When Ryan Wagner After searching for a caretaker for his 76-acre glamping retreat in South Haven, MI, he decided to publish a post on LinkedIn offering not only a competitive salary but also free housing.
Within a few days, Wagner was overwhelmed with applications.
“I was expecting a reaction, but I didn’t come close to expecting what happened,” he tells Realtor.com® exclusively. “I’m so buried.”
It’s not surprising. The new caretaker – officially titled “Leader of Hospitality” – is paid, receives a weekly food stipend, and lives rent-free in a stunning double geodesic dome home in the woods, utilities included.
The caretaker will oversee the sprawling property, which accommodates individuals and families in cabins and glamping tents and specializes in corporate retreats, yoga retreats and weddings.
“The job: being the face of the place,” says Wagner’s LinkedIn post. “Welcome guests like old friends, keep the handymen and housekeepers on schedule, and keep the grounds looking postcard-perfect.”
In addition to a “competitive” salary, the caretaker will live in a six-bedroom, four-bathroom double geodesic dome lodge built by the former owners. It offers quick access to the Lake Michigan beach, a charming downtown, the towns of Saugatuck and Fennville, and “more wineries than you can responsibly visit.”
Those applying for the position will face tough competition and some unique features of the job.
Buried in resumes
Wagner and his wife Saraand friends Ronny and Lisa Sagebought the glamping company called Off Map for $1.3 million almost three years ago.
At the time, Wagner and his wife lived in Marin County, California. When Ronny called him and said, “Hey, this is a deal that’s too good to be true” and asked him to step onto the property for sale, Wagner hesitated.
“I must have said ‘no’ three times,” he says. Wagner felt he was too busy with his role as vice president of hospitality for luxury brand Restoration Hardware.
But then life changed so much that Wagner and his wife, who managed weddings and catering at the Drake Hotel for a decade, decided a glamping resort might be a fun project.
The couple currently lives in a Chicago suburb and Wagner has a new restaurant consulting firm called So What Now What Hospitality Partners. The current off-map caretaker is retiring so there is a need for a new one.
Wagner says he’s received about 400 resumes, and they’re still landing “hot and heavy” in his inbox.
“I didn’t pass it on to the AI,” he says of reading through each response. “We’re looking for the human touch – someone who makes an exceptional first impression and makes people feel welcome and happy.”
The perfect candidate will not only be the go-to person for everyone, from the bride who has booked her wedding on the property to the chickens that roam freely around the property when they are not in their night coop.
“We’ve had people say, ‘Chickens? No thanks,'” he says.
The perfect candidate
Ideally, the new supervisor will be single, but Wagner is open to a couple. A family with children would not work as the caretaker sometimes has to trade the lodge for accommodation in staff quarters.
“If there are too many people, it can get complicated,” he says.
He says those interested ran the gamut, from those with a lot of hospitality experience to those without that experience.
There were people who sent heartfelt videos and those who only sent a few words in the subject line but no text.
“They’ll write in all caps: ‘I WANT TO WORK WITH YOU, CALL ME,'” he says with a laugh.
Wagner has responded to about 90% of inquiries, but there are already a few candidates who stand out.
“We saw them and we were all impressed,” he says of one promising respondent. “You could feel her warmth in the video, which is hard to achieve. The kind of person who makes you feel at home.”
The caretaker will oversee a small team of tradesmen and cleaners, as well as 15 Safari King tents (no electricity, no plumbing), five deluxe tents (with electricity and plumbing) and five brand new luxurious Scandinavian-style cabins for year-round stays.
The cabins feature kitchenettes, air conditioning, electric fireplaces and bathrooms with private outdoor showers.
Then there’s the glass-roofed atrium shop where guests can pick up drinks, snacks, coffee, clothing, merchandise and camping supplies. The barn lobby features couches and five full bathrooms with showers.
The right candidate must be someone who “lives and breathes hospitality” and can look after wood stoves, occasionally clean toilets, collect fresh eggs and manage 10 chickens and a rooster named Rufio.
The caretaker won’t be “cutting grass or repairing fences” – that’s what tradesmen are for – but some “physical manual labor” is to be expected, says Wagner.
In addition, the job may only be seasonal – from April to October. However, there is a possibility that the caretaker will stay year-round as the new cabins are built to withstand the harsh Michigan winters.
“We’re going to learn a lot this year,” Wagner said, noting that this will be the first year Off Map will remain open in the winter.
The housing shortage is triggering overwhelming reactions
Asked if he believes the current housing shortage and high housing costs fueled the massive response to the job, he replies: “I’m sure that was a factor.”
The average list price for homes for July 2026 is $428,950, according to data from Realtor.com. Due to the housing affordability crisis, states are scrambling to find various solutions, including eliminating property taxes, imposing a pied-à-terre tax on second homes valued over a certain amount, and easing restrictions on tiny homes and accessory dwelling units.
Wagner says that some of the responses showed a great need – not just for an exciting job, but also for attractive, free housing.
“There were even some people who were like, ‘I’m moving away from my family,'” he says. “We had one person who was willing to commute three hours each way.”
The avalanche of responses came from all over the world – from the USA, Europe, South America and India
The foreign candidates may not get far in this process because Wagner is unable to sponsor an employee who is not already authorized to work in the United States
Wagner says he has hired hundreds of people over his long career in hospitality, but has never received so much enthusiasm for a position.
“A lot of people said they just wanted a slower pace of life and to get away from the hustle and bustle,” he says. “For the right person, this is the dream job.”
