# Rent out house? Housesitter?



## HoneyNut (Dec 26, 2020)

I've read that there are housesitters who pay to housesit, has anyone here actually used that sort of service and did it work out okay?  

Or has anyone rented their primary residence furnished (i.e., not having to store or dispose of your furniture) while they went on an extended trip?  If so, was it a good or bad experience (did your home/furniture get trashed?)?

I would like to travel around the country for a year after I retire, but I am not yet ready to sell my house (I cannot decide what to do, the potential costs a house can incur are scary, but other than those I like my home, but on the other hand maybe I would prefer something that wasn't rural, I'm hoping traveling around the country will help me decide what I want to do).


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## Sassycakes (Dec 26, 2020)

*That's a tough situation to be in. If you have to leave all your belongings in the house I would never want a stranger living there. If a family member or a friend needed a place to stay they would be the only one I would want in my home if I was away.*


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 26, 2020)

HoneyNut. Here is a recent thread related to such.

My advice to any/all, don't do it.

https://www.seniorforums.com/threads/renters-blahh.54845/


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## SilentSoul (Dec 26, 2020)

_If you can find someone trustworthy it might be nice to have someone coming and going to make sure things stay safe._


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## Jules (Dec 26, 2020)

Don’t forget you may need to change your insurance.  

Try one month of travel first.  See how much you miss your home.  

If you decide you want to move, I think I’d rather put my things in storage.


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## BlissfullyUnawareCanadian (Dec 27, 2020)

a relative of mine who is a university professor did this while he took sabbatical for a year. He used vrbo and was very happy with how things went. We also Airbnb our house and have been very happy. I actively monitor and approve all Airbnb guests and would never allow people to book without me approving them.

If you simply rent to someone, even if it’s through a service, without knowing the ins and outs you are asking for trouble. Same as being a landlord, if you rent a place out and don’t know how to screen your tenants well and know all the scams some try, you are asking for trouble.


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## Liberty (Dec 27, 2020)

We had our housekeeper come live in our house and take care of the cats every January for several years when we went to a beachfront condo in Florida.  I trusted her with everything.  If you don't know someone you could trust, be sure to get a neighbor to regularly check on your house, pay them to do it ,or get a "bonded" person from a legitimate service.  That's my advice, anyway.


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## Butterfly (Jan 1, 2021)

HoneyNut said:


> I've read that there are housesitters who pay to housesit, has anyone here actually used that sort of service and did it work out okay?
> 
> Or has anyone rented their primary residence furnished (i.e., not having to store or dispose of your furniture) while they went on an extended trip?  If so, was it a good or bad experience (did your home/furniture get trashed?)?
> 
> I would like to travel around the country for a year after I retire, but I am not yet ready to sell my house (I cannot decide what to do, the potential costs a house can incur are scary, but other than those I like my home, but on the other hand maybe I would prefer something that wasn't rural, I'm hoping traveling around the country will help me decide what I want to do).


I know people who house sit, but the homeowners pay the house sitter, not the other way round.  A friend of mine made a pretty good living at it for a number of years.  He had quite a following, and people would book him way ahead of time because he was trustworthy and also good with their animals.  His favorite gig was a home in a rural area where they had a sort of informal donkey sanctuary.  He loved taking care of the donkeys.

He's gone now, and I miss him.


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## Butterfly (Jan 1, 2021)

IMHO, having a stranger in your house is a BIG risk, even more so if you leave your belongings in there.  I wouldn't even consider it unless it were someone I already knew to be absolutely trustworthy.


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 1, 2021)

I wouldn't do it.

For me, a year of nonstop travel would become tedious.  I would want to use my home as a base camp between adventures.

If I did rent my home I would put the things that are important to me in a room with a good lock.

Good luck!


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## applecruncher (Jan 1, 2021)

Butterfly said:


> IMHO, having a stranger in your house is a BIG risk, even more so if you leave your belongings in there.  I wouldn't even consider it unless it were someone I already knew to be absolutely trustworthy.


I agree. A stranger can also find documents and do lots of damage.


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## Knight (Jan 1, 2021)

Traveling around the country for a year sounds good but realistically what can you learn that would help you decide what to do with your rural home? Granted there are a lot of famous sites to see but what does that tell you about living in any particular place? 

Google is your friend and you don't have to leave your home. Pick a state, Ohio for instance  Google this [  Ohio cities by population  ]. Look for a size you would be comfortable with then check as many as you think fit your plan to move to. Check for crime, health care, housing costs, state taxes on retirement income & any other need you might have. 

No mention of a family member or trusted friend that could check on your home if you took time to travel to one or more places that seem to fit what you would like. That would be my solution to traveling & not worrying about my home while gone.


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## Leann (Jan 1, 2021)

Jules said:


> Don’t forget you may need to change your insurance.
> 
> Try one month of travel first.  See how much you miss your home.
> 
> If you decide you want to move, I think I’d rather put my things in storage.


I have given thought to traveling up to a year at a time but am worried about leaving my house vacant for a long period. For me, the best option right now is to travel for a month and then come home and see how I feel.


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## Knight (Jan 1, 2021)

Leann said:


> I have given thought to traveling up to a year at a time but am worried about leaving my house vacant for a long period. For me, the best option right now is to travel for a month and then come home and see how I feel.


I'm guessing like the Op HoneyNut  you have considered the cost to travel. If lucky @$75.00 a day for food & lodging would come to $2,250.00 for 30 days. Then routine vehicle maintenance, gas, oil tire wear digs into retirement money. Unforeseen  emergency on the road to have money ready for & travel for a month  is an interesting plan.

Good luck with what you want to do.


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## Butterfly (Jan 2, 2021)

Knight said:


> I'm guessing like the Op HoneyNut  you have considered the cost to travel. If lucky @$75.00 a day for food & lodging would come to $2,250.00 for 30 days. Then routine vehicle maintenance, gas, oil tire wear digs into retirement money. Unforeseen  emergency on the road to have money ready for & travel for a month  is an interesting plan.
> 
> Good luck with what you want to do.



I think $75 a day is very much on the low side for food and lodging.  I doubt you can even stay at a Motel 6 for that.


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## Knight (Jan 2, 2021)

Butterfly said:


> I think $75 a day is very much on the low side for food and lodging.  I doubt you can even stay at a Motel 6 for that.


I do too that was just an arbitrary amount.  Considering hotel rooms in Las Vegas at quality places are renting for as little as $25.00 a night. On the road the choices are limited.  

The original post wanted to rent which makes sense if taking an arbitrary amount & multiplying by at least 350 days.  So many factors to consider when planning an extended road trip. What would you put as a daily amount for food & lodging?


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## HoneyNut (Jan 2, 2021)

Yes, I was hoping if I could rent out my house that would help subsidize traveling.  And I'm hoping to find airbnb apartments that I could rent for 1 to 3 months and get a discount for staying that long.  I've never done anything like that but I figure there must be affordable options, and if I am staying at a place with a kitchen then I won't need to spend more to eat than I do when I'm at home.
I am not sure how I would know if I like an area/city, I don't think googling would be enough, it would be good background research tho.  Once upon a time my daughter got invited to a bat mitzvah in Santa Fe, NM, so we traveled there for a long weekend and I loved how the streets were laid out all north/south and east/west and there were interesting museums for us to go to.  But when I google it the results make it sound like a horrible place to live.  So confusing!
I just don't know what I want for the next phase of my life (i.e., beginning retirement later this year), or how long that phase will be.  I'm imagining that while living in different cities for 1-3 months I may find Meetups and make some friends and perhaps find a place I would enjoy living in.  But maybe the reality will be that I will feel alone and bored in a strange and possibly scary place.


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 2, 2021)

Have you considered keeping your home and working during this GAP year before retirement?

If the idea is to stay in one city for 3 months you might be able to find paid employment to help with expenses and get a feel for the new location. 

Good luck!


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## HoneyNut (Jan 2, 2021)

Aunt Bea said:


> If the idea is to stay in one city for 3 months you might be able to find paid employment to help with expenses and get a feel for the new location.



A couple years ago I was thinking of doing that and I asked a tech gig type company and they said it was feasible, but now that I'm older the idea of getting up early and commuting to a job sounds horrid (my manager has gotten used to me being hours late in the morning (pre-covid when we were in the office), but I doubt that would be acceptable for short term jobs).  My current employer has always been anti-WFH, but since Covid they have gotten used to it presumably now.  I wonder if I could arrange with my employer to work half time and always remote, that would probably be ideal for me.  I doubt if they'd go for it but I guess I could try.  I'm not sure when to ask them, whether I'd ask my manager or HR.


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## Kadee (Jan 2, 2021)

In Australia there are lots of house sitting sites that are full of house sits  all over the world and sitters to fill positions for anyone requiring a sitter.

Many travel the world by Housitting ......well many did in better times......
( we’ve had a couple of sitters ourself while away in Queensland for a couple of months during winter )

There are good people out there however where I’m,  I’ve never known of anyone paying to get a sit its more homeowners paying a good sitter.

So its kinda unfair to think everyone who house sits is going to either destroy your home / contents and or take your valuables ..so just maybe you could think traveling to different locations by taking up sitting that way you only have the expense of traveling.
.....Just a thought

We have left our home vacant at times  being away for 8 weeks in winter ( it’s cold here but beautiful in Queensland in winter) we have great neighbours who keep an eye on our home.


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## garyt1957 (Jan 17, 2021)

applecruncher said:


> I agree. A stranger can also find documents and do lots of damage.


If you were going to do it I'd assume you'd get a safe deposit box for papers, jewelry, etc. Or give them to a friend you trust


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## garyt1957 (Jan 17, 2021)

I am going to look into house sitting when I am free of family constrictions. I'm on a site that sets up house sitters with houses. The problem for us is most have pets and my wife is allergic. It's a cheap way to travel.


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## Kadee (Jan 17, 2021)

Just out of interest I was looking at a story that popped up online this morning about house sitters ,and I’ll see if I can link the story on here .
It was about a person who took on a sit only to rent the home owners home out on Air B&B
 while they were away making a huge profit out of home the sitter didn’t own
https://www.domain.com.au/news/house-sitters-from-hell-and-how-to-avoid-them-20151106-gkqs1d/


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## peramangkelder (Jan 17, 2021)

@Kadee46 similar thing I read about 
A landlord and her husband who brazenly camped for weeks in the backyard of their tenant's home have been forced to leave the property after the council stepped in at the Yamba home on the NSW coast


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## Kadee (Jan 18, 2021)

I seen that on current affairs @peramangkelder the landlord and his partner are pretty brazen charging someone .,was it around $500 a week?  rent them camping in the back yard of the property


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## Pinky (Jan 18, 2021)

My friend's daughter was house-sitting for awhile, between jobs (Adelaide). The worst thing that happened, was the husband of one couple who owned a house, passed away while they were vacationing


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## Alligatorob (Apr 23, 2021)

We have always managed to find someone in the family.  Young adult grandchildren or nieces/nephews seem to be good candidates.  And we do pay them a little, but know our pets, house, plants, etc are being well cared for.  If you can find the right person it can work, a treat for them to have a big house to themselves, and someone you know and trust.  Never been gone as long as you are talking about though.

I know this doesn't work for everybody, for us it has been hard a few times...


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## OneEyedDiva (Apr 23, 2021)

There's no way I'd let a stranger occupy my house for a year while I'm gone. And sometimes you have to be careful with relatives and friends too.


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