Critique (please be gentle!)

Hi,

I joined TrustedHousesitter last year requesting a week’s pet sit in March 5th - 12th (and two weeks in September). I have had just one applicant for March who wanted to use our car (I did say in my profile that car not available).

Please could sitters have a look at my profile and provide any feedback? I realise that a week is quite a short period but I had hoped to get a UK sitter. I asked for a couple as we have two (small) dogs, but perhaps I should change it to a one person? Our house isn’t grand but it is very nice inside and comfortable. A car is necessary as we live in a village with no public transport. Our dogs do like to sleep with us which may put sitters off? We do have a super king size bed! Thanks for any feedback.

have now started looking at kennels and they would be a shock for our dogs I know.

Hi @marsbar

Welcome to the Forum!

I’ve added your listing link to your profile, so that our members can go and take a look, and hopefully provide you with a nice gentle critique :slight_smile:

Molly, Scrumpy and Grace are adorable!

Jenny

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Hi @marsbar welcome to the forum
Worcestershire is a lovely area - and from your description your village seems like it’s great for dog walking. It would be most helpful for sitters to know how long the dogs can be left alone for - when the sitters go out to explore the nearby towns mentioned in your listing (Stratford Upon Avon, Worcester , Pershore ) or if they would need to take the dogs with them .

There are some sitters who don’t mind sleeping with pets but for many it’s a firm no .
You also want a couple so two people in a bed with two dogs may also put some sitters off from applying
.Is there another sleeping arrangement that would work for the dogs - ? Would they sleep on your bed in your master bedroom ( if sitters are in guest room )… better than the kennels option.

We have done several sits for dogs used to sleeping in bed with their owners -however we agreed with owners (before confirming the sit) that if we slept the guest room - the dogs could sleep on the owners bed in the master bedroom as they usually did . We all got a good night sleep. We’ve been invited back several times.

If you decide to do this- I suggest that you don’t change the bedding on your bed so it still smells of you .

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Some things to keep in mind: Various criteria tend to narrow the pool of applicants. Like if you need a car, then people who don’t have one and won’t rent one will be out. Or if your dogs can be left only for short windows, that will tend to filter out more sitters and so on. Some hosts improve their odds by offering to loan a car, get someone like a dog walker in for a day or two, etc. Those are elements to consider, but your call.

It also helps to let potential applicants know what visitors to your area might enjoy. If listings lack such, most people won’t stop to do a bunch of checking just to decide whether to apply — many hosts already know to include such info.

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Hi there,
I took a look for you.
Overall, your listing is friendly & welcoming, but could definitely include some more details. Here’s some ideas to consider:

1: Title
Titles cut off in a listing’s preview after about 6 words, so try a title that’s short, sweet & attention grabbing, and tells sitters straight away why they should sit for you. For example: ‘Enjoy a countryside retreat in Alcester.’

2: Cover photo.
Your cover photo is currently your living room, which isn’t a highly attention grabbing image. Try a nice picture of your dogs or your local area. In your images, one of the dogs is on the table, which may be somewhat off putting. Add some pictures of your secure garden.

3: Intro:
Tell sitters a bit more about yourself & your pets and give a strong reason why somebody should sit for you and come visit Alcester straight away in your intro. Give a strong incentive for people to keep reading & engaging with your listing. You can also tell sitters how many sitters you’re able to host, and what you expect for a handover (when should a sitter arrive?)

4: Home & location section:
You have covered most things sitters want to know in the section, just mention if sitters need their own car or if they can have access to yours, is there parking, & do you have bikes a sitter can use? (you mention cycling). You could also ‘sell’ this section a little more and give more detail about the area and why a sitter should visit and explore it.

5: Responsibilities:
As others have mentioned, tell sitters how long the dogs can be left (if you ticked a box for this, it cannot be viewed publicly, you have to manually write it in your listing), and if the dogs can go on day trips in the car with sitters. Tell sitters more about the dog’s personalities & sociability. Do they get on with other dogs? How are they on walks?
Dogs that sleep in the bed will definitely limit your pool of sitters, especially ones that may wake in the night to be let out. Most sitters won’t be willing to manage that for a free pet sit exchange. Can the dogs have different sleeping arrangements during the sit? Can there be preventative measures or alternatives for the dogs to not be let out during the night?

You also have not mentioned any details at all about the cat. Is the cat an indoor or outdoor cat, and does she have a pet flap? Does she have a litter box? Where does she sleep? How often does she need feeding? What is her personality like?

Hope that all helps, and here is a blog that may also be helpful:

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Hello @marsbar and welcome. Looks like a nice sit, pretty easy and cute pets so all good. A few tips - change the cover photo to one of the two dogs as more likely to catch attention than the lounge; maybe change the title to “Two pups, a nice pub & comfy home” or “Cute, easy pups for country walks & pub visit.” or similar; yes to how long they can be left; as it’s not accessible by car perhaps you could offer to pick a sitter up from a nearby train station and they could buy groceries for a week on the drive back and then they’re set (would suit a WFHer or someone looking just for a week relaxing with walks, TV & the pups); a single person could do the sit; a few details on the feline friend too and is everyone friends in the house. #itslookinggoodtho

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Hi @marsbar, welcome to forum.

You have already got great advice and I think it’s worth devoting some time to make a few changes to your listing so that you can get more applications.

I would just add a couple of things.

I think sitters cannot see that, it’s true we know a car is not offered but some sitters ask unless it is specifically written that there’s no car available to sitters.

Perhaps you could add that information to your listing and take @Nagy26 and @Cuttlefish’ suggestions on board, you could say something like “Unfortunately, there’s no car available for the sitters but we could pick you up at the station and you can use our bike”

I don’t see that you ask for couples and, IMHO, it’s better like that because you will be able to get more applications. Two dogs and a cat are not too much for a solo sitter to handle unless they are high maintenance. If dogs can’t be easily walked by just one person then you should mention it for the sake of a successful sit.

Good luck.

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Hi @marsbar
Welcome to THS! You’ve already had a lot of good advice here from experienced sitters. As an experienced sitter myself I would think I could handle both dogs, as have done a lot of sits with two dogs - sometimes having to walk them separately for various reasons.
You don’t mention wifi. Presumably you have wifi? If so, best to tick that box.
I was put off by the pictures of Molly on the table, not very hygienic if that’s where you eat or cook.
Is there a separate shower in the bathroom other than the shower attached to the bath taps? If so, post a picture of that.
I have had two dogs sleep with me before at a sit but they were much smaller than yours. It would be annoying to have to let one out in the middle of the night as you suggest.
On the plus side, you live in a nice area and sitters would want to explore with and without the dogs, so you must include how long they can be left alone. 4 hours would suit me if I was applying (I’m already booked).
I have enjoyed visiting Coughton Court, which you mention, which has links to Guy Fawkes.
As already mentioned, why nothing about Grace? She’s gorgeous!
Good luck!

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Hi, I think generally it looks like a nice sit, I just have a couple of comments about the photos - mostly the one of the dogs on the kitchen island/counter. I would probably be put off with that, it looks rather unhygienic or that any food I had out would be stolen!

Also (I realise it’s a very small detail), you might want to put the chairs neatly under the dining room table to make that pic look more organised.

Best of luck to you!

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Thanks for the feedback. I have added more photos and more information.

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I think it is best not to mention whether you prefer a couple or a single person.

If we did this Sit as a couple, I would use the main bedroom with the dogs, and my husband would sleep in the other bedroom.

Some Owners want a single Sitter. Some want a couple. Some are open to families with children (there is a tick box for that). The way your listing reads now, it sounds like you prefer a single Sitter. I am not sure that is what you want to convey.

When Owners prefer a couple, there is usually a specific reason—which should be stated.

If you don’t care (one versus two people), it is best not to say anything in your listing. Let the Sitters decide if they want to apply.

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@marsbar, quick shout-out of support for comments by @Silversitters.
We’re full-time housesitters in various countries, including England.
During 2024, we agreed to multiple housesits where dogs slept in human bed. After some reflection on impact of disturbed night sleep then it would now take a compelling reason to consider such housesits in the future (e.g. housesit geography with very few listings).
But we have tried creative ideas mentioned by @Silversitters. For example, let the dogs sleep on master bed and housesitter sleep in guest bedroom or housesitter couple split between master bedroom and guest bedroom. Such efforts improved experience, a bit.
Suggest reflect on alternative sleeping arrangements.

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Absolutely adorable wee faces. :slightly_smiling_face: Molly, Scrumpy and Grace look like delightful furry friends. Good Luck @marsbar

Looking much better @marsbar, just a quick note - the info about the cat should be in your responsibilities section rather than straight away in your intro! Introduction is just to introduce yourself & your sit and tell sitters why they should sit for you. Pet tasks & responsibilities goes in the responsibilities section :blush:

Looks a lot better @marsbar although you might want to proof read the first paragraph and edit it.
Also, still no mention of wifi……don’t you have it?

Thanks. Have now done that and added quite a bit of extra information such as wifi, streaming subscriptions etc.

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Done, I think!

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Thanks, have never been separated from them so will miss them loads!

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Have now added that we are open to single or couple - the dogs are small and easily managed.

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She is never on there normally, I am just useless at taking photographs! I have removed the photo.

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