When Preparing A Property For A Housesitter Don't Forget the Yard

When preparing a property for a housesitter, whether the sit is long or short you need to remember the outside of your home as well as the inside when you are briefing them. That means you remember to brief them on the yard, how to monitor and care for your garden. Read on to learn our top tips on what to remember and why it is so important.

Preparing a Property for a Houseitster: Don’t Forget the Yard

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Believe it or not… When most homeowners are preparing a property or indeed their home for a housesitter, they’re only thinking about the inside of the house.

Make the kitchen sparkling clean. Leave a spare key under the mat. Write down the wifi password.

But what most people forget is this…

REMEMBER THE YARD WHEN PREPARING A PROPERTY FOR A HOUSESITTER.

Brown grass, drying plants, and overflowing garden beds aren’t just unsightly. Sure they make a house look vacant while you’re away, but did you know they can actually cause headaches for your house sitter?

Preparing the exterior and making sure the yard is in good shape before you leave is every bit as important as the inside of your home. That means partnering with landscape design professionals BEFORE you leave and making sure it stays tidy while you’re away. Whether you hire a full service landscaping company to come in for a pre-departure cleaning or create a simple yard guide for your sitter — it pays to have a plan for the yard too.

Here’s what’s covered…

Why Your Yard Needs More Love Than You Think.
Prepping the Yard for Your Trip.
How to Setup Your House Sitter FOR Success.
Helpful Tools to Leave Behind.
The Reality If You Leave The Yard Out Of the Equation.

Your Yard Deserves More Love Than You Think.

Before running out the door for a trip away, here’s a little secret…

If the yard gets neglected before going away, it may not only invite trouble while you’re gone — but hurt property value in the long-term. Research from the National Association of Realtors shows 78% of real estate professionals agree poor landscaping can lead to diminished property values. Yikes.

The good news? Attractive landscaping can do the opposite. Real estate studies have found attractive yards increase property values by 5% to 12% compared to similar homes with unkempt exteriors.

When you’re gone for more than a few days, your yard will change. Plants grow. Flowers need deadheading. And weeds….they always grow if you let them. What looks perfect on day one could look downright negligent by week two if you don’t prepare ahead of time.

And if your house sitter doesn’t know you pay attention to the yard? They may think that’s the standard your outdoor spaces should be held to too.

Prep Work Is Required To Prep Your Yard.

Time to get started…

Before leaving for your trip take a leisurely stroll through your yard. Pretend you’re a neighbor or passerby that happens to walk by your home every single day for the next two weeks. When was the last time you did that? You’ll notice things you won’t be happy about.

Start with these tasks:

Edge lawn or garden beds for a manicured finish
Pull weeds and trim back any plants that have grown over borders
Mow the lawn consistently and neatly
Deadhead any existing flowering plants to promote more blooms while away
Ensure your irrigation system or sprinklers are on schedule and working properly
Remove any clutter, sticks, or debris that might build up over time

Consider hiring landscape design services if your yard needs significant work before you leave. A single visit before departure to tidy-up and polish the yard will leave things in perfect shape — allowing your house sitter to merely maintain while you’re gone, not messily clean up!

Give Your Housesitter A Fair Chance to Succeed

Okay…here’s the deal.

Most homeowners think their house sitter should just know what to do. Water the plants, mow the lawn, keep the place tidy. But when was the last time you gave them exact instructions on how you do that at YOUR house?

Every garden or yard is different. That’s why leaving your house sitter with a simple yard guide can help tremendously. It doesn’t need to be long. Try including:

What needs watering

Lawn
Plants
Garden beds
Potted plants

How often? And do you have an automatic irrigation system they should know about? Do certain plants need special care?

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Lawncare

How frequently should the lawn be cut?
Is your mower easy to use?
Should lawn waste be left or cleared?

General Tidying

Who removes any leaves or branches that build up?
Is there a garden waste bin that needs emptying on a certain day?
Are there areas of the yard that should be kept clear at all times?

Add a couple of photos showing what your yard should look like on a ‘normal’ day. One picture of the whole yard and one close-up of the garden beds is perfect. It’s better than pages of written instructions any day.

Leave The Right Tools To Avoid Driving Your Housesitter Crazy

No house sitter will think your yard needs professional-grade equipment to stay maintained. But the right tools make light work of any task.

Here are a few things to ensure are accessible before you leave:

Hose that works. Connected to outdoor taps that are easily accessible.
A watering can for indoor plants and pots
Garden gloves in good repair
Small hand trowel for weeding.
Kitchen scissors or secateurs for light pruning.

If you use a storage cupboard for gardening tools, leave a note showing exactly where things are kept. Eliminate as many questions as possible before you go!

Don’t Care About the Lawn?! Here’s How It Looks When You Get Back

Imagine this…you forget to brief your housesitter on the garden equipment when you are preparing a property for the housesitter. Grass will keep growing especially in Summer and the prime holiday months.

long grass — If you allow your grass to grow while you are away it means the home looks neglected and unoccupied.
Photo credit- Ch Photography

You leave for a well-deserved two week vacation only to return to your property and find brown patches in the lawn, weeds as tall as your kitchen sink, and flower beds that need an industrial strength cleaner. Not the homecoming you have in mind, right?

When you neglect your yard before you head out the door you leave it susceptible to every gardening evil imaginable. Plants die in hot, dry weather without water. Rain and overgrowth create jungles out of your lawn and garden beds in a matter of weeks.

Cleaning up a neglected property takes a lot longer than spending time preparing before you leave. And it always costs more money to fix. Don’t be that homeowner.

preparing a property for your absence includes the yard — When preparing a property for the housesitter remember the yard and yard equipment
Photo credit – Markus Spiske

Tying It All Together

Want your housesitter to succeed? Think of how to get your yard and yard equipment ready for the sitter when preparing a property for their sit. Start by prepping the yard as well as the inside of your home.

Here’s your list…

Walk your yard and tidy it up before leaving for your trip.
Consider hiring landscape design services if your yard needs professional TLC before departure.
Leave your house sitter with a simple, no-nonsense yard guide they can reference quickly.
Leave the tools they need easily accessible.

Give your yard some love BEFORE you go and your house sitter will do the rest. Coming home to a tidy property will be the icing on your vacation.