We recently applied for a sit in April. The pet parents got back to us right away, said they liked our profile, but they were waiting on another couple they had interviewed to confirm whether they were accepting the sit or not. That was 3 days ago.
This is a sit we’d really like to do. The listing shows that the pet parent is still reviewing applications. I considered writing the pet parent a note to ask when a decision might be made, but wasn’t sure if that would be considered too pushy. Some other sits have popped up that overlap the dates. None are as attractive to us as this one.
Would you just move on and assume the per parent will contact you, or not, on their own time? Or do you think it is ok to inquire, reaffirm interest and request an ETA on finalizing the sit plans?
Recently, I applied for a sit and after a week I had not heard from the host and I was the only applicant. There were no prior reviews so assumed she was new to THS so I wrote and gently told her that I, like many other sitters, often apply for multiple sits and did she have a timeline on when she would be making a decision. It’s not a super desirable location but it is someplace I want to be and the dates were perfect. She got back to me right away and apologized; there were some unexpected circumstances that kept her from the computer. She did pause the listing and after a week we had a video call on Tuesday and she confirmed me then. I’m very glad I reached out.
I asked myself the same question only this week. Had two outstanding applications for sits, one who said they would like to chat in a few days, and both sits still in “reviewing applications” stage. So I dropped them both a short message asking if they had made any decisions yet and both replied accordingly.
So yes, do drop them a line asking exactly as you have written because chances are, you may not be chosen and inevitably will be missing out on another great sit you could be applying for. Though HO’s do sometimes give you the impression you will be “the chosen one”, it isn’t always the case. Good luck
I have followed up if I really want the sit and it worked out in my favor as I was chosen for the sit. I just did a repeat sit for the same homeowners.
I have followed up once when the sit was at the end of a series of short sits and was in the city from which I needed to book a flight home. Went to 5 limit almost immediately then sat in reviewing for over a week but message unread. I contacted them again after a week to ask if they were interested in having us sit for them as we were ending a sit the day their one started in the same city and were yet to book flights so could accommodate their dates and also meet them beforehand for handover etc. Another week went by and that message still not read. Book flights home and a few days before we were flying back suddenly get contact with “Are you still interested, sorry it took us so long, computer trouble blah blah”. Told them very bluntly that we were but flights booked and communication is a requirement for a good sit so we would not take the sit under any circumstances.
Bit of a long story that but my belief is that if owners can’t be bothered with the measly 5 applicant limit to even send a message within 2 days, which they are supposed to do, then I’m not interested. If they don’t value my time in applying I really can’t be asked to chase them. They clearly have communication issues that will likely mean a terrible sit. @Globetrotter I’m glad it worked out for you but I think the odds are stacked against if owners aren’t bothered to communicate well.
I have an application in that would start three weeks from now, in a remote place. We exchanged messages to clarify their exact location etc but that was a few days ago.
I see now that their number of applicants has gone down to three (it was four) so I guess that one of the other applicants already tired of waiting.
I am still interested but it depends a bit on airfare. It is getting risky for the HO.
@petlover we have followed up after waiting sometime for a reply. We have had 3 different outcomes.
In some cases it resulted in us being invited to sit .
In another case we still got no response for over a month and we then withdrew our application as we were confirmed for another suitable sit for the same dates . The HO then got back to us apologising for not replying sooner but their listing still sat at the reviewing stage for another couple of months .
In another case , the HO explained the delay was because another sitter had been offered the sit but not got back to HO to confirm their acceptance. In the end the first sitter did accept the sit , so we were declined . However the HO has subsequently invited us to sit for new dates they have listed.
So in our experience it does not harm in chasing up an application and establishing a connection with the HO. However in the meantime - continue to apply for sits even if the dates overlap as you have no idea how long the HO will take to make a decision.
Thanks for all the responses. I did follow up and the pet parent responded very quickly. Sounds as though they had already been in discussions and were ready to move forward with another applicant before we applied, but the other applicant hasn’t confirmed yet. We will apply for other appealing sits if any while we wait to hear back, since the odds seem low. Not clear how long they’re willing to wait on a response.
I don’t pursue, because I figure that whatever the host’s reason for being slow or unresponsive, it increases the odds of a bad sit. And to me, there are so many choices of sits across the site and few are so unique that they merit additional risks. (I’m willing to risk false negatives in that sort of calculation.)
If there were a sit I really wanted, maybe I’d nudge, but I haven’t seen such and I don’t have bucket list sits. (If there were somewhere I really wanted to go, I would’ve already traveled there by now, in my 50s.)
I think it also matters how much you need sits, including if you’re a full-time nomad trying to stack a bunch of sits. But I’m not, and heading into my second year on THS, I plan to do fewer sits, not more. That means I can afford to be increasingly selective. I’ll probably do six to eight sits this year, and I’ve already booked three.
Those three, I got with low effort. Like I’m on a sit now in a great neighborhood and home, and these hosts didn’t even do a video chat. We just exchanged info in msgs and agreed quickly. They returned home yesterday and they’d offered me both a night’s stay before and after my sit. We’ve gotten along well, and I’m pretty sure if I wanted to repeat, they’d be happy to offer, but I don’t typically want repeats, because I enjoy variety.
