Found Your House Sitter on Facebook? Here's What to Do Next

Every day I see homeowners post a house sit in our Facebook group.

Within a few hours there are often dozens of comments and private messages from people interested in helping.

It's one of the reasons our House Sitting Australia Facebook community has grown to more than 136,000 members.

Facebook is brilliant at bringing people together.

But finding someone is only the first step.

Choosing the right person is the important part.

Over the years I've watched thousands of successful house sits begin exactly this way, and I've also seen the occasional problems that can be avoided with a little planning.

🤔 The First Person Isn't Always the Best Person

It's easy to become excited when someone seems perfect.

They love your pets.

They've done house sitting before.

You have a great chat on Messenger.

Before you know it you've said,

"Yes, we'd love to have you stay."

Only afterwards do you think about checking references or comparing them with the other people who contacted you.

Most of the time everything works out well.

Sometimes it doesn't.

You might discover another applicant had far more experience with your type of pets, better references, or simply felt like a better match.

By then you've already made a commitment.

There's usually no need to rush.

A house sit isn't a race.

⭐ A Better Way to Choose Your House Sitter

After watching thousands of successful matches, this is the process I'd recommend.

Write your Facebook post as you normally would.

Have conversations with everyone who interests you.

Invite your preferred applicants to apply through your House Sitting Australia listing.

Create a shortlist.

Check references.

Ask any questions you still have.

Then choose the person who feels right for your home, your pets and your situation.

If possible, keep another suitable applicant in reserve.

Life happens.

People become ill.

Cars break down.

Flights get cancelled.

Having someone else you've already spoken with can remove a huge amount of stress if plans suddenly change.

🏡 Facebook and HSA Work Together

People sometimes ask me why we're building House Sitting Australia when Facebook already works so well.

The answer is simple.

They're designed for different jobs.

Facebook is one of the best places in Australia for homeowners and sitters to discover each other.

House Sitting Australia is designed to help you manage everything after that introduction.

Once your listing is live you can invite the people you've already been chatting with to apply through the app.

Now everything is together.

Your applicants.

Your conversations.

Your pet care information.

Your Digital House Sitting Agreement.

Your notes.

And when you plan your next holiday, your listing is already there waiting to be updated instead of starting again from scratch.

🛠️ Our Free Concierge Listing Service

One thing I've learnt is that many people don't enjoy creating online listings.

That's perfectly understandable.

So I decided to do something about it.

If you've already written your Facebook post, simply send me a message.

I'll build the listing for you.

I usually tidy up the wording, correct the spelling and grammar, crop the photos if needed and generally make everything look professional.

Most listings take me less than ten minutes.

To get started I only need:

• Your email address.
• Your postcode.

That's enough to create your account and prepare your listing.

Your Facebook name becomes your profile name to begin with, and you can change it later if you wish.

At the moment, homeowner memberships are free until 31 December 2026, so there's no cost to get started.

✅ Identity Verification Builds Trust

One thing both homeowners and sitters tell me is that trust matters.

The homeowner wants confidence in the person looking after their home.

The sitter wants confidence in the people welcoming them into it.

That's why House Sitting Australia offers optional Identity Verification for both homeowners and sitters.

Verification is completed securely through Stripe Identity, one of the world's leading identity verification services.

The process only takes a few minutes.

You'll photograph your government-issued identification and complete a quick selfie check on Stripe's secure website.

House Sitting Australia never stores your identity documents.

Once approved, a green Verified badge appears on your profile and listings, making it easy for other members to see that your identity has been confirmed.

❤️ The Best Results Come from Using Both

I don't see Facebook and House Sitting Australia as competitors.

In fact, I think they complement each other beautifully.

Facebook remains one of the best places to meet people.

House Sitting Australia gives you the tools to organise the house sit professionally once you've found them.

For me, that's the ideal workflow.

Meet on Facebook.

Shortlist on House Sitting Australia.

Check references.

Choose the best match.

Complete your Digital House Sitting Agreement.

Then enjoy your holiday knowing everyone understands what's expected.

Need a Hand?

If you've already written your Facebook post, I'd be happy to help.

Send me a private message with your email address and postcode and I'll create your House Sitting Australia listing for you.

Sometimes having someone else do the five-minute setup is all it takes to get started.

Happy house sitting!

Colin Dixon
Founder, House Sitting Australia