michael & ellen

HOUSE WHISPERERS
My partner, Ellen, and I, Michael, have been together for over 25 years. We have an adult son, living in Perth. After renting the same house for 12 years in Suffolk Park, near Byron Bay, we put everything in storage and decided to travel around Australia house sitting when we can and camping when the dates do not overlap.
I am a retired international English/Spanish high school teacher who is working on becoming a full time novel writer and Ellen is a photographer. We are both Americans who have lived most of our lives overseas. Ellen is an Australian citizen and I am a permanent resident of Australia.

Presently we split our time between Australia and Indonesia where we have had a house on a remote island for over 23 years.
Living on such a remote island, which is still just beginning to get running water and electricity on even a part time basis, is the kind of challenge that we love. We have internet there and Skype from this year if you wish to contact us while we are there.

We are both extremely active. We both surf, swim, bike, dive and hike, especially overnight backpacking trips.

I have included two letters of reference under attachments from the house we rented in Suffolk Park for 12 years. Please feel free to contact them. We are also members of trustedhousesitters.com and here are a couple of references from the many which can be found on the website under our profile:

Cathi Zanevra,house owner/landlord, Suffolk Park, NSW
I can absolutely recommend Michael and Ellen for housesitting. I found them to be honest, quiet and reliable. They kept the place spotless and clean, we couldn't have asked for nicer people.

Diana Green, byron beach realty owner
I have know Michael Francis & Ellen Hess for 11 yrs. Both have been very excellent tenants very reliable honest and always paid rent in advance. They were too perfect of tenants, when the house sold new owners took over management. As they knew they were trouble free tenants.
I would highly recommend them as house sitters I know they will treat a house sit with respect and care.

Anushka- Muscat, Oman
13 Feb - 2 March 2018
There's this saying that ' dogs do know how to speak, but only to those who know how to listen', and it really is pretty incredible the level of listening, understanding, empathy, love and affection Michael & Ellen showered on our boy Boo, and girlie Ellie. The furry babes haven't stopped chatting about how much they miss them & their cuddles! Our first skype call with Michael & Ellen indicated what a warm, spirited & responsible couple they were & that vibe continued right through their time here in Muscat. We had the opportunity to go over all the routines as they arrived well ahead and by the time we set off on holiday we knew without a shadow of a doubt, that we had made the right choice in selecting them. At the time of confirming the sit we had only Boo, for it so happened that we rescued Ellie after the call ( we found her on the street), so we gave them the opportunity to reconsider coming to us, before they booked flights, but it didn't phase them the slightest, and they were ever more willing to take on the challenge of helping with training of our new family member! During their time here, they took great care of Boo & Ellie making sure to follow our guidelines, and updating us with detailed and daily stories about them along with great pictures, which showed the furry kids having the time of their lives, having fun & being loved! They leave as friends and we do hope our paths cross again.

Sue - London, Uk 3-12 August 2017

Michael and Ellen looked after Rocky and Riff Raff for a week in August. They did a fantastic job - the dogs have never looked so fit and content and I could see that Mike and Ellen both genuinely loved animals. Barely a doggy eyebrow was raised when I came home instead of the usual mad barking. Mike and Ellen kept in touch regularly while I was away with messages and pictures. The house was spotless on our return, too. I was sorry to see them go and would not hesitate to recommend them for house sitting.

An ideal house sit for us would include the care of animals of all kinds and/or a veggie/flower garden we could take care of. If you have any questions for us please contact us via email. Look forward to hearing from you.

House whisperers,
Michael and Ellen