Hi I’m Julian newbie I’ve managed to sort my last problem out but I’m just wondering I’ve been live now for over 24 hours should I be looking for sitters or do they find me it’s just making me wonder that a lot of sitters will have seen my add and think that’s not for me and when I do look I’m going to get a lot of rejections.
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Hello @Jmwhy68
Have you published dates for a sit?
https://support.trustedhousesitters.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360002090998-How-do-I-add-dates
If you haven’t sitters are not able to contact you.
When you have published dates sitters can apply. Unless you are in a prime location it might well take a few days.
If you would like input on your listing you can add the link to your listing in your forum profile like this
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Sitters can only apply for your actual sit dates, so it may be that sitters have glanced at your profile because you are in an area they love, but can’t actually reach out to you unless they are free during YOUR actual dates. Whereas owners can reach out to sitters.
Some sitters prefer not to have unsolicited messages, while others like us, are open to owners contacting us.
If your dates are coming around soon, then personally I would attach your THS link to your forum profile, because it gets sitters looking that are on the forum, who possibly wouldn’t have naturally found you through the normal website.
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If you are open to receiving some feedback about your listing, you can link it here, many members are more than happy to help you in making it a winner!
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A post was split to a new topic: Input Advice on my Listing please
I’m thinking of leaving it will be 48hrs soon a when I posted my sitter request and no one has contacted me and I can’t get on to seeking sitters so I’m £200 down the drain but you live and learn but could do without it
You have received good responses from experienced sitters.
48hrs is not very long at all to wait for applications (unless you are in a very popular location).
As suggested link your listing if you would like any advice on how and if it needs to be approved. Sitters have a lot of choice so your listing needs to be the best it can be.
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@Jmwhy68 TrustedHouseSitters member support don’t read this forum.
You can have a live chat with them in the help section ( ask to speak to a human otherwise you get the chatbot.
Or e-mail support@trustedhousesitters.com
48hours?
What did you honestly expect would happen? 
There’s time differences around the world for one, so not everyone is awake at the same time.
What is it you offer to encourage a sitter to come to your home? Do you have lovely photos, a well thought out profile, interesting places to explore in your area, are you a warm an hospitable host ready to welcome guests into your home?
Would you like to share your profile to get feedback to help you attract a sitter faster?
Good Luck @Jmwhy68 
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Patience is a virtue 
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There isn’t necessarily a pool of sitters waiting for your location and dates. And they need to find you so 48 hours is no time at all (unless you’re in central London or NYC or Venice!) You also don’t “request sitters”, you’re looking for a match on what you’re offering and what sitters are looking for. As many others have said, be patient & add your listing to your profile for advice from experienced members. #thingswilllookbrighter
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Many sits don’t immediately get applications. You can tell this (if you want to gauge) by looking at listings and seeing “low applications” labels on many listings, and yet most hosts ultimately get sitters.
Your expectations might need adjusting if you expected a bunch of applicants within 48 hours. And there’s also the possibility that your listing needs improving to be more appealing to more sitters. As other folks have mentioned, you might want to add your listing to your profile here, so you can get feedback.
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I am afraid you will have to be a bit more specific if you are looking for some kind of help in the forum.
You are new and you think you have wasted your money before even getting to know how THS works?
Would you throw away a brand new smartphone because you don’t know how it works?
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This host sounds impatient (started two threads about the same topic within 48 hours of posting a sit).
If a host has expectations that aren’t realistic and doesn’t adjust, maybe THS and sitters avoid trouble down the line if the host quits early.
The process of putting together an attention-grabbing listing, reading applications, vetting them, getting back to potential sitters to set up a call (at which point you’ll need to be ready to answer their questions about the pet, house, location, etc.) take time, effort and patience. Preparing your house for them may take even more effort.
You need to be mentally ready to go thru all of this to make it a great experience for you and them. If I can be honest, when you express impatience after 48h of posting your sit and seem to be focussed on having wasted the money, it makes me wonder whether this is for you. Which is fine, being a host is not necessarily for everyone.
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@Jmwhy68 As has already been said, much depends on what your sit has to offer in respect of location, duration, accommodation and pet cares. When sitters apply, they are doing so to gain more information about the sit and possibly to arrange a video chat so that both parties can ask questions and assess best fit. Listings are automatically paused after 5 applications are received, and pet parents can then decline - with a polite note, please - any they feel are unsuitable, and un-pause the listing so that more sitters can apply.
THS is simply an introduction site, and both sitters and hosts pay to make contact with suitable sit partners. There is no guarantee that you will find a sitter, just as there is no guarantee that sitters will find appropriate sits in the locations they’d like to visit, but once you understand how the system works, it can work very well indeed (we are currently on our 43rd sit and have had some wonderful experiences, as our unanimous 5 star reviews will testify).
Is your listing currently live? I suggest you look at it from the perspective of a sitter and ascertain whether you’re selling the sit as best you can. If you post a link to your listing in your profile, experienced sitters will provide constructive feedback on how to improve it, to attract applicants.
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Hi Julian,
A few thoughts in no particular order.
Your photos show an awful lot of clutter. If I came to stay where would I put my food in the kitchen and where would my clothes go?
A cluttered bathroom with the toilet seat up is not an attractive picture.
Are the shops walkable or does the sitter need a car?
How far does Nash get walked and how many times a day? Does he do his business then or in the garden so requiring tidying up after?
How long can Nash be left alone?
What is there to do in and around Bulwell? Sell why someone should come there. Is there public transport?
A little punctuation goes a long way, if it’s not your thing, perhaps bullet points as I’ve done may make it easier for you and for someone reading.
You don’t say why you can’t search for sitters? Though it’s not necessarily a successful way of filling a sit anyway.
Try getting someone you know to look at your listing and see whether they would rush over to look after Nash, or if they can suggest how you could make it more attractive.
Good luck
Just re-reading your post, if you don’t trust Nash with your daughter’s dogs, how is he on a lead when he meets other dogs?
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BTW, it might help if you search for your location and take a look at the listings that THS shows sitters.
Why: If you check them out, you can see what’s essentially your competition. Like if nearby listings show cleaner and tidier homes, better quality photos, more robust info about the pets and location, etc., you should be able to discern why your listing might need beefing up or other changes.
Since THS sitters spend money on membership fees and travel costs, and offer their time and labor voluntarily, they will choose what seems like a good exchange to them. Otherwise, they could charge money to sit or not sit at all.
THS is just an introduction platform. And matching is like using a dating app — no one is obligated to date and everyone must present themselves in appealing ways. Otherwise, you (generic “you”) won’t get chosen, whether as a host or a sitter.
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Thanks for adding your listing @Jmwhy68 - there’s a lot you can do to improve it if you want to attract sitters. The UK has a large number of sits compared to almost every other country out there, literally hundreds so if you’d like someone to come and take care of Nash and your home for no charge then sell the appeal! Pics of clean, tidy rooms, no clutter on the sides, kitchen nice & organised, no towels on the floor, loo seat down & so on. It needs to say “Come and chill here with Nash”. Bulwell isn’t a big sell on its own so detail how long it takes to get into Nottingham, the many things there are to do, how long Nash can be left, where he sleeps, what he eats, how long his walks are. All will help. You could also change your cover pic to a nice one of Nash and the title to “Chilled sit with cuddly Nash near vibrant Notts” or similar as most people will never have heard of Bulwell. You will have to do a lot of that to start to find potential applicants that have also paid the same fees to join THS. #giveitawhirl
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@Jmwhy68 do the photos reflect how your home will look when the sitter’s arrive ?
If you will be tidying up before the sitter arrives then it would be best to do that now before taking the photos so that the sitter can see how it will look for their stay .
A listing is like an advert so you want to present your home as welcoming towards a sitter who is going take care of your pets without receiving any payment .
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