So…I started writing this post last week, and it’s already nearly obsolete! The house went under contract for over asking price in 5 days, our next (final) yard sale is on the calendar, and our housesit is now complete, with the next one on the books for late June/early July. Since I went to the trouble of writing this post in the first place, I guess I’ll go ahead and share it with you. It’s a good update of our past few months!
Phew! It’s been a whirlwind last couple of months, hence the no new posts since the end of February. Since the last post, we’ve had: a weekend of musical performances (Bird Nerd is also a musical theater nerd with Broadway aspirations and is frequently rehearsing or performing in a show); a week in Death Valley with my mom; our first (really successful!) yard sale; a weekend trip to see Hamilton (incredible! made Bird Nerd’s and my dreams come true!); another performance weekend for Bird Nerd; and the beginning of our very first “official” housesit. All the while, we’ve also been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, and staging our home to prep it for sale.
The house is now on the market, which is exciting and also really annoying when you have kids and are trying to keep the place spotless for showings. The real estate market in our area is unbelievable right now. The supply is really low and prices are so high! I feel for anyone trying to purchase a home around here right now. The good news for us, other than the ridiculously high selling prices, is that most homes are selling very quickly, and we probably won’t need to keep ours spotless for long. The kids will be allowed to step foot into the house, and maybe even sit on the furniture again!
Another exciting development is our first housesitting gig, applied and hired through Trusted Housesitters! I was hoping to get one or two local sits under our belt before we leave in order to get some reviews on our profile to increase the odds that we’ll be selected for housesits elsewhere in the world. We’re all bleeding heart animal lovers, and housesitting allows us to stay for free, in exchange for house and pet care. The kids and I are currently housesitting across town for a family with 3 dogs, a cat, and a bunny (they’ve always wanted a bunny), while John stays home to take care of our own cat and to be closer to work. The Boss has already informed me that she plans to dognap all of the dogs, and The Entertainer is head over heels for the cat, because he sleeps glued to us all night long. If you’re considering housesitting, I definitely recommend giving it a shot locally first. It’s harder to find homeowners who are comfortable with housesitting families versus singles/couples (I mean, let’s be real–kids are messy), and getting those good reviews are critical!
Tell me about your favorite housesitting experiences! What platforms do you use to find your housesits? Where were your favorite housesits located? Any tips for those of us just starting out?
A few of our Death Valley photos:
A(Broad) With 4 Kids 