We have a Combined Membership. After 6 sits as Owners, we went to Combined. So far we did one sit In April for 9 nights and we covered our needs with a THS sitter for 12 nights. It worked really well! We definitely needed to adjust the start date and end date for a sitter at our home, thankfully they were super flexible as I didn’t post my dates correctly. That was the tricky part – to get the dates right for the Sitters at OUR home first. We drove to our first housesit as sitters so that gave us a bit of flexibility to leave our own home a bit early and take our time to drive to the Sit we had confirmed. While coordination takes effort and great thought for all sides, it is totally worth it! We have our 2nd sit booked as the sitters next month. We have a Sitter booked for our home coverage already.
I would like to mention a couple of things I’ve learned and links to chats that might help you.
- Once we became Combined Members, I thought it would be really hard to get our first gig as Sitters. It was not and i think it has a lot to do with being able to share our Housesit with link in the application note. I also put a lot of thought, time and effort into our Sitter profile with tips from the forum members. We applied for sit with Low Application badge. Advice on Sitter Pics
- We did not do the Duo Sitter add on (more $) which means my husband doesn’t have the background check badge, only I have the badge. It has not been an issue so far.
- I am picky about beds and pillows. If you have my affliction, read this thread for tips on making your stay in someone else’s home more comfy. Newbie Sitter Needs Comfy Bed & Nice Bed Pillows
- Use the same skills you have used to successfully choose sitters in your home as you start applying for housesits as a sitter. A good match as a Sitter in someone’s home is just a important (for us anyways).
- I suggest starting with a shorter sit for the first one or add on questions to avoid discomfort for sleeping arrangements. We did 9 nights and it was great aside from sleep was tough due to my newbie-ness. Had I learned a few things before that, I could have been more comfortable.
- Try a cat only sit for the first sit if possible, that worked well for us even though we’ve always had and still have a dog.
- We have Premium and I recommend that as you now have two ends of coverage to worry about cancellation.
Happy Sitting!!