How to Start a
House Sitting Business.
Use Your Spare Time to Start a House-Sitting
Business.
House sitting is an ideal business to make extra money around a
traditional job. While many home owners hire house sitters
to feed and care for their pets, reset
alarms, water plants, collect mail and the newspaper, they also want the home
to look occupied. With that said, some clients may not ask that you stay
on the premises and instead you can simply make a point to visit the house once
or twice a day.
The demand for house sitters remains constant, particularly with
homeowners who have pets. Kennels can be expensive and unsettling for their
animals. In fact, offering house-sitting services can be a natural adjunct for
a pet-sitting
services home business. Even with home security systems,
homeowners may want the additional peace of mind of knowing that someone is on
the premises to keep an eye on things. Some experts indicate that homeowners
prefer house sitters who are in their 40s or older, presuming they'll be more
responsible, but a house-sitting business is a good option for anyone with a
solid, upstanding reputation.
While pay will vary on whether you live-in, the amount of tasks
you're responsible for, and geographic location, pay ranges from $25 to $50 a
day. Generally you can charge more if you live-in and/or have to care for pets.
Advantages
of Starting a House-Sitting Business.
There are several pros to starting a house sitting business
including:
- Can
be started part-time around a job.
- Low
start up. All you need is you and transportation to get you to your
clients' homes.
- Except
for the part where you're bringing in the mail, feeding the cat and
watering the plants, the rest of time you live your normal day, which
means you can watch TV and other things you normally do.
- Regular
change of scenery. While there are tasks you need to take care of, house
sitting can feel like a mini-vacation staying in someone else's home.
Disadvantages
of a House-Sitting Business.
There are a few downsides to starting a house sitting
business.
- It's
not a business that you can build into a full-time income, unless you take
on a team of house sitters that you pay (as employees or contractors) and
manage. While this would be more lucrative, it does require more work to
insure you're hiring honest people, as well as managing the money and
house assignments.
- Can
strain relationships if you're away from significant others a lot.
- You
should pay to get bonded and insured in case issues
can arise, such as if a household item is lost, stolen or broken on your
watch, or if a pet gets sick, becomes injured or dies. The temptation to
stack up jobs might overextend you, and accidents are more likely to
happen when you’re feeling rushed and under pressure.
What You’ll Need to Start a House-Sitting
Business.
Starting a house-sitting business isn’t expensive – much of what
you’ll need won’t cost you a dime. Your reputation is your calling card,
so it can help considerably if you’re not new to town and have established
relationships with a number of residents who can give you shining, legitimate
references.
Getting certified by the National Association of Professional
Pet Sitters might reassure finicky pet owners. Here are the steps to
opening a house sitting business.
1.
Write a
business plan outlining your ideas about your business including types
of clients, list of services, fees you plan to charge and marketing
ideas.
2.
Put your legal house in order. While you can house sit as an
individual, if you want to promote yourself as a business, you should pick a
business name, decide your business
structure, and get any necessary permits, and other tasks required to put
in the foundation
of your business.
3.
Consider getting bonded and insured against anything that could
go wrong while your house sitting.
4.
Start marketing. Begin by telling your friends and family about
your house sitting business. Consider getting business
cards that they can share with their friends and family. Other
marketing ideas include: posting flyers and business cards about town at
pet stores, in veterinarian’s offices and at animal hospitals, and travel
agencies. Consider setting up a website or a profile on a house sitting
referral network. Don't forget to ask for
referrals from your clients, as it's easier and more affordable to
market by word-of-mouth.
Source Article :
https://www.thebalance.com/
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