Pros and Cons of House Sit Mexico [Your Next House Sit]

It seems we are spending more and more time in Mexico Last year it was 10 months, and this year it has been since November. We expect it will be another long visit. We both feel there are many more places in Mexico we want to see and experience, especially the cuisine and the rich culture. Joining a house sit service such as House Sit Mexico will allow us to do this.

House Sitting has become a way of life for my husband and me. We sort of accidentally fell into it. We were on a six-month vacation in Costa Rica and met two couples who told us they were there because they were house-sitting for the owners who were away.

We became intrigued and, upon returning to Canada, decided to check out Trusted House Sitters and immediately became members. Since then, we have had approximately 30 house sits in our profile. The main reason we house sit is that it provides an amazing opportunity to travel, try different cuisines, and experience the local culture.

We recently completed two house sits here through House Sit Mexico, and I can’t tell you how rewarding and fun it was. If you are concerned about safety at this time, check out our note at the bottom of this article.

Belt, Flacky, and Rocket

Pancho and Lefty

We consider it a win-win situation for us because we get to visit new surroundings and homeowners can leave their homes and pets with peace of mind, knowing that everything is safe, secure, and in good hands.

People often ask how much we charge. In most cases, we will sit for free, but each house sit is different and depends on the amount of responsibility and the number of pets.

Overview of House Sit Mexico

You might be asking yourself, “How does this work? Well, the concept is simple and quite brilliant. You are trading services; you sit for free while the homeowner can travel with peace of mind.

Not only does the sitter get to sit for free, but there is an opportunity to see Mexico and meet so many interesting people.

For the homeowner, there is no stress over putting their beloved pets in a kennel, and they can travel knowing all is secure and safe.

The majority of the house has pets. However, as a sitter, you have the option to choose the animals you are willing to look after; for instance, my husband is allergic to horses; therefore, we don’t list them in our preferences. 

How Does House Sit Mexico Work

There are a few simple steps to get you there:

• CREATE AN ACCOUNT. Click on the Login button, then the Join Now button, and pick the membership you want. Then provide an email address, create a password, and read and acknowledge HouseSitMexico’s Standards, Terms & Conditions, and Privacy Policy. You must be 21 or older.

USE COUPON CODE:  thetr6210d47b7cc90

• PAY A MEMBERSHIP FEE. You have three membership options: as an owner, as a sitter, or both as an owner and sitter. The fees are yearly and very reasonable: $79 (USD) per year for either or $99 (USD) per year for both!
• CHOOSE YOUR METHOD OF PAYMENT. You can pay with major credit cards. Once payment is received, you will get a confirmation email.
• COMPLETE YOUR PROFILE. This is where you get the chance to shine. Don’t worry that there is too much competition or that you don’t have enough experience. Be sure to indicate if you have owned pets or if you have looked after friends’ or co-workers’ pets for them; it all counts as experience. When we started, we had 10 years of private experience but no professional experience, yet we got house sits immediately, so make the best of your profile. Just be yourself and be sincere! It will show. Add photos if you have any. Pictures speak louder than words.
• BROWSE. Start looking. You can apply filters such as dates you are available, areas you are interested in, active or inactive listings, and animals or tasks you would consider (we had one house sit that did not have any pets but there were many plants inside and outside that needed to be cared for, so you need to decide what you are willing to do). This is like a matchmaking website where the criteria of the homeowner and the sitter match. That’s it!

Chichen Itza Pyramid

Tools House Sit Mexico provides

• PRIVATE MESSAGING. This is a great feature, as it allows secure and private messaging between the homeowner and the sitter. It is up to you whether you want to share your private contact information, such as an email address, for example.
• HOUSE SITTING AGREEMENT TEMPLATE. House Sit Mexico does provide a template for your convenience; however, they stress that it should be adapted to your particular situation and cover what you feel is necessary.
• PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS. Mexico House Sit makes it easy for you to list references, recommendations, and testimonials from house sits outside of their company by providing a place on their website where you can upload them in any format.  You can also ask for a review or testimonial from house sits generated from their website, and you, in turn, can also provide a review or testimonial of the homeowner.

Pros of using House Sit Mexico

• DEDICATED SITS. You can indeed use international house-sitting services such as International House Sitters and Trusted House Sitters (in fact, I belong to Trusted House Sitters as well), but being a member of Mexico House Sit means you will have a better chance of getting a house to sit in Mexico if you want to house sit there. While the other companies do provide a few listings, they are sporadic at best. What better place to look for a house sit in Mexico than from a house sit company dedicated to providing you with house sits in Mexico?
• LONGEVITY. House Sit Mexico has been in business since 2016 and is dedicated to matching homeowners with sitters in Mexico.
• ONE-TIME ANNUAL FEE. The cost of a membership is a one-time fee for a whole year. It is up to you whether you want to renew it or not at the end of the year.
• USER-FRIENDLY WEBSITE. The website is easy to navigate plus you can download photos, apply filters for your search, and download outside references/testimonials.
• FREE ACCOMMODATIONS.
• REVIEWS. Homeowners and house sitters both have the opportunity to provide reviews and feedback on the house sits.
• PRIVATE MESSAGING. You can send messages confidently, knowing they are private between you and the homeowners.

Cons of using House Sit Mexico

• COST. Some might consider $79 (USD) a lot, but I can’t think of anything more reasonable. By the time you factor in what you would pay for accommodations, food, and travel, you would be spending this amount many times over. As the owner, your boarding costs could be extravagant; in Canada, you could be looking at anywhere from $30 up to $85 per day; in the U.S., according to CostHelper.com, you could be paying anywhere from $240 – $550 per month; in Mexico, costs could run from $12 to $16 (USD) per day, depending on the size of the pet. Plus, your pet may feel stressed out since they won’t be in familiar surroundings.
• CAN ONLY UPLOAD IMAGES. At present, there is no way to upload videos.
• APPS. None are available at present.

Final Thoughts

Having used a house-sitting service for almost three years, I see the merits, and they far outweigh any cons. House Sit Mexico has great reviews from both owners and sitters. I can’t wait to start using their services.

What better way to check out the warm beaches, dive into the Cenotes, tour the jungle, view historical buildings, experience the character and culture of the highlands, or check out the magnificent Mayan Ruins? Make House Sit Mexico [Your Next House Sit].

If you are looking for a house sitter or want to see more of Mexico, join House Sit Mexico today. They have a great referral program that not only gives you 20% off the price but also gives you two months FREE!  Just pick the pricing option you want and use the coupon code at checkout.

USE COUPON CODE:  thetr6210d47b7cc90

NOTE: During the pandemic, follow government guidelines, have open communication with your prospective sit/sitter, clean and disinfect areas with cleaning solutions containing 70% or more alcohol, and pay particular attention to frequently touched areas such as light switches, TV remotes, door handles, appliances, etc.

You should be able to have a safe place to sit. Do not be afraid to request this; everyone should understand and be willing to cooperate.

On our last house sit in Ontario, the homeowner met us outside wearing a mask. She told us she had thoroughly disinfected all the frequently used hotspots and asked us to do the same upon leaving. It was a very successful house sit.

Of course, you also have to respect travel restrictions; this may mean you can only house sit locally.

Have you ever used a house-sitting service? Let us know your experience in the comments below.