House Sitting Service has been Closed
Ned Buratovich is was
The Thoughtful House Sitter
It is true: for a number of years I ran a well-regarded house-sitting service. I closed the business in 2012, but I left the website for it up until 2015, when I replaced it with one page, saying: House Sitting Service Now Closed
House Sitting Service Now Closed
Since I’m a web engineer, I SEO’d (Search Engine Optimized) that site professionally and kept getting hundreds of visitors long after I’d closed my business (mostly asking how they could launch their own house-sitting services.) I helped as many as I could with free advice, but finally had to take the site down.
Happy Homeowner Testimonials
I appreciated each of my clients. They appreciated me as well. Their positive reviews (on/from my original site, duplicated below) helped make my house-sitting business 100% referral-based within the first two years:
Spring 2011
Found Ned online, have relied on him 4 times
I needed a house sitter for my 4 little rescue dogs last November. After spending hours on the phone tracking down recommendations with no luck, took to the internet, where I came upon Ned’s web site. This sounded too good to be true. Ned promptly returned my call, set up an interview, and we were up and running. I knew the minute he walked in to my home that this was the one I wanted to care for my dogs. He hit it off with them immediately.
I have one dog who is very shy, having come from an abusive environment. He took to Ned immediately, and they have been best buddies ever since. Scrappy usually takes to no one, but there was something about Ned he felt comfortable with, so for me that sealed the deal.
I had a few concerns about leaving for a month-long trip…what if something should happen at the last minute and he had to cancel and I was stuck? He put a back-up plan together, and I was off. Ned kept me up- dated every few days, and handled any minor issues that arose. I returned to a spotless house and 4 very happy dogs.
Ned has sat for me on 3 other occasions. The dogs go crazy with delight when Ned walks into the house…and Scrappy! He becomes a changed dog when Ned is around, and very few people have ever been able to gain Scrappy’s trust like Ned. They are walked every day and loves them as his own pets. I fully endorse Ned as a house sitter/pet sitter without reservation, and know that when Ned is there, I can leave with confidence and return to happy dogs and a clean, well-maintained home.
– Pat K., Tiburon
Winter 2010
3 Months Overseas, Nothing Out of Place
Ned was the perfect house-and-cat-sitter during our 3-month-long overseas tour. He got our semi-feral cat to resume frequent visits. The house was cleaner and neater than we left it — no damage, nothing out-of-place. He kept in touch by regular email and was flexible on payment methods.
In addition to taking good care of the house and cats, Ned communicated on a regular basis with the property manager regarding the status of all. We will be hiring Ned to protect our house and our 3 cats for our next prolonged overseas trip. He is our first choice for future ventures.
– Dick & Sharon, Lafayette
Fall 2010
Our 2 Dogs Were Sad to See Ned Leave
My husband and I hired Ned for a few weeks after recommendations from a neighbor, where Ned had house sat previously. We only had two dogs, but the neighbor has three dogs, some rabbits and chickens, some fish, and a couple cats – its a menagerie over there. I felt confident he’d be able to handle our two dogs no problems.
Not only did we receive regular news updates via email from Ned on how the dogs were doing, it sounded like he had everything under control, and everyone was getting along splendidly. When my husband and I got back, I think our dogs were more distressed to see Ned pack up and leave than excited for our return! I’d recommend Ned to anyone. I never worried about them while we were gone, and we’ve already booked him in for a future trip.
– Amy & Dan, Novato
Summer 2010
Our 3 Cats Were Well Cared For
Ned was our house-sitter for the summer, 2010. He also took care of our three cats- not such an easy task. Ned is trustworthy and reliable and a good communicator.
Nothing was out of place when we returned; our house and belongings were all as they were when we left. He regularly let us know how things were going. We highly recommend Ned.
– Mary & Rich, San Francisco
Spring 2010
Came Back to: Home in Perfect Condition & Contented Cat
This is the first opportunity I’ve had to meet Ned and have him look after my home and take care of my cat, Nuisance. During our initial meeting, I was very impressed with Ned’s attention to detail and his understanding my expectations; it was extremely comforting to know that there would be no surprises when I returned home.
During my trip, Ned sent a couple welcomed updates on my comical cat (his name Nuisance serves him well), which were fun to read, typical Nuisance! I returned home to find everything in perfect condition, plants watered and a very content cat. I have already recommended Ned to my friends, and for my next trip, I will definitely give Ned a call.
– Lee L, Pleasanton
Spring 2010
Our Dogs Became His Constant Buddies
Ned was a wonderful house sitter for us. He made quick friends with our two neurotic dogs who became his constant buddies. His e-mail updates were eloquent and a pleasure to read aloud to our family as we vacationed on the East Coast. We were content that our house and animals (including two “invisible” cats) were safe and in good hands. We have granted him visiting privileges for the dogs, who seem to miss him.
– Russell & Margaret P., Sebastopol
Winter 2009
Befriending our Runaway Poodle:
This is the second time we’ve had Ned house sit for us this year, and this time he really helped us with a situation: When we were loading up our car to leave on our trip, our “escape-artist” poodle, Buster, ran away and we couldn’t find him. We finally had to leave without him. The next day, someone found Buster in Vallejo (60 miles away!). A relative picked Buster up, but didn’t have a place for him, so Ned brought Buster back home to familiar surroundings.
We warned Ned that Buster could be quite a handful. Buster is deaf, so naturally he doesn’t listen, and he’s also a dog who needs company just about 24/7. Buster can get pretty yappy.
Ned does computer work when he house-sits and I guess he couldn’t because of Buster’s barking. Ned told us how he solved this: he got Buster an office chair with Buster’s favorite blanket. Ned would work on his computer while Buster watched.
Ned and Buster became bachelor buddies. Ned took Buster on long walks around the neighborhood. When we came home after a few weeks away Buster was happy to see us, but he was sad to see his buddy, Ned, go away.
– Betty & Mike, Menlo Park
Winter 2009
A House Sitter who Gives Great Service:
While we were out of state for two weeks this Christmas, we had Ned Buratovich house sitting for us. He had our two cats to care for and also our two dogs, Kodi and Comet. Kodi, a German Shepherd – Rottweiler mix, has medical issues and cannot walk very well. He has difficulty going in and out of his dog door. Ned made sure that Kodi could get in and out of the house every few hours to take care of his business, and Ned gave him his daily medicine.
Comet, a Shih-Tzu, has skin allergies and gets chills, so Ned had to be Comet’s “dog dresser,” putting fresh sweaters on him each day. We trusted Ned to take care of our animals, and he did so very well. He also gave our family a ride both to and from the San Jose airport. Now that’s real service!
We highly recommend Ned to anyone who needs a house sitter.
– Brian & Bertha, San Jose
Fall 2009
Crusing Along:
Thanks for taking care of Rocky and Max. We went on our cruise knowing we didn’t have to worry about a thing back home.
– Scott & Ilene M., San Jose
Fall 2009
Sorting out the Mail Forwarding:
Thanks for house-sitting our home while we were away. The plants you were watering look better even than we left them! Thanks also, for mowing the lawn when we were gone longer than expected.
Having you at the house turned out to be more helpful than we anticipated: When we noticed that the Post Office didn’t seem to be forwarding our mail, you were able to confirm that you were collecting it at the house. Also, when we thought we lost a chair in the move, you were able to walk the property, while we were on the phone, to check if it had been left. Both things would’ve eventually resolved themselves, but having your input, as it was happening, took a lot of the stress off.
Thanks for keeping in touch by phone and email; it was good to know that you were readily available for thoughts or questions. We’ll be out of town again, soon, and hope you will be available to house-sit then, as well!
– Betty & Mike, Menlo Park
Summer 2009
Coordinating Craftsmen in the Home:
My family had a chance to spend the summer 2009 on the East Coast. What made it possible was knowing we had a responsible house sitter – Ned in our home. Ned was very accommodating in being sure that our turtle was fed and our plants were watered.
If any questions or additional needs came up during our absence, such as when craftsmen needed to install a skylight, Ned took care of them and kept everything coordinated via email and telephone. Ned made it possible to enjoy our summer and we were delighted to return home and find everything just as we had left it and spotlessly cleaned!
– Tim & Patty B., Menlo Park
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