There are many individuals who simply don’t like to leave an empty home when they travel for business or pleasure. In addition, many homeowners have animals (and plants!) that must be cared for when they are away. Subsequently, starting a part-time housesitting business may be a valuable service to offer homeowners in your area.
From watering the plants and collecting the mail to feeding the pets and ensuring that the house is secure, your services as a housesitter may depend on the client. It may involve as little as a once-a-day check of the home or may be much more time consuming, with the homeowner requesting that you stay in the house while they are away.
In addition, you may have the opportunity to travel, see different places and meet new people as a housesitter. Many housesitters view their job as a luxury, as they are able to discover new opportunities and experiences.
Either way, a part-time business as a housesitter can prove to be interesting, fun and lucrative.
Skills Required: Clean background, trustworthy references, honest character, and reliability
Make no doubt about it: you must be extremely reliable and trustworthy to start a housesitting service. Many homeowners will likely want to see a list of personal and professional references, so your character and attitude are incredibly important. You may also want to become bonded to further verify your credibility.
Startup Expenses: Less than $50
With the exception of advertising your business, your startups costs should be very little. Since you are the business, there are no other start-up costs typically involved with starting a housesitting service. However, if you decide to get bonded, there will be a cost, depending upon how much the bond is worth.
Monthly Revenue:$200 to $2,000
From small housesitting jobs, such as watering the plants and feeding the fish, to actually moving into a home and staying there for an extended period while the homeowner is away, the revenue for your housesitting service can vary greatly.
Monthly Expenses: $50 per month
You will likely need to be licensed, insured and bonded to protect yourself from any damages caused by you while housesitting. The insurances that you must carry may cost about $50 per month, although this will likely be your only monthly expense as a housesitter.
Time to Break Even:Within the first month
Because a housesitting service requires little to no startup costs, you can expect to break even after your first housesitting job. Subsequently, housesitting has become a very lucrative part-time business for individuals looking for extra money during the recession.
Possible Bumps in the Road
As with any other part-time business that serves the public, you may have to deal with difficult clients. Your clients may be dissatisfied with how you cared for their pets or the condition in which you left the house. However, it is important to realize that the vast majority of your clients will not be this difficult, provided you take your housesitting business very seriously and treat other individual’s homes the way you would want someone to treat your home.
