It's true, people need to escape the burdens of daily life for a while--from things like mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, painting, gardening, remodeling, home repairs, pet care, checking the mail, and paying their bills. Even a break from nosy neighbors is reason enough to get away for a while.

But weeds don't pull themselves. Bills don't pay themselves. Most pets won't feed themselves. Yet, the grass keeps growing beneath their feet. Ironically, people become tied to their homes by the same responsibilities that they are trying to escape. And, since the families that play together, stay together; people are not likely to leave a sibling or spouse at home to keep up on these tasks. It's a really discouraging circle.

For homeowners, the solution seems clear: find somebody to stay at their house, and take care of everything while they're gone. The challenge, however, is finding somebody they can trust. Friends? Perhaps but most people feel uncomfortable asking their friends to shoulder such a tremendous burden. Relatives? Possibly, but many homeowners don't like the thought of leaving their homes in the care of their crazy cousin, Eddie. Or worse.

What homeowners need are honest people to occupy their homes. People who desire a change of scenery, for example, or save for homes of their own. People who wish to be closer to their own families; writers seeking peace, quiet, and inspiration. And they definitely need people who understand their specific requirements, and someone they can trust. Enter www.housecarers.com, an online search and screen database for house sitters and homeowners toshare information. The introduction of Housecarers.com allows people to leave their troubles behind. Literally.

At Housecarers.com, a unique search utility allows users to screen thousands of registered house sitters according to age, location, occupation, and just about any other requirements that they select. From short to long term, and from yard to garden, people can find a perfect match, including a house sitter who will manage all lawn and garden needs, pet care (no boarding fees), mail collection, bill payment, utilities, and any other issues that may arise.

And the service is very easy to use. For instance, when a homeowner registers with the system (a free service), they will be notified by e-mail any time a new house sitter matching their criteria signs up with the program. House sitters, in turn, are motivated to register because of the fast and reliable way in which they can find free accommodations in exchange for housesitting.

According to Jim Hale, who used HouseCarers.com to find a house sitter, the system works remarkably well. Says Hale, "I looked on the Internet, found the HouseCarers web site, and registered our information. Within a couple of days, we had many responses -- some as far away as New Zealand! We got in touch with a couple in their 50s, and they turned out to be some of the nicest people we've ever met! The whole thing worked out very well -- they stayed with us a few days before our trip, they did a great job of watching over our house and our pets, and they even emailed us every day to let us know everything was ok! The amazing thing is that we didn't have to spend a penny to have these great people take care of things!"

Ian White

When one of Ian White's coworkers told him that an expensive listing in a housesitting directory hadn't paid off, Ian had an idea: Why not create a web site that could match housesitters with homeowners anywhere in the world?

At the time, it was just an idea... but when Ian found himself out of work one day after a long career as an IT professional, he decided that rather than go back to working for someone else, he would go into business for himself on the Web.

And his decision has paid off handsomely. Access2000.com.au has grown into a directory site offering matching services to five distinct and profitable niche markets. By simply duplicating his "niche-matching" efforts, Ian has seen his revenues soar to a year -- even though he only spends an hour a day running his business!