House Sitters & Staging a Home ... Can Help to Sell Faster?

Sounds like a pretty "cushy" job. Do house sitters get paid? Do they basically live for free?

I have not heard of house sitting before, but it sounds like a good idea for absentee owners?

Sounds interesting. I haven't heard of anything like this in my area. Is this one of those things that happens in Vegas and stays in Vegas???

What a fantastic idea. Hope it works for you and I am going to consider it on a listing.

Your Friend in Charlottesville!

Arina, sounds like a good concept for helping an absentee owner. Good luck with it.

good Post!

Arina, I believe that would actually work very well in this area as well.  The staging always helps and the sitter can make sure to keep the house clean---there are so few decently priced apartments here.  Great idea.

Hi Arina, I think I have in passing heard of the house sitter part. It does seem in one sense a transient life style. You don't know how long you will be in the house, and then people are coming over looking at the house from time to time. I wonder what the profile is for a house sitter? Kind of sounds like it would fit a single person without much furniture and then you have the disruption in your life to move again in 2 months to a year. The staging definitely helps the sale. It would be interesting getting stories from many who do house sitting. It wouldn't seem like it work well with a married couple especially with any number of children. Maybe Las Vegas is cutting edge in this area.

Arina,

I too believe that it can work for the absentee Owner....we just discussed this in my Broker's Management class...

Arina,

Good idea. I hate nice homes that, right before inspection, they turn on water, power. Places always smell musty.

It is a win win situation. I have seen stagers and sitters (or resident managers) and the house is always maintained and they are cooperative with showings.

Interesting. That is the first time I heard of this profession - if you will.

Arina, I think I'm going to ask the same question in a different way as some of the prior questions, how do I find a firm that screens "house sitters" and is this a west coast thing? I have some vacant ski properties that could benefit by having a person checking on heat, plumbing and making it looked  Not-Vacant.. Steve

I think the house sitting idea would work very well in my area.  Where do you find these firms, and where can I find more information about this?

Dennis, Generally they don't get paid... Payment is in the form of tenancy. The house sitter pays a percentage of the mortgage, typically 25% to 50% to help cover costs. (depends on the arrangement)... That can be considered the rent for limited rtenancy.

People who accept the job of House Sitter are generally young and flexible. They don't mind living temporary in a house. Most of the time the houses are large and gorgeous... and they like that. Is like a vacation living in luxury. Some like it!

Kevin, This is most like Vegas byproduct... There are huge (and not so others) houses unattended by owners or renters, that benefit from such arrangements. An empty house has downsides when it comes to selling.  

Laura , Yes, I guess so... Lots of investors are left with empty homes (?) and the arrangement is one way of keeping track with this market. The house has no tenant, can be vacated upon selling, is is staged and there is a financial help from the house sitter... 

Charles, If it works here in Las Vegas why not everywhere else? It all depends on how anxious the owner is and how long can he survive with an empty house (collecting dust and all that...) with no renter that works for him and pitch in some money, ready to move out on short notice.

Michael, This is not my idea and I have nothing to do with the concept. But somebody, somewhere here in Vegas, started all this... and seems that get legs.

Carole, I think that this idea can work in specific neighborhoods. Large and expensive houses can't be sold so easy and the owners needs to go through rough time paying the mortgage in an empty home... just sitting there.

Home Stagers and Home Sitters push the deal in the right direction.  

Gary, You're right. The House Sitteris a transient tenant, ready to pick up and move at short notice. But here in Vegas it works... young people with no attachments, no dogs, no smokers and pretty decent life. They are people waiting in line for a better economy and opportunities to buy homes at better price. Yes, Las Vegas is cutting edge in this area.

Dan, Take all together: absentee Owner, absentee Tenant, slow market and mortgage crises. 

Steven, I agree with that... There is something unpleasant about an empty house. It smells and feels lifeless, cold and impersonal. The first impression when a potential buyer steps in is vital.

Sharon, California just like Nevada - Vegas - always more unconventional and creative with marketing... I guess this is a good idea, 

Kevin, We always learn something every day. Thank you for coming by.

Alpine Lakes, Well you've got me there! ... no idea but, If I would be you, I would check with the local Realtors, Yellow pages or Google for Home Sitters. Than again here in my town there are services that put this deal toghether... Mybe is only local. 

Arina, I don't know of any firms offering services like this here. But everything starts west and moves east. It should catch on here in about 10 years!

Arina I recently experienced this on a Realtor owned home here in Houston. I think it provides an advantage to the sellers. The house is occupied and staged properly and does not create the impression the seller is in a desperate situation to sell "because the house is just sitting on the market empty".

Great idea and blog topic.

I would think it would be hard to locate qualified house sitters in some areas.  I am sure there are a lot of them that have bad credit!  Thanks for the information.