Location:   Park Ridge, Illinois

Experience:   5 mo

Rank:   rate this sitter

About Krista Ward:

My first house sitting job was in college. I was very fortunate to have met a professor and his wife who let me stay at their home when they traveled over the holidays for a number of years. In my 20s and 30s, my friends and people that l have met during my travels used to exchange houses and house/pet sit before we knew that it had an official name. And, finally, during the past 5 years I've been exchanging our  beautiful home in Chicago and house / petsitting officially on several platforms. I’ve accumulated five star reviews, which I am willing to share with you.

I've watered plants, tended gardens (and greenhouses!), scheduled pool maintenance, dealt with emergencies like broken water pipes, ice damns on roofs, basement flooding, and tornadoes (as well as subsequent insurance assessor

appointments). I have been entrusted with others' cars, mail, and packages. And, while not always, l've had to care for cats and dogs, as well as fish and bunnies.

As for my personal situation, I am an educated, hardworking mom of three amazing humans that have just flown the nest and are all in college. After investing nearly half of my life to raising children, it is "me time" again and I couldn't be more excited. I was born in Japan (US military base), grew up in Wisconsin (USA), have lived in Singapore, and have traveled to many countries. One of my favorite trips was biking through Loire Valley in France. I love athletics and compete when my schedule permits. Reading and writing are passions, being on water a portion of the year is a necessity, and I love winter as much as summer, and the country as much as the city. Finally, while I love people, I am, to most people's surprise, very much an introvert!

I am so fortunate to have a remote career that I love, which allows me to travel.

We have been exchanging our home for many years and we absolutely love doing so—we've met so many people from around the world. Now that the kids are in college, I can leave/swap more frequently with others for exchanges and housesitting.  My significant other has a few more years left until retirement, so I thought working remotely, traveling, and housesitting in the meantime for me would be a perfect way to help others, save money, and enjoy life! 

Jodi Marlowe

Homeowner in San Francisco, California

Krista is the best. There was an instant ease in our rapport. I completely trust her and feel comfortable having her in my home and taking care of my kitty. She sent me lovely pictures of the two of them bonding. She left the house in great condition. She's a responsible grown-up, who is friendly and lovely. 100% recommend her.

Date of Service Dec 1, 2023

Valerie & Holly Royaltey

Homeowner in Santa Cruz, California

Krista came to house and kitty sit for us and was super easy to connect with and set up! She will be coming back to sit for us in February so we are stoked about that. I feel completely confident with Krista taking care of our home and kittens!

Date of Service Nov 1, 2023

Darrell & Deborah Ziebarth

Homeowner in Delafield, Wisconsin

Krista did an amazing job caring for our home (on a peninsula on a lake) and our dog Daisy. She arrived early for the sit in order to spend some time to get to know Daisy and the layout of our home. She outdid our expectations in caring for Daisy & our house. Don't hesitate to book her if you get the chance, she will do an awesome job.
We hope we have the chance to use her again in the coming months.
★★★★★

Date of Service Oct 1, 2023

Rafael & Maria Suarez

Homeowner in Bolivariana, Colombia

Home Exchange Reference (google translate)

We had a very nice few days at Krista\\'s place. Easy transportation to Down Town.
Krista has been very generous with us and was always attentive to collaborate with us and solve our problems, I will definitely return to her home.

Tuvimos unos días muy agradables en casa de Krista. Fácil el transporte al down Town.
Krista ha sido muy generosa con nosotros y siempre estuvo atenta a colaborarnos y solucionar nuestros problemas, sin duda volveré a su casa.

Date of Service Oct 1, 2023

Kjerstin Secord

Homeowner in Lummi Island, Washington

Home Exchange Reference

I can't say enough kind things about Krista (but I can try!)

She was SO easy to communicate with - her responses were timely and she answer all of my many questions. Her "voice" was warm and friendly in the messages, and that is a wonderful way to start an exchange. She left us lots of information in a Welcome note as well as helpful post-its around the house. It allowed us to take good and proper care of her home.

Krista went WAY over and above when she made her home available to us. She had a busy month, yet opened some days for us to have a family reunion. Shen she learned that my daughter was arriving at 6:30 am following a red-eye flight, she made arrangements so Marii could go straight to the house early in the morning. That was really a gift to a weary traveler - totally unnecessary but certainly appreciated.

The house was SPARKLING clean (HOW does she do that with a long-haired cat?!? I don't know, but she did!) It is a very large house and every corner was neat and clean.

Krista generously provided coffee and offered to share a few kitchen staples.

We had a very comfortable and pleasant stay at Krista's house. I wish our paths had crossed and I could thank her in person.

Date of Service Oct 1, 2023

Cheri Mank

Homeowner in St. Petersburg, Florida

Krista is a valuable resource and absolutely trustworthy to exceed expectations in home and pet sitting. Her reliability in knowing how and when to get things done is beyond measure. I definitely feel comfortable with Krista caring for my home. In addition, enjoying my time away and returning would provide me with peace of mind because of Krista's reliability, cleanliness, and care. I recommend her with five stars!

Date of Service Aug 1, 2023

Sole & Greg Arias

Homeowner in Martinez, California

Krista did a great job caring for our pets and home. We were lucky to meet in person before the sit, so we knew ahead of time we would be in good hands.
Communication was clear and straight forward before and during the sit.
We came home to a very clean home and happy pets!
Not only we recommend her-but are pumped that she will sit again in our 2 upcoming trips. She is organized, reliable, self sufficient, and left our home spotless (even though our housekeeper was coming within a day or two of our return).

Date of Service Aug 1, 2023

Sandra Burnell

Homeowner in Incline Village, Nevada

Home Exchange Reference

Krista and Christian were wonderful guests. They were considerate, thoughtful and very appreciative. I could not have been more pleased with their courtesy and the way they took care of my home. I truly hope they will visit again.

Date of Service Jun 1, 2023

Joe Thelander

Homeowner in Huntington Beach, California

Krista stayed in our home while we were in Europe for three weeks. She was an excellent house-sitter and communicated clearly. She was polite and kind during the entire process. She took very good care of our home and even had to deal with a water leak while we were gone and an unrelated insurance appraiser who arrived about previous storm damage. She left everything neat and tidy. Great person and highly recommend.

Date of Service Apr 1, 2023

Cynthia Macasek

Homeowner in La Follette, Tennessee

Home Exchange Reference

Krista was a delightful guest to host! She was easy to communicate with and we felt very comfortable having her stay. She left our house spotless. We’d love to have her and her guests back again!

Date of Service Mar 1, 2023

Lori Evans

Homeowner in Glenview, Illinois

Krista is incredibly trustworthy and reliable.
She listens to your needs and would never deviate from your wishes unless to go above and beyond. Everything was cleaner when she left than when she arrived.
She also responds to texts and calls promptly. I highly recommend her for any of your needs.

Date of Service Feb 1, 2023

Bruce Favish

Homeowner in Santa Monica, California

We had one in person meeting and a number of written communications and she couldn't have been more delightful. She was very respectful and attentive to my home. I highly recommend Krista to take care of your home.

Date of Service Sep 1, 2022

Linda Budell

Homeowner in Frankreich, Germany

Home Exchange Reference (google translated)

Krista was an outstanding hostess! We were warmly welcomed and a lot of useful information for our visit was perfectly prepared for us. She gave us a lot of helpful tips and was again available for us. The house was in immaculate condition and very nice! With the EL we went into the city without any problems. We highly recommend Krista's home!

Krista war eine hervorragende Gastgeberin! Wir wurden herzlich empfangen und eine Menge an nützlichen Informationen für unseren Besuch war perfekt für uns vorbereitet. Sie hat uns viele hilfreiche Tipps gegeben und war wieder Zeit für uns erreichbar. Das Haus war in einem tadellosen Zustand und sehr schön! Mit dem EL ging es problemlos in die Stadt. Wir können Kristas Zuhause nur wärmstens empfehlen!

Date of Service Aug 1, 2022

Edit Soos

Homeowner in Budapest, Hungary

HOME EXCHANGE REFERENCE (google translated)
Krista is the best host who ever we met! Her kind answers arrived very quickly, we enjoyed her very opened and supportive personality! Her house is clean, comfortable, close to a preserve park, where we met a deer on our morning walk. We would be happy to give it back anytime to her!

Date of Service Jul 1, 2022

Robert & Bekah Stein

Homeowner in West Hartford, Connecticut

HOME EXCHANGE REFERENCE:
We could have not asked for a better host than Krista. Her home provided ample space for my family during our stay in Chicago and was beautifully renovated making our stay very comfortable. The location is very easy to get to from O'hare (around 10 minutes via Uber) and a short drive into Chicago without traffic. We very much enjoyed being within walking distance from restaurants, groceries etc. We were lucky enough to meet Krista and spend a bit of time with her and her and family. You will not meet a more cordial and welcoming host than Krista and her family. Highly recommend to any travelers headed to the Windy City! Hope to come back again!

Date of Service Jun 1, 2022

Sue Brown

Homeowner in Cottage Grove, Minnesota

I have known Krista for many years. Krista has stayed at my home many times while I was out of town to take care of our two dogs, take them for walks, feed them, water the plants, etc. She is a very clean and neat person. The house was always left cleaner than when I left. Krista is a professional and extremely reliable!
My contact information: suebrown_2006@msn.com
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions.

Date of Service May 1, 2022

Jaci Herrera

Homeowner in Park Ridge, Illinois

I met Krista many years ago at Crossfit and we became friends immediately. Through the years she has been so helpful in a pinch when I needed someone to housesit. She's left my home spotless and kept all my plant babies alive. She is one of the most dependable, kind, resourceful, responsible, trustworthy people I know.
my contact info-jaci320@mac.com

Date of Service Jun 1, 2021

Kimberly Way

Homeowner in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Krista has stayed in our home and watched our dog, Hunter, and he loves her. She is very caring, trust worthy, and responsible. We have a koi pond and other unique things with our home, which she took great care of and kept up routine (and not so routine!) maintenance.
When she is with my dog he loves playing with her. She takes him for walks and even for boat rides. I would highly recommend her based off of these facts.

Date of Service Jul 1, 2020