E184 Housesitting Diva - Kelly Hayes-Raitt | Experience 50

Housesitting as a solution

Kelly Hayes-Raitt, 58, has been housesitting full time for the past 10 years, globetrotting during a sabbatical that never ended. Housesitting makes that possible for her.

I first learned about this idea through my research of various housesitting platforms. Of all the resources I have tapped into since, Kelly’s book, How to Become a Housesitter: Insider Tips From The Housesit Diva is by far the most straightforward, informative, and fun to read. This reminds me that I still need to write a book review on amazon!

I appreciate how open she is about her personal state of affairs when, at 50, she suffered a setback which left her in a precarious financial situation at a time when she was floundering. After an unsuccessful and expensive attempt at a life-long dream, she wanted a career change, a lifestyle makeover, and needed an immediate way to pay her $4,000 a month mortgage. You will hear her full story in the episode.

Her biggest worry became her greatest asset: that highly mortgaged home. Folks, this is such a great example of looking at your circumstances from a different perspective.

Kelly turned her personal home into a beautiful vacation rental property, hired a manager and took off on her own adventure. She cares for homes and pets while the owners travel without worries. Big win-win. She has not paid rent or a mortgage in 10 years.

I have been learning about housesitting for the past year. I see it as a wonderful way for pet owners to travel without the expense or concerns of kenneling our cats, dogs, bunnies, fish, etc… I mean we sacrificed so much for our kids, let’s not become shut-ins because of our pets!

As you listen to Kelly share her insider tips and personal experiences as a housesitter, you will see that there are limitless possibilities to how this could fit into your life.

I encourage you to purchase her book, visit her website, and see if this is something for you!

This episode is sponsored by Plexaderm and Power Swabs. I am a very happy user of both products!