How to Live in Big Homes for Cheap
If you have a taste for a large home with expansive grounds, you may think you need to be extremely affluent or be part of an old-money family. However, there are means for ordinary people to enjoy life in a large home. For individuals who can fulfill the requirements, which can sometimes be stringent, it is possible to live, at least temporarily, in a home they could never hope to afford otherwise.
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Instructions
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Share a home with a homeowner. Home-sharing services are available in many areas of the country. With a home-sharing arrangement, a homeowner opens a room in her home to a tenant who has passed an extensive screening process. The tenant usually has access to other areas of the home, including kitchen facilities. There may be other obligations involved, such as child care or running errands, but not always.
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Enroll in a house-sitting service. House sitters stay in the home while the owners are on vacation or are temporarily relocated. House sitters are usually responsible for routine maintenance, pet care and paying utility bills while they occupy the homes. House sitters are usually not expected to provide their own furniture.
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Become a hired home occupant. Especially in a slow real estate market, agents will sometimes hire individuals with a suitable image to occupy the home. This is especially true with high-end real estate. The home occupant provides a "lived in" ambiance and tidies up before showings.
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Tips & Warnings
Home seekers in a home-sharing arrangement are often not required to pay security deposits, pass a credit check or provide their own furnishings.
House sitters are not responsible for mortgage payments or property taxes.
Home occupancy programs are designed to be temporary. If the house sells, the home occupant often has only a short window to find other living arrangements.
Home occupants must provide their own furnishings.
