Hi,
Can I ask folks advice on getting sitters / or being a sitter for only a short time e.g 2 days.
My partner and I have 2 small sits we need sitters for because of 2 events that require 2 overnight stays - (a concert in another part of Uk booked before pandemic and the cat and his sons graduation) .
Is it just a matter of sending off invites to lots of people within some sort of decent distance, particularly newbies?
Or do you think some people would consider doing a sit in their own area, even just down the road in order to get a review perhaps? Especially as it is short?
Hi @tamsin I had to chuckle as at first I read your post as though it was also the catās graduation. I thought maybe Sylvester had been for obedience training.
The answers to your questions would likely be as varied as the THS sitters. Many sitters appreciate short sits to fill gaps in their schedules. Others see them as an opportunity to gain their first review.
You are best to focus on making sure your listing is top notch. Iāll add a link to the blog post on creating the perfect listing. Check and see if you can improve yours at all. For example, when I do a search all that displays of your heading is ālook after our young cat &ā. Perhaps think about your best feature and use the headline more effectively.
Iāve taken short sits as fill-ins and in fact, have a current search on for a 2 day sit in London 7-9 Sept. Other than that, Iād consider local/closeby sits when Iām at my home base if the creatures are interesting and seem like fun or the place is really neat.
I like that you have described Aberystwyth well to make the sit appealing.
Good luck!
I think focusing on nearby sitters who are new is a great idea. And Iād even mention that in your message that itās a good way for them to build up reviews for future sits.
Personally Iām finding that I really only want short sits these days. I did a 2 week one and it was lovely, but too long. Iām on a 5 day one now and itās been a challenge but it is still too long. Iām hoping to find some great weekend sits this summer that I can help people with, but I was just offered a 3 week that I normally would have jumped at and I turned it down because itās just longer than I like. There is also an event I want to attend during the sit, but I would have skipped that in the past.
I would be more inclined to do shorter sits if the listing clearly stated that tidiness is expected but not a perfectly clean house upon exit. Happy pets are the main goal.
Hi Tamsin,
Yes sitters do consider a short time sit for 2 days .
I did one recently from Saturday to Monday (Monday was a public holiday).
The reasons were: ideal location for us, nice break away from our own home, didnāt cost a lot in fuel or transport to get there and I needed to build up my reviews
Iād probably apply for your sit if I lived in the same city.
@Tamsin Yes, definitely. Sitters have all different lifestyles and circumstances.
We like some weekends away to have a change of scene, a chance to meet new animals and visit a part of the UK that is either new or close to our hearts. We have learned to stay closer to home for short sits because of the time spent travelling and the crazy cost of petrol.
We have never done such short sits and it would be a bit much for us to apply, chat with the owner, get to know the routine / the animal / the house, travel there and back, clean / do the sheets. 5-7 days is our minimum. It might also be a lot of effort for the HO, although maybe not as much as for the sitter. But you can always list your sit and see if you get any interest, there are tons of different sitters and perspectives. Local sitters with no reviews might be the ones most interested? PS: You can also think of sth to entice sitters. Offer a car, say that cleaning / doing the sheets isnāt necessary etc. We usually spend a WHOLE day cleaning before the HO comes back and leave the flat spotless.
Iām noticing a lot of very short sits advertised in England, some a few months away. I usually only consider such a sit to fill in a gap or it doesnāt require far to travel and suits me.
As a sitter, I might do a short sit if I wanted to be in that area on that specific date or if I lived nearby and needed a review.
As a HO, with an easy cat who doesnāt need daily care, I wouldnāt bother posting a very short sit. I can get a friend to check on the cat and save the hassle of finding, and preparing for, a sitter.
With newbies this might work, but experienced house sitters certainly prefer to do the āworkā in exchange for a āholidayā experience, which means they want to travel and see new places. A sit nearby their own home is usually not very attractive to them. Some want to travel just for a few days, and they will be happy to come to your home from all over the world if it is in an interesting location. Others might be travelling through your region at that time anyway and will be grateful for a couple of days of free accommodation along their road trip, in which case even a remote rural off-grid cottage will do just fine!
For example, I intend to spend about 3 months in Scotland this autumn and have a few sits lined up there, but there are still gaps in between. I will be travelling with a small motor home, but it is always more comfortable to have a real home to stay in rather than sleeping in the car. So if your dates and place match my gaps you might even get me interested! Good luck wishes you Romana from Brighton, UK
From what I have heard and experienced a lot of people who advertise the short sits have a backup plan (a friend or professional sitter), which certainly is wise.
I think it really depends on the sitter and their reasons for wanting to be in your area. I have friends that use local, young sitters that live with roommates. For those sitters, itās nice to be able to get away from their apartment and stay in a beautiful home for a few days. For us, as sitters, we tend to do longer sits because I want to get to know the pets and the area. My personal minimum is 2 weeks (unless itās a fun animal that Iāve always wanted to experience).
@Vivvy are you asking from a homeownerās or sitterās perspective ?
Some sitters are only available for weekend sits as they have jobs that require them to be at a specific location during the week or they travel & house sit with their children that have to be at school.
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