Copyright © 2007
Sometimes a change in life creates a new and wonderful opportunity. At the age of 51, my husband Paul had just had his job outsourced to India and real estate was booming in Vancouver, British Columbia. On a camping trip to a small coastal town, we discussed just leaving the city and seeing where life would take us.
We sold our nice 900 square foot condo in September and moved out in December with no firm plan in mind. We thought we would house-sit in the town where we been camping for two months and then find a small house there to live simply. Ten months later we are still living in other people's homes, caring for other people's pets and calling ourselves "The Accidental House-Sitters."
Tonight we are sitting in the garden after watering the vegetables, looking over the Strait of Georgia and eating fresh blackberries. People ask us all the time how we set up this Accidental House-Sitting, so I thought I would share a little of our experience.
We have lived in nine places so far this year. All of them are wonderful and different, and have given us ideas of what we like and what we don't like for our future. We are finding out what suits us in the simplest, most economical way. So far this year, we have lived in the following places:
- A wonderful little vintage rose-covered cottage on the waterfront,
- An architectural wonder in the woods of Roberts Creek,
- A geodesic dome on five acres,
- And two gorgeous homes with big decks and wonderful sea views.
Right now we are more or less booked until Christmas.
By house- and pet-sitting we create a wonderful exchange: we look after your home and your pets and you give us your home temporarily. We settle into a new environment of usually a month or so and learn about a new community.
We don't ask for any money, but usually our homeowners (many now friends) throw in lots of freebies. We have been given homemade wine, homemade bread, freshly made mint jelly, handmade chocolates, a bag of prawns, and access to refrigerators all over the coast.
Every house we have stayed in has been incredible and special, and we have come to have a first hand look at what life is like in each community with an eye toward living there in the future. We have explored local political issues, traffic patterns, what kinds of clubs you can join, and a lot more. This information is invaluable as we choose where we next want to buy a home.
Our costs are low, very low. We pay no house taxes, no hydro or electricity, no strata fees, no Internet cost and no heat or fuel. We buy really nothing for these homes as they come fully equipped. We are never tempted to buy little household trinkets, as everything we pick up we end up carrying around in the car, and it becomes quite a hassle.
Some of these homes even come with the use of a car, should we need to take the animals out for a drive and walk.
Many people ask us how we get all these opportunities, so here are some thoughts:
- Don't charge. Many pet-sitters do this as a business, but because we see this as a swap and we need your home temporarily we don't need to charge. That means that our schedule is nearly always full. It is a win/win for the homeowner, the pets and for us.
- Tell everyone you meet that this is what you do, and give an email address where people can reach you. Tell people you meet at coffee shops, in the mall, at parties and everywhere. Some of our best house-sits have been arranged months after meeting the homeowners. A chance meeting on a beach might turn into a month in a seafront cottage.
- Gather your list of references as you go. For years we had been house-sitting for a week here, a week there, just to get away from the city. We would look after dogs, cats, donkeys, what have you. We started with a list of four people who could act as past references. Now we have over 12.
- Keep in touch with everyone. Every 6 weeks I send out a general "Where are Paul and Deb NOW!" bulletin on the Internet to friends, family and past homeowners. People we know are beginning to realize that we do this for a service and might mention it to people they know, and so on. Now and then when we might have a gap and don't have a place to stay, we contact all our past homeowners and let them know we are free for particular dates. They may well have friends who need house-sitters. As I write this, we have a three-week gap in the late fall. I am confident that this will be filled long before we get to November.
- Say YES! Take the house-sit for every type of home offered. We have said yes to house-sitting in a mobile home in a park and the possibility of a fifth wheel that will be parked on the beach. Why not try it to see how you like it?
- Do a little extra. My husband mostly wants to play banjo. But from time to time he has been known to mow lawns, paint a little woodwork, chop wood, and even wash people's cars when it is sunny outside. He has an incredible tan this summer from all his time outdoors.
- Soon it will be one complete year that we have been house- and pet-sitting on the coast. What started out as a few months of fun has turned into an incredible opportunity. Many of the homeowners are now our friends, and that is the biggest payoff of all.
But tons of other exciting things came along the way too. In house- and pet-sitting we have:
- Learned to play killer canasta
- Explored all kinds of new kitchen machines
- With permission, read a lot of new books (including cookbooks) in people's homes
- Listened to a lot of new music
- Joined a few musical groups so Paul can play banjo
- Learned to bake bread
- Walked hundreds of miles around the new towns
- Visited farmer's markets we never knew existed
We have also learned that we really don't need all that "stuff" that is indeed "stuffed" into 2 storage lockers in Vancouver. One of the only costs of this lifestyle is the $150 a month we pay to keep all our possessions under lock and key. I know when we open those storage containers half of it will go directly to Freecycle or thrift shops. We have learned to live lightly and have fun doing it.
Life has become a pleasure in so many ways. We take time to do the things that we had been putting off. We certainly don't have the money to retire full-time, but this way we are easing into the next stage of life. The money from the sale of our home makes money while we travel around and, because our costs are low, this year we will come out ahead financially.
We have also fallen in love with so many of the pets we got to look after: Naughty Bird, Chaos, Jo-Jo, Jack, Samson and Delilah, Larry and Linus, Piggelet and many more. For people who were never allowed pets in the condominium, it is like having foster animals all over the coast.
"Don't you miss your own place?" people ask. Well sometimes we do, but not often. When I think of the great people we have met and the fun we have had at the lakes and beaches, not to mention summer festivals, the music we have heard and the joy of discovering a new community, I don't miss it much. Soon we will probably buy another home, but for now, we are free to move around, come and go and pick up and change places. And, when we do own our next home, we will know a whole network of people who might return the favor and house-sit for us.
Could this experience be for you? It could if you have no children to look after and no pets of your own, can get away for a while and are, above all, flexible. My husband Paul has never been known for his flexibility. In the first month he wanted to find a place, buy it, capture it and seal the deal. Now he feels quite differently. He has become more open and is more comfortable meeting new people. He has played for the first time really in public and has jammed with some fine musicians.
If you want to try something like this, put the word out to friends and relatives in your area, or as far as you are willing travel, that you are available for short house- and pet-sitting stints for weekends and vacations. Then, if you discover you like it, take on longer engagements.
I still have to go by ferry every month to work in Vancouver doing workshops for a few days to keep the piggybank from emptying, but apart from that our life is truly wonderful.
We don't need a lot of money to do this. We spend our money on food, ferries and fun. So that's our story, I might call it "Sleeping Around," "The Accidental House-Sitters," or whatever; we're always open to new ideas.
You can reach Deb and Paul at their email address as they have no other fixed address and no real telephone number. They are always happy to chat. deb@wizbangers.ca
About The Author
Deb Calderon, of no fixed address, travels with her husband and banjo player Paul and is the head of Calderon Consulting: www.wizbangers.ca Contact Deb at deb@wizbangers.ca
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