General question:
I have indicated on my Listing in the section that i (or better my Cat) prefers single sitters (she is more at ease with 1 person around than with 2) vs couples.
But i’m not quite sure this is even visible to the sitters on the listing.
Alternative any tips how to best put it to be seen (Title vs. Description?)
I have come across listings that state the HOs’ preference in their Introduction. For an example listings would state: “We prefer couples”; or “We prefer sitters traveling without children”; or “We prefer females because our pet is afraid of men.”
You could say something in your Introduction, similar that you have mentioned here in your post.
Indicating your preference in your listing (prefer single sitters) by a tick mark is not visible to the sitters. Another thing that is not visible to the sitters is how long the pet can be left alone.
The HOs filling out the information in their listings probably wonder why they get questions about how long their pets can be left alone and their preference for single / couple sitters.
If these things were visible to the sitters, it would save time for the sitters and the HOs.
I don’t know whether THS has rolled this out across all sitters’ views or whether it varies on the app vs. the website, but I’ve started seeing this on listings:
So maybe hosts ticking off solo sitters is showing up this way going forward. I just started seeing it within the past week or so. But I look at sits only sporadically.
I have seen that recently also, but figured it was something THS was using to match HOs / sitters. If it is the HO that is putting is this information and the sitter is able to view it, it would definitely be useful / helpful.
Gotta go board a flight
There was a recent update where the preferences are listed when you login via the website but not when using the app for most people. However, it only seems to list those preferences that align with what I am looking for as a sitter but not all your preferences. For example, I’m enrolled as a couple, so if a HO has said they are open to sitters that are couples, then it will be listed in the highlights section of the HOs listing. I can see these on the website but not the app. Probably still a best practice to mention your preferences in your description, especially for those things you feel strongly about.
At a second glance: When listings state, “Open to applications from solo sitters”, I interpret this as when using the word “open”, HOs are not excluding solo sitters—they are welcome. And for listings that read “open”, couldn’t couples or families with children also apply?
If the listings instead stated: Only able to receive solo sitters or “prefers single sitters” (as the OP indicated), then that is giving a specificity in the HO’s preference. If I sat as part of a couple, and saw “only able to receive solo sitters,” I would skip. If I sat as part of a couple and saw "open", then I would apply because I would not feel excluded.
In my opinion, using the word “open” gives sitters who apply options. HOs that clearly state their preferences in their Introduction can alleviate sitters from applying that do not fall into their criteria.
Yes, I think it’s intentionally vague because hosts aren’t necessarily binary about whether it’s only solos or only couples, etc. I think if THS wanted to be truly helpful, they’d offer variations, such as “Prefers X.” But I could also see THS or hosts wanting to leave things fuzzy, in case an applicant stood out despite a host’s preferences at the outset.
I figure with pet and house sitting, there’s automatically a lot of variability. Plus, sometimes people don’t know what they don’t know and as always people can change their minds. Or circumstances might change.
I agree that hosts should state dealbreakers clearly and save everyone time, though.
