We are desperate to find someone for a sit starting next month. We are new to TH so I didn’t start answering applicants soon enough. I’ve been inviting lots of people but all seem to be busy. I’d appreciate any tips on searching for sitters or any help on getting these filled.
Lorry
post edited to comply with community guidelines
Your responsibilities section is really unhelpful and is potentially a barrier to you securing a sitter.
Of course a more detailed welcome pack will follow confirmation but as a sitter I want to know up front from your advert the average daily routine, how many times to walk the dog, how long, how many feeds, what do they eat, bird routine etc.
Also I assume you only want local sitters in the US as you need a car to reach you. Are you not able to borrow a car? That might open up your pool of sitters by a lot.
Inviting people is not really the best way to find someone you have to just wait until people apply and then get back in touch with them straight away and lock in a call and get it secured asap
Five weeks in very nice home with a view of the sea on a wooded island! With a hot tub according to the positive review. I see that you have already three applicants now, so this should be possible.
Prospective sitters would really want to know if the dog will be there during this period.
But indeed: invitations do not work well, no matter how nice the place is.
Personally, I’d leave out your parrot age on your profile, for some they may compare it to a dog or cat’s age and so may be put off by incorrectly thinking it may pop it’s clogs while they are there (there’s no nice way of saying that). Without realising that parrots live a very very very long life.
Also, I don’t know what a ‘bluff’ is, but that could just be me (I’m in the UK). But your photo’s are beautiful.
@Specialk
@pietkuip had great advice. Your home looks wonderful and I had actually looked at it but it wouldn’t fit with our schedule. It’s a lovely area and we are very interested in longer sits in beautiful locations. In addition to knowing if this would be one of the sits with the dog, I think you should add some basics about the care so you can weed out sitters who might say no later in the process. The basics of how long the dog can be left alone, length or time for daily walks if appropriate, any issues with walking-pulling, reactive to other dogs, etc. Any medication issues that the sitter would be dealing with.
And I agree that invitations don’t work well-but they do open the communications for a potential future sit. The likelihood of the sitter you invite happening to be available and in your area at the time is slim but they might be open to discussing a future sit.
Dan
Yes, it would be much better to say more about the responsibilities.
Feeding times, number of walks, medication, how long they can be left alone, etc.
I would not apply for this sit because there is too much missing information (and I am in Europe anyway).
@Specialk this looks like a stunning location and home for a sit .
In addition to wanting to know the pets routine etc how many walks , what time, how long for , feeding what time , medication?
I also would want to know about shopping do I have to get the ferry to get my groceries for example get to a vet or a bank etc … how much does the ferry cost , how often does it run ( maybe provide a link to the timetable )
As you can tell from my questions , I know nothing about your location , which probably accounts for lots of other sitters .
You may not be aware that there is no way for a potential sitter to contact you to ask these questions … unless they apply but they might not want to apply before knowing more information.
I’m sure with these details added you will find a great sitter - once you get 5 applications your listing will automatically pause so if the first 5 applicants are not suitable ( or not available for the dates you need ) decline them , unpause your listing and you will open up the opportunity for another 5 to apply.
Unfortunately, this overlaps with another sit I have. But for future sits please pm me as I would be interested. I live in NM.
The listing shows that you already have 3 applications. Per THS’s rules you should respond to your messages within 72 hours. If these applicants are not suitable you can decline them with a brief message and then re-post your listing by making a small edit.
A bluff is a hillside or mountainside or drop off in the hills @HappyDeb - like Hay Bluff in Wales. Us Brits use it too 
🙌🏼
@Cuttlefish Everyday’s a school day 
The three applications are from 8 months ago and i can only get a response from one. I think i posted it to early.
If you posted your sit 8 months ago, and have only just responded, I think it’s pretty safe to say they will all have moved on by now.
Decline the ones that have become unresponsive.
You might want to relist, so that it becomes “new”. Then members that have your area as a Saved search should get an alert.
Also: it is not really nice to keep sitters’ applications hanging.
I agree that relisting is probably best so it will show as new.
I don’t think you posted too early. Many sitters book several months out, especially for longer sits. The key is to not list until you are ready to confirm a sitter. If I don’t get a response from the HO within a few days, I move on. I might wait a little longer if it’s months away. But since so many never respond, I assume they aren’t serious about getting a sitter if they don’t respond quickly.
Decline the current applicants and relist. You are in a wonderful location so you will likely find a sitter.
Also, definitely add whether the dog will be there for the sit. You mention that you take him with you on some trips, that’s something potential sitters definitely need to know.
@Specialk you didn’t post it too early at all, the earlier you post the better for many different reasons. You simply responded too them too late.
Just so you know, we’re sitters and if we don’t get some sort of response within a day or so of applying then I presume the HO doesn’t think we are the ideal fit for them and move on mentally and focus on others that do. Even if an HO responds quickly to let me know that their dates aren’t set in stone but they love our profile, then I view them completely different, and I’ll happily hold off looking for something else for a week or two for them on the off-chance that we may get the sit.
For next time, it’s all about good correspondence on here, as no sitter wants to messed around when they are giving their time and affection for free, the same as no home owner wants a sitter that doesn’t respond to them, that would be a nightmare.
Your listing looks lovely, I’m sure you’ll find someone.
Not necessarily. My planning horizon as a sitter is a few months at most. Posting ten months in advance would probably only interest a small proportion of sitters.
Maybe if I got a notification for something nice on an interesting Caribbean island that I would apply, because such travel would require a bit more planning. But ten months… I just do not live like that.
@Specialk , I agree with many of the other comments here. Under Home, I suggest breaking all that text into paragraphs to make it easier to read.
Your place looks beautiful but think of a sitter who knows nothing about the area. Tell them what they need to know should they be living at your home for several weeks. Besides much more detailed pet care instructions, will they need a car? Can you provide use of yours? I just finished a sit on Bainbridge Island and had use of the owner’s car. If I hadn’t, I would not have been able to take the sit. They picked me up from the ferry and I dropped them off and picked them up when they returned. It worked out beautifully.
How far is a grocery store? How frequently does the ferry run and how far is it from your home? How long is the trip and what is the fare? Are there any other attractions on the island?
I think I’m in the minority as a Brit who knows where Lopez Island is! Around 20 years ago while exploring between Vancouver and Seattle, we took the ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbour to do a whale watching trip, and the ferry stopped at Lopez on the way.
I loved the little I saw of the San Juan Islands that day, and since then it has been on my list of places to return to and explore properly. I now have boys aged 14 and 12 who would love the area too, I’m sure.
Unfortunately we are tied to UK school holidays, and to older son’s school trip to Paris in February.
I think as others have said, I’d like to know a bit more about options for getting around the island(s) and how far your home is from any shops or restaurants. I have saved your listing.
I didnt mean to leave anyone hanging. Im new at this and life got the best of me fir awhile. Thanks for your feedback