I adore doing local sits. 
Especially during the pandemic!
Thereās scores of lovely animals and interesting homes to enjoy, and micro-exploring in different neighborhoods and towns is really fun for me.
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Hi @Sianee. Because of so much uncertainty these days, owners, especially who seek help from the forum, are being advised to contact local sitters as there is less chance a sitter will have to cancel because travel will not be an issue.
I did a New Year sit literally 5 minutes drive from my home! And Iām so pleased I did as it was for an elderly puss who was such a gentle soul and a lovely young couple. The location of their home had the most stunning views overlooking our township and Iāve never seen such a view in my 30+ years living there! Amazing what can be right under our nose and we donāt realise.
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Donāt keep anything to yourself. This was a great post. Iāve run into this same thing and itās good to know Iām not alone.
I donāt have a local area, so this doesnāt really apply to me. But the main reason I sit is to be around the animals. So I would consider a nearby sit, especially if it was a nice town I wanted to explore more or a house that was unique in some way. Staycations are a thing, especially during covid. And sometimes just a change of scenery, even if itās not a huge distance away, can be very refreshing.
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Absolutely! For us as independent travellers and property owners itās all about the pets. We are in Portugal and we have noticed how quickly an almost overwhelming number of people apply for great locations with swimming pools in warm climates. Also the length of the sit makes a difference too.
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I work for myself, and my husband works from home tooā¦ Breakfast, lunch, coffee, dinner, together all day, every day. I house/pet sit locally so that I can have a change of scenery! If you spend all day together (as we do) we literally have NOTHING to talk about during dinner because, well, we already said anything we wanted to say during the day. We also live in a very rural environment, so itās nice to check out restaurants and shops that I wouldnāt otherwise make the drive to go find.
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If you note in your listing you only want locals, Iāll pass on by. Should you not do so & then mention it later on in a conversation, tis a waste of time.
More sits popping up daily I can consider so all will work out 
We sat within 1.5 hours of our home. We did this because the environment was different (We live in a valley and the sit was on the ocean). While close, it was different than our home. On the other hand, we reject a sit in another neighborhood close to our home.
I also do emergency site management where I take charge of a property in unusual circumstances. This is not a THS sit. I expect to get paid if I provide services i.e., babysitting, providing security, managing B&B, painting etc. THS sits are an exchange of housing for everyday care of house and pet. Anything beyond that is not THS and should be paid services. Paid services, may have legal and tax implications. While I may be contacted for services through THS, I immediately state the expectation is not THS and direct the conversation to a contractual relationship with specific remuneration for service.
De-lurking specifically to reply to the questions about why someone local might want to sit ālocally,ā as in within a 2-hour drive as stated above, and ādisrupt their lives.ā
I find this to be a very odd way of posing the question, simply because until you talk to those people, you have no idea what their lives are like. Iāve used local sitters from this platform, and certainly never questioned why they wanted to sit for me. For people just starting out, itās a good way to test the waters of pet sitting without also having to navigate a bunch of other unfamiliar things.
Living situations change! Home renovation might be happening. Far-flung sits might not make good financial sense if youāre just starting out. Travel is expensive and often logistically challenging. COVID made it much more complicated. Some people get practically no time off, paid or otherwise.
People need medical care or to assist those who do. They might be attending a conference, class, or concert, or simply feel like a change of scenery. Your house might be much nicer than theirs, or have desirable amenities, or simply provide the space and privacy they might not have at home. They might want to care for homeownersā pets for a number of reasons as well.
Short sits nearby are a good way to get both reviews and experience and may be easier to schedule. Depending on where the house is located, the application may not be too competitive, either.
As a sitter myself, I can think of many times when Iād seek out a local sit. Here are three examples.
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I frequently take short sits nearby in order to minimize distractions when working on a project. This way I can still get to my office as needed but donāt come home to a mountain of chores and projects at the end of the day. It also can cut my travel time down to minutes rather than hours.
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I once took a weeklong continuing education class in Northern Virginia when living an hour plus away in Maryland. The commute was nightmarish and I arrived every late every single morning on the verge of bawling. Had I been on THS then, I would certainly have looked for a sit closer to where I needed to be on those five days.
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I have family coming to visit this fall. My house is very open plan and has only one bedroom, also open. My area is rural and the available lodging nearby is expensive inns or B&Bs. Rather than having them pay out of pocket to give us enough space, I plan to look for a sit nearby so they can use my house.
Obviously, YMMV, but I certainly wouldnāt dismiss anyone local.
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Hello @pitcherplant and a warm welcome to TrustedHousesitters and our community forum - as an experienced combined member you raise some very good points and observations, so we are very pleased you āde-lurkedā to share them 
Weāve always said local sits are the best way to find out if house sitting is for you, get some reviews under your belt, and really discover what itās like to live in someone elseās shoes with their pets and routines. Our first sit was for a neighbor!!
Thanks again for sharing and I hope we can encourage you to de-lurk more often to share your wisdom. All the best, Vanessa and the forum team
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I have seen listings by people who want someone local, so the sitter can āgo home at nightā!
So itās obvious they want free Pet sitting services without anyone sleeping in their home, which I think is cheeky! If they donāt want people staying over, they should be paying someone to look after their pets.
And when I told my friends I was joining the site, I must not have explained the concept very well, because one told her friends, and then there were several local people wanting to contact me about free pet services. I donāt have a car and two people wanted me to travel across town several times a day(!) to feed or walk their pets for free.
I work from home and my time is valuable. But she had told everyone āShe does this for FREE!ā I had to tell her politely that the reason it is free is because I stay for free in the HOās home!
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Hello @BillyBonnieBenji and yes, weāve seen sits advertised like this too, day care wanted rather than overnight.
However, on the TrustedHousesitters platform this is not permitted. To qualify as a āvalue exchangeā there has to be at least one night, preferably more of course, where the sitter can stay in the accommodation. If any of these older sits are spotted or reported (new ones are all checked now) they are rejected and notified of the overnight stay requirement. There are very few to be honest, but the occasional ones do pop these up, like you say, not fully understanding the concept All the best, Vanessa
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Completely agree, @pitcherplant. Iām a home-owner but I am regularly fantasising about being a sitter ālocallyā. For me - a change of scenery but still within reach of work. (I work mainly from home but occasionally I need to go in or to on a site visit.) And some how āfewerā responsibilities (which doesnt really make sense - Iād be responsible for pets and cleaning, just like at home! But somehow more fun in someone elseās home 
A change is as good as a rest, as the saying goes.)
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Last summer we spent most of it in the south of England because I needed to be near home for various reasons. It was great fun finding out stuff in our home area. The walking was great as well.
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What an excellent summary, @pitcherplant! I would like to add one: since covid, many of us now have spouses working from home, and college kids who boomerang backā¦ sometimes I need a little āalone timeā and have found THS to be manna from heaven! I adore all the pets Iāve stayed with, the owners have been great, and itās such a treat to get time away.
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@SoloTraveler
I had to read this to my husband who cannot conceive of why spouses wouldnāt want to spend 24 hours a day together 
. Sheeshā¦
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some of us are introverts!!!
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The only problem I have with HOs wanting local sitters is that I wish they would post it at the very beginning of the listing. Iāve read several that sounded wonderful only to realize I didnāt qualify.
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