Hi everyone. My husband and I have been TH members since 2018. We live in a beautiful, vibrant city on Lake Superior. It is a destination for travelers from around the world. This year, however, though our listing has been posted for two weeks we have not received a single applicant. We have consistently great reviews, lots of photos and have normally had quick responses to our postings. The sit is a month out and I am getting nervous. Any suggestions on improving the listing would be very much appreciated.
Your home looks lovely and the dogs appear to be very sweet. The good news is that in your area, you have little competition, so someone who wants to visit Marquette will see your listing.
Two things that I would think about:
In the “Sit Essentials” section, please enter a time range for arrival and departure. Be super clear in your listing when you will leave and arrive back home. It sounds like you sometimes have sitters stay for a night or two while you are there, and some sitters do not prefer to do that.
Since this is a glorious summer sit, and not a winter sit, you might edit the wording to be more specific. You might also delete the winter photos for this one. You could mention some local festivals during your vacation dates and other specific points of interest in your area.
Thank you. I will try those suggestions. I recently learned that taking the listing down and reposting moves it back to “New” status…do you and others think that is a good move?
I can see that your home is not reachable by public transports.
Have you thought of collecting the sitters at the closest station or airport? Or possibly offering the use of the car? Just some ideas to have a few more chances to attract applicants…
Fingers crossed you can find some new candidates soon.
It does look a lovely sit and you sound like super hosts @anne.dehring. You’ve learnt the trick of removing your dates then re-posting them, so that’s great.
One thing to remember is to make sure when you next post a listing, to change your introduction as so much of what you have included is only relevant to this particular set of dates. It’s usually wiser not to be so specific so you can use the listing again. It’s amazing how many hosts forget to update the information or their heading which can be a deterrent to sitters applying.
All the best in securing a suitable sitter for your little dogs.
Your sit looks good. Just one point - Can the dogs manage without being let out at lunchtime if a sitter wants to go out for the day? Many of us Europeans are avoiding the USA for now which might be part of your problem.
Thank you and Yes. The dogs can manage without being let out at lunchtime as long as they went out and did their business before the sitter leaves. This is especially true if they’ve had a walk before the sitter leaves.
And I totally understand why Europeans are avoiding the U.S. right now…
Your sit definitely fits our usual wishlist, but we are not going to the UP this year. Unfortunately, gas prices could really be influencing your sitter pool, given the distance to get there and distance between area attractions. I know we have limited trips we would normally do on a whim without the higher cost of fuel.
Great news! Just as I was beginning to despair that we wouldn’t find a sitter this round a wonderful sitter applied and accepted our offer to sit. Thank you for all your help and encouragement!
