Hello @MigeyMeatball and welcome to the forum where you are going to find so much helpful and informative information from our members who are here to assist you along the way with your questions and/or concerns.
Your question has been asked by many, many members here on the forum, and honestly, it is a personal preference. Before we became sitters we were pet parents welcoming sitters into our home to care of our sweet little girl Sassy and to take care of our empty house. We always invited the sitters in the night before for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it was to introduce them to our baby so she was comfortable with them being there and us not just springing strangers on her right before we left. Secondly, it was an opportunity to just have a relaxed conversation with them over dinner, learn about their sitting adventures and let them settle in with a good night’s sleep before the handover. Thirdly, it gave us a chance to show them the “lay of the land” so to speak, with a tour of our home, how the heating, ac, sprinklers, etc. worked, and let them ask any questions that may have arisen (and believe me, there are always questions). But once again, this is all personal preference.
A great way for our other members to get to know you and be able to give you valuable feedback is to link your member profile to your forum profile. By doing so, they can easily click on your info and help you with valuable advice if you have concerns about your listing or questions on what might make it more appealing. It’s amazing how much valuable knowledge exists in this group. To link the two just click here How to add a listing or profile link to your FORUM profile - Owner & Sitter Exchange - TrustedHousesitters Community Forum.
Once again, welcome to the family!