Starting in September I am going to start Super Commuting from San Diego to the bay area for work most weeks, which means I’ll leave Monday nights and return Thursday nights. I live in a desirable location close to Balboa Park so I’ve always had great luck finding more than enough qualified sitters for my previous sits, but I’m thinking it would be easier to find a small set of sitters close by who would be my go-to folks as opposed to orienting new folks to my house and my fur-baby each week. Any owners have experience with setting up this kind of arrangement using the THS site?
Thanks!
Sue
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Hi @suelue,
On behalf of the forum team, a warm welcome to the TrustedHousesitter’s community. I am very familiar with the area you live in as I too am a homeowner in the area. my recommendation would be to put in your listing that you are most interested in trying to find a few local sitters that would be interested in sitting for your fur-baby as you will be commuting up north weekly.
From my experience in the San Diego THS community is that there are many local sitters that are well qualified and would love to stay in your area, your only hurdle will be trying to find the ones that can commit to sitting for you regularly (as many sitters use THS to travel to other locations). However, you might find a few sitters that just want to stay within the SoCal region and would be more than thrilled to develop a bond with your pet.
As you cannot share a link to your listing in this post, do share a link to your listing on your forum profile for a bit of extra exposure. But the main website is where ALL our members will see your opportunity and be able to apply and message with you.
If at any time you need any help don’t hesitate to reach out to our community here which is full of helpful members who have been through the process themselves and will happily give advice and guidance. And don’t forget our membership support team are always on hand to give assistance.
All the very best,
Kelly & the Forum Team
Hi @suelue and I echo Kelly’s welcome - her knowledge of your home area make her observations and advice very relevant. There are many house sitters (particularly at the moment) who favour staying local and for a whole host of reasons.
There was a time while my father’s health was failing when my partner and I put our full-time international sits on hold and remained house sitting for a few years within the UK. We did a regular sit for a medical professional in a popular city in the southwest of England. She worked shifts away from home and did exactly as you suggest… she had a pool of sitters she’d built up over a few years and she would send us all a group message with her dates and schedules a month ahead to see who might be available.
It made it very easy for her as she would simply leave the key in the key box, and as a busy professional it negated any need to organise handovers, but best of all her timid cats were all comfortable and reassured by a team of regular sitters! We as sitters loved the familiarity of the home and area, the chance to bond with the kitties regularly, and the fabulous city of Bath to explore over and over, just like locals!
I’ve since met others who are regularly work away and successfully use TrustedHousesitters in this way. Of course, you may need to reassess the pool of sitters as their lives change or they decide to sit internationally, but it’s certainly doable.
Good luck with organizing this and do come back and let us know how it works out. It would be great to hear tips that might inspire other super commuters to use the service in this way!
All the best, Vanessa
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Thank you Vanessa and Kelly for your replies! I will definitely take your advice and look forward to finding some great housesitters!
Sue
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I have not had experience of using THS for this situation, but when I was in need of being with my elderly parents a lot more, leading me to relocating back home temporarily, I found someone who only wanted to stay Monday through to Friday, which helped towards the bills as I charged rent for lodgings and it ensured my home was looked after. I took my dog with me.
If it’s difficult to find a sitter(s) for this on an ongoing basis, maybe a Mon-Fri lodger is a better option.