Tips for Housesitters when the Homeowner Comes Back Home

Are you wanting to be considered a fabulous housesitter, perhaps making your living from doing so? Or perhaps you are just taking care of a friend's house while they are out of the country. The thing about housesitting and then leaving the house when the time comes is that you want to leave no trace of your occupancy except that the place has been kept clean and safe. Here are some great tips for when the time comes to hand the house back over to the owners!

Remove, wash & fold, and replace clean linens on all beds that you've used. Do the same with any towels, including kitchen and bathroom towels. Make sure to hang up fresh and clean ones for them to use as soon as they walk in the doors. There is nothing more irritating than not having a fresh towel to dry your hands on after that quick bathroom break!

This goes along with toilet paper - you don't want to leave a few sheets left for them when they come home! In fact, leave another extra roll on top of the commode as well.

Wash any all dishes, dry them, and put them away in their appropriate places.

Turn of all appliances in the house, including heating devices or air conditioners (even if you think they will be home in a matter of hours). Make sure to unplug any appliances that you plugged in, as well. And, of course, stifle the fire in the wood stove or fireplace!

Vacuum any all carpeting and rugs, and sweep floors.

Leave plenty of food for the pets in the house - you don't want to owners to come home to hungry and cranky pets!

Make sure you take everything that is yours out with you! Again, you don't want there to be any sign that you were here by surprising them with one of your belongings!

Leave the owners a thoughtful thank-you card and a small gift to welcome them home. This could be a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates. If you need to leave a note about something in the house, do so separately from the thank-you card.

Make sure to lock up the place and reset any alarm systems. Leave the key where they asked you to!

The good thing about being very meticulous about all these steps is that the homeowners will most likely call you back again in the future because you've gained their trust!