. No one wants to be a thousand miles away from home and be worried they forget to close the garage door, shut off the TV, or cancel the newspaper service.

Having someone stay in your home ensures you have someone to handle things if something goes wrong while you are away – whether there is a storm and the power goes out, you need someone to care for your pets and water plants, or having someone pick up the mail, having a house sitter is beneficial. Plus, it is better than not having someone there at all and giving off the appearance that your home is vacant – making it a potential target for thieves.

Who Will Watch Your Home While You Are Away?

While many people often turn to family members to watch their home while they are away, more people, especially frequent travelers, are using professional house sitters to care for their home.

This begs the question – Should you get a family member to watch your home or hire a professional house sitter?

We’ll address this question by comparing these two house sitting options.

The Case for Family Members as House Sitters

For many people, this is the default option. Many people simply assume that they will have family look after their home when they are away. There is a certain level of familiarity with having a family member watch your home. If they are a close family member, they will know where things are, how you like things to be, and are familiar company for your pets. They may also be willing to help out with some cleaning and other chores.

However, this level of comfort can also mean they could take advantage of the situation. They could have people over, not take their duties as seriously, especially if you are not paying them, and they might not stay at your home for as long as they say.

If they agreed to come by for a few hours each day, they may only drop by for a few minutes. While it can be a more cost-effective option, you get what you pay for, right? Even though you agree on certain things, you don’t really know the level of care you will get, unlike a professional where you agree to terms and have a contract for their home sitting services.

The Case for Professional House Sitters

House sitters ensure your home is taken care of when you are away. One of the main reasons people are skeptical of hiring a professional house sitter is fear of the unknown. They don’t know the person. But there is an easy way to rectify this situation. Get to know them first – have them over and spend some time with them before you leave. If everything goes well while you are away, you can hire the same person again – allowing you to build a trusting relationship.

Take Their Jobs Seriously

One of the strongest reasons people should consider hiring a professional over a family member is because they will take it seriously. It’s their job, and they are getting compensated to perform a service. If they perform poorly, it will impact their ability to get future house sitting gigs.

Will Do Chores

In addition to having someone at your home at all times and ensuring it is safe and secure, as part of your house sitting service, they can also perform chores around the house. They can water the plants, mow the lawn, and even do some household cleaning. Talk with them beforehand about the tasks you would like them to do while you are away.

Ready to Handle Emergencies

Even more importantly, they know how to handle emergency situations. Knowing how to handle a power outage or an issue with your pet is part of their job. This will give you the reassurance in knowing someone is there to handle anything that pops up.

Pet Sitters Too

One of the most common reasons people hire house sitters is because they have pets that need to be cared for while they are away. House sitting becomes especially cost effective if you have pets when comparing the alternative of taking them to a kennel while you are away. Plus, there is the added bonus of keeping your pets at home and making your absence less stressful on them.

Looking for pet sitters, dog walkers and pet groomers? Check out our sister site: Petsitter.com

Conclusion

Hiring a professional house sitter is worth the peace of mind in knowing everything will be the way you left it (or even better) when you get home from your trip. While a family member is an option, nothing can replace the skills and knowledge offered by a professional house sitter.

Planning a Trip? Consider a Professional House Sitter

Avoid travel anxiety. We’ll help you find someone who will ensure your home is taken care of so you can do what is most important – enjoying your time away from home.

Find a House Sitter Today!

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