Bringing home owners and house sitters together
Sitter available
Andrew and Karen - New Zealand farmer and writer
New Zealand
Testimonials
They have 4 testimonials (view below)
Pet experience
Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Chicken(s), Bird(s), Fish, Rabbit(s), Guinea pig(s), Rodent(s), Pig(s), Goat(s), Farm animal(s)
Police check
They don't have a police check
Availability
From: 1 Jul 2023
Until: 1 Jan 2027
Occupation
Farmer / Writer
References
They have referees/references (view below)
About this sitter
I'm a writer and my husband Andrew is a farmer. We've been married for 33 years and with the kids gone it's time we saw the world. We love the beach, the mountains, we're not great with cities but maybe we just need to learn how to love them too. We're non-smokers. Gravel roads, stick shifts and fixing water pumps - all no problem.
Why they want to house sit
We live just outside Dunedin in southern New Zealand and in the winter (June - August) it is cold and wet. We need some sun and we want to relax so don't want to do the tour thing. We want to stay in one place and get to know it - the food, the people, the history.
Their experience
We completed our first house sit in July/August 2018 in Crete and in 2019 went to the amazing Alpujarras in Spain so we are officially experienced! We've house sat for friends and travelled a lot in the past (usually with the kids in tow - they have now both left home and are doing their own travelling) but 2018 was our first house sit using this website. It was great - loved it. And so was 2019.
2023 here we come!
What can they bring to the assignment
My husband is a farmer so he can look after almost all animals (except snakes - we don't have snakes in New Zealand, maybe just leave us lots of instructions!) including dogs, chickens, horses, pigs, sheep and cattle. Our cat made it to 18 years of age so we must be okay with cats too. Andrew is also pretty good with a hammer (we renovated a 1901 villa ourselves in 2018) and he can drive tractors, feed out etc etc. I write teen fiction (my pen name is Ella West - google me) so I just need a space to curl up with my laptop.
Last updated:
7 Nov 2024
Available to house sit
Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam
Availability dates
From: 1 Jul 2023
Until: 1 Jan 2027
Do they charge?
They don't charge for house sitting services
Personal details
Age: 46-55 years old
Family status:
Couple
Membership
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References
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Sitemap
MindMyHouse.com – https://www.mindmyhouse.com/owners/sitter_listing/35987
Testimonials
Excellent sitters; good at keeping in touch
Andrew and Karen were great sitters, organised and friendly. They gave us plenty of updates on our cats, and how things were going. The chalet was kept clean and tidy, and our cats were clearly happy. Andrew and Karen are happy to chat to hosts and easygoing. I would recommend them for anyone with cats to look after.
SJ, France, 24 Oct 2024
Definite, yes, for these sitters!!
Karen and Andrew, all the way from New Zeland, did a little over 3 week house sit for me, end of July through mid August 2023. They were right on board, from the beginning, coming a couple of nights early so they could become familiar with my pets, house and community. I was updated regularly about my pets, Cosette, the kitty and Bob, my Nandy Conure. My house was well taken care of, as were my pets. People in my community also enjoyed the company of Karen and Andrew who are genuinely nice people. If they were ever to be on this side of the world, or anywhere I would not hesitate having them sit again and highly recommend them to all.
Sybil, United States, 11 Sep 2023
Perfect Housesitters
Andrew and Karen proved to be the perfect match for our house sit , and we can pay them no higher compliment than we sincerely hope they will return to housesit for us sometime in the future. They are highly competent and extremely professional and nothing seems to worry them, every thing that crops up they take in their stride. Anybody who is lucky enough to secure their services in the future will be able to leave knowing their house, pets etc are in good hands.
Taffy, Spain, 30 Jul 2019
Great couple
A week before Andrew and Karen were due to arrive in Crete to take car of our house and much loved cat my wife Monica was admitted to the local hospital for emergency hip replacement surgery which delayed our departure by 3-weeks. It was not the greatest start to their first house sitting experience but Andrew and Karen accepted the radically changed circumstances with sympathy and understanding - I can't imagine others would have accepted the situation with such good grace and good humour. A supremely practical couple, Andrew was a great source of advice on all matters agricultural and during our absence tackled some of the more unpleasant jobs in the garden. It was a relief that Andrew and Karen embraced the local culture, a self sufficient pair they found their way around the house, the garden and olive grove the area, the local taverna's without bombarding us with endless questions. It was clear from our first meeting that Andrew and Karen would be able to deal with any problems that might have cropped up during our absence so we were able to leave our house worry-free. As part of our agreement Andrew and Karen had use of our car, an arrangement that worked fine. Most importantly from our point of view they clearly enjoyed taking care of Molly the cat who was probably as sorry as we were to see them leave. My only regret is that we were not able to spend more time with Andrew and Karen, an amusing and entertaining couple.
Monica and Peter, Greece, 2 Sep 2018