New couple from Costa Rica interested in house sitting in Europe

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are from Costa Rica and we are interested in becoming house and pet sitters in Europe.

We are new to TrustedHousesitters and would appreciate any advice on how to get started, how to create a strong profile, and how to apply for our first house sits.

@Jenny, if you have any recommendations for new members, we would be very grateful.

Thank you very much for your help.

Kind regards,

Marlon and Cindy
Costa Rica

2

Hi @marlon

Welcome to the community! :blush:

My biggest piece of advice is to put as much effort into your profile as you can before applying for sits. Homeowners are essentially inviting strangers into their homes, so anything that helps them get to know and trust you is valuable.

A few things that helped us when we started:

  • Complete every section of your profile.
  • Add plenty of photos of yourselves, ideally with animals.
  • Explain why you want to house sit and what experience you have caring for pets and homes.
  • Ask friends, neighbours, employers or anyone who can vouch for your character and reliability to provide references.
  • Apply for sits that genuinely match your experience and lifestyle.
  • Personalise every application rather than sending a generic message.

For your first sit, flexibility can be your friend. Many new sitters find it easier to secure shorter sits, sits in less competitive locations, or sits with dates coming up soon.

Once you’ve completed your profile, you can also add a link to it in your forum profile. Many members here are happy to take a look and offer constructive feedback and suggestions to help strengthen it before you start applying.

We’ve been full-time house and pet sitters for over 14 years and have completed more than 155 sits. Looking back, our travel stories may have been interesting, but they weren’t what secured sits. Helping homeowners feel confident, understood and reassured was far more important.

Good luck to both of you, and don’t hesitate to ask questions here. There are lots of experienced members happy to help.

:paw_prints: :heart: