What am I doing wrong with my listing? It has been up for about a week and zero interest. Not sure if it is about my cat who has cancer - I don’t know how to make that more appealing - it is a serious matter which I want to communicate but also it’s not that hard to give him his meds. I don’t know what else I can do to attract sitters.
(Listing link corrected and removed from post and added to Forum profile instead as per the Community Guidelines).
I can’t click on anything to bring me to your listing. I went to your state and there are pages of cat sits. Do you only have one cat? If you tell me how many cats you have I will look through and find it. The further out you post your listing, the easier it is to get sitters as most sitters book well in advanced and some months.
Hi @SeniorSitter1 If you click on their Forum profile photo and copy and paste the link from there in to a search engine you should be able to view their listing. For reference, the link does not yet show properly due to the Discourse platform permissions. Let me know if it’s still not working.
I saw your listing and it looks nice - pretty good photos and good description of things to see and do in the area.
Can you add a nice photo of your patio with the furniture uncovered?
I think your biggest barrier will be that I can see around 18 cat sits in Washington state for at least one week during that same time frame so there is a lot of competition and without any previous reviews, it is always a little harder to attract sitters. It can be hard to get started sometimes, especially in the summer months (and at Christmas).
When I added sitting for dogs and birds and small creatures to the search I stopped counting at 40 listings in WA and a large number are in or around Seattle and Tacoma. So sitters have loads of choices, I’m afraid.
I’m not looking to sit in WA but I always want to know where the pets sleep. Just FYI it’s nice to add that to your listing since sitters typically want that info.
Not sure if loaning a car is something you can do but that usually helps. Or are there bicycles they can use?
I would make a plan B while you wait.
I know it’s not an Airbnb and that’s not the expectation but when it’s competitive as it is in summer, you want that mindset for your photos and your home.
Best of luck!!
I have 3 cats and am in central Tacoma.
There are a lot of sits in the Seattle/Tacoma area right now, many of them with fewer pets, without meds, with home owners who already have reviews, and without garden watering, so you just have to sell your sit a bit more.
Your listing would likely do better if it focused more on what your sit has to offer the sitter. Would you pick someone up from the airport? Can a sitter take public transit to Seattle attractions or Tacoma attractions? Do you offer to buy sitter a few groceries to get started? Are there bikes to ride? Are there trails nearby? What makes your listing the best vacation spot for the sitter?
I think your listing looks good and you’re struggling because of the macro issues regarding the supply and demand of sitters in general.
It sounds very easy to give your cat medicine.
I suggest removing the task of weekly vacuuming. You won’t be gone so long.
The bedroom would photograph better if the bed’s sheets were smooth and tight.
I’ll tell you what turns me off about your listing and why I wouldn’t apply. You over empathize how important it is for the one cat to have his meds as if it is life or death. You mention it strongly more than once. If that is the case that he can die if late giving it to him or someone may even forget a dose, hire a paid sitter. As a volunteer sitter this is too stressful so I would pass. You also sound like you are hiring staff. Telling sitters to vacuum the house weekly, etc, etc. I only deep clean on the last day and every one comments how clean I leave the house. I feel you would check up on me and ask, did you vacuum today. I’m not applying to be free staff.
As others have mentioned, you are competing with homeowners who have easier sits, unfortunately.
Many sitters don’t want to medicate cats, especially if they have to give oral meds. What happens if the sitter is unable to give them, because maybe the cat won’t allow a stranger to get close? What if the cat decides not to eat the food with the meds mixed in? That happened on my current sit, and I have to use alternate methods. I have medicated hundreds of cats thousands of times and am using all the tricks in my book at this sit! Most people have far less experience and would be very stressed.
Vacuuming weekly is more for the sitter than for me as cat hair piles up. I emphasize the cat meds so people take it seriously. I’ve had paid sitters mess these things up because they didn’t care. I don’t really like your tone at all. I was looking for constructive feedback not trashing my listing. No thank you.
The description looks fine and the cats sound sweet. It’s also accessible by PT so that helps. You could offer to pick a sitter up from the train or bus station? You could add a family friendly tag? You could offer to pay the sitters sit fee? All those small things may swing it. Also, maybe change the cover photo to one of the cats close up as they’re very cute. Some of the pics look as if they’re taken at night so perhaps reshoot a few for better light? Pop some pillows on that bed to make it look inviting. Pause the listing, make the tweaks and then relist and it will go to “new” which will also help. #smalltweaks
To be fair as a fellow sitter SS1 makes very good points, I suggest that you take them seriously there’s no upside to being offended by honest feedback.
My own take on your listing is that it’s not very warm or welcoming in tone, nothing makes me feel like I’d be willing to help you out. Home/pet owners that do well flatter and draw sitters in with reasons why we should do this great favour of
Most sitters have their own very nice home so give us a good reason to do this for you.
I hope you take note of ALL the feedback here, as these are very experienced sitters taking the trouble to comment.
I’ve taken a look at your listing @nspelter and would suggest a bit more info is required: pics show the cats outside, is there a cat flap? Do they have free access to the outdoors? Do you ensure the the cats are inside at night? If so, at what time, and how do you locate them? How often do you groom the kitts (will Mochi, particularly, need regular brushing?)? How are they with that? Is there a single litter tray or more than one? How do the three cats get on together?
Your listing states that Fredo needs meds syringed into his mouth, have you tried getting someone he doesn’t know well to try that, to gauge how he might react to a sitter / stranger attempting it?
You state it’s very important that Fredo gets all his food and meds everyday. What’s the schedule for that, and what’s the plan B if he decides not to eat the food or accept the meds? I feel it’s worth including this detail, so potential applicants can make a better-informed choice about whether they’d be a good match.
One point that surely does need clarifying is: “Clean up cat messes as needed.” Precisely what does this mean? Does it relate simply to cleaning of the litter tray, or does anyone have a tendancy to mess elsewhere? Be clear and transparent about any behavioural issues.
The bed pic could be better as it currently looks crumpled, flat and uninviting (to me). I’d suggest sprucing it up a bit. And the cooling fan and portable aircon unit suggest it’s possibly going to be hot and airless in that bedroom, so I’d remove them and take a new photo.
Your home tasks currently read like a set of demands, implying an authoritative host rather than an inviting one. I’d suggest you should maybe think about how to better initiate a human connection with potential sitters, since - whilst I understand you’ve maybe condensed the tasks into what are essentially bullet points, possibly for clarity - I’m sorry to say it doesn’t come across as amiable or inviting. Little tweaks, such as “I’d really appreciate if you’d water the garden beds…”; “please take in the mail”; “It would be great if you would vacuum the house before leaving…” would change the dynamics completely.
To be honest, I’m always a little wary of offering advice on topics such as this, since I suspect the manner in which hosts present a sit is a good indicator of what sitters can realistically expect, so amendments which don’t naturally originate from hosts themselves can effectively camouflage issues which might otherwise be red flags for sitters and ultimately prove problematic for both parties.
THS is an introductory vehicle for mutually-beneficial exchange, and we are all responsible for assessing good matches. Possibly the most reliable advice is to step back, read your own listing and ask yourself what would draw you to this sit as it’s currently presented, then amend it - but only if you think it’s necessary - in your own authentic voice.
@Happypets I agree with your 2nd to last paragraph. When I see people advise HO’s to “make the bed, clean up the clutter, make the room more inviting and retake photos” I worry because I’m a sitter who likes to see the messy bedroom, bathroom, cluttered kitchen and living space because it tells me A LOT about the person willing to post such photos on a platform where they are trying to “sell” their home to a sitter. I suppose cleaning it all up for photos is fine as long as that exactly how it will look when the sitter arrives but in my experience, people who are willing to post photos of (what seems to me to be) a messy home tells me all I need to know about how they live. No judgement. To each his own but I am looking for neat, clean, tidy and clutter-free. If that is in the photos, that needs to be what the sitter walks into.
Like this message, your listing reads as a bit hostile.
I took a look at your listing, the first thing I noticed is that the rooms look very dark, it might look more inviting if you re-took pictures in daylight with the curtains open.
If it’s trouble then I don’t need your feedback. Some people have been very nice and constructive, others like yourself have not been. There seems to be a lot of entitlement on this site. This is not an Airbnb. This is an exchange of goods/services.
And yet we continue to take the time and trouble to give your listing due consideration and then write our feedback. You’ll notice that x10 others agree with my feedback…. to date. The problem you face is that it’s not me being ‘not nice’ it’s a perception issue for you. Unless you can persuade capable experienced sitters like me to apply (whether we’re ‘nice’ or not) your listing won’t succeed. Others will continue to try to get through to you but faced with such intransigence I’m done here.
Exactly. It’s an exchange, it’s not free housing, nor is it free pet care. Unfortunately, most experienced sitters at some point have come across hosts that just want free pet care and don’t seem to understand the exchange part. We’ve learned to very carefully read listings paying close attention to tone and phrasing to avoid those hosts.
I agree with you on everything, except this
It’s hot, I think it’s better to show, rather than hide it.