For a while, the low application sits are getting so , I think overwhelming numbered. Why? if we had one dozen , it is understandable. But so many and several people complain not having sits. When I signed up in 2016 , no such problem. There are a lot of logical reasons but I think there is something else.
Some sits that I see I wonāt apply for (things like not being able to leave the dog, needing hours of walks a day, multiple previous sitters leaving no reviews). Sits in places I really want or at dates Iām really keen on have a lower bar!
So I donāt know if itās a āpicky sittersā problem or a ādemanding ownersā problem. Iād say I donāt have a problem getting sits (although it takes a lot of my time applying) and weāve really enjoyed the vast majority of them, probably because weāre a little picky in what weāll take.
Many listings are short sits, often at short notice.
And sometimes these short sits are over Christmas! With nothing especially attractive about the location. Of course it is always possible that sitters are looking for a Christmas sit close to relatives, but the HO is not likely to get many applicants.
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I have often wondered whether any of these owners renew their membership, probably not
Personally, Iāve only ever applied for one last minute sit (which I got), because I prefer HOās that are organised in advance as we are a better fit for one another, so I tend to ignore the ones that have left things to the last minute, as I want HOās that are similar minded to me.
With so many sitters canceling, even HOs who plan ahead can end up looking for sitters last minute. With my current sit, two sitters apparently flaked on the HO.
I donāt normally book sits far ahead, so Iām open to last-minute sits theoretically. Thing is, it can be overly expensive for last-minute travel.
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well, it seems like a growing number of sits donāt go well.
more owners piling on more responsibilities once the sitter arrives, and then you are in a vulnerable situation with no one really to help.
if less people apply for sits with people they donāt know, I am not surprised. even though most owners are still lovely, I am sure.
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a similar thing happened with Couchsurfing. Too many new people joined who didnāt share the original ethos. and the community lost its magic. I hope it wonāt go that far here, but some tendencies are worrying. If itās considered the norm to do absolutely everything the HO wants, clean to perfection, etc etc, but not get paid, then whatās attractive about it?
yes the animal company, but that can be had in other ways too.
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Hello ! I am one of the HO with a live listing and no applicants. Iāve looked at the house sitters lists and āfavā some of them by clicking on the heart, but they dāont appear on my Favourites list which seem out of date. I would like to send a group message to them. Is that possible ? Many thanks for your advice.
No, itās not possible to send group messages to members to invite them to sit, and please do not fire off a bunch of cut and paste messages to sitters to invite them.
As others have said, it is not an effective way of getting a sitter.
And in recent months, particularly, Iāve seen an invitation, I log in, and the sit is filled. Thatās added work to my already busy day when the āinvitationā was less about me than the HO firing off a whole lot of messages just trying to find anyone.
Cut and paste is better than no message at all in my opinion.
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You might want to keep in mind that the odds of finding a sitter that way are low. Thatās because sitters usually favorite a listing when they like the look of the listing, but the posted dates donāt work for them.
Thank you for your replies.
Why would it be wrong for a HO to send a cut and paste message to several people who would be potentially interested in the house sit ? Donāt we never write group messages in daily life, to family, colleagues, friends ? And as house sitters, do we only apply to one sit at a time ?
Iāve only fav people who are looking for housesits at my dates according to their calendar when itās obviously updated. And if I understand correctly from various posts on this forum, house sitters are complaining that they are left out of the race. What is wrong with the HO trying to reach out ?
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Thereās nothing wrong with your reaching out to a bunch of sitters at once. Many homeowners do it. But many also say theyāve had little luck with that approach. Doesnāt mean you canāt try, of course.
I donāt think the issue is with messaging first or even with messaging in bulk, itās the ācut and pasteā aspect of it. Itās similar to an applicant sending you only a cut a paste message as their applicationā¦ it makes you wonder, did they even read your listing? Are they aware of all all the responsibilities? If they didnāt read everything, might this be a waste of time for both of us? Etc.
Itās probably better to have a message thatās at least somewhat personalized, even if you are mostly copying and pasting it! Either way, as others have said, it doesnāt hurt but be prepared for a lot of noās.
For me Iāll look at most sits but some just donāt work due to travel costs outside my budget, sit not accessible via public transport (I donāt drive!), too many responsibilities, feeding times give me no free time, poor previous reviews or suspect reviews or demanding medical care.
Iāve got more selective the more positive reviews Iāve got tbh.
I have noticed that there do seem more very short sits of just a couple of nights or little more. muUnless en route to somewhere else I am going it is just not worth 4 - 6 hours driving, which some of them are for just a couple of days. Also I am finding that many owners seem more demandimng in their expectatrions. A dog or dogs that cannot be left at all or only an hour at most. Also dogs that require four walks a day. Then some have so many pets you would be all day looking after them. And I donāt apply if more than two dogs as I be;ive that is enough to handle on a walk. I have sat for three once but then they had grounds to walk them in so no need for being on leads. But six dogs, severtal cats and various other animals as well is just too much. And as a lone sitter I will not sit for any large, big built dangerous looking dogs. Too many dog attacks lately. Happy with lurchers, setters, and retrievers etc. And as I am sitting for free I do like a nice house in a nice location. A photo of tiny bedroom and unmade bed isnāt that appealing. Sometimes there is a reason why some sits have low applications.
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When I started, 2016, I think there was no ālow applicationā badge so I wasnāt aware unless I looked at the listings application number.
Now, itās annoying. Another button to press to get to the new listings. Iām looking everyday so I donāt need reminded of sits that were posted weeks ago. I have the skills to find them if my circumstances change.
As I mentioned in another post, I see a lot of sits pop up these days with a starting date in less than 2 weeks. Now that in itself isnāt necessarily a problem - if Iām available, I sometimes jump on last minute sits although I do prefer a bit more advance notice. However the main problem is usually that flights/trains are too expensive at such short notice.
And Iāve yet to encounter an HO, who understands that their last minute request may incur higher-than-desired travel costs for a suitable sitter who is actually available to do the sit, and thus offers to contribute part of the fare such that we have a win-win situation: they have a last minute sitter and I have a nice sit within the budget Iām willing to spend/can afford
@Cecilia48 Your listing shows as ācurrently no sitter neededā. Thatās your first problem.
Also your heading starts with information thatās already in the search view. A sitter can already see that it would be a āpet sit for two cats and chickensā. The headline is your sales pitch. Consider your best feature and present it there.
I havenāt read your listing. I mainly wanted to let you know that your listing is not active.
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