Hi everyone - I am a pet parent in Williamsburg, Va. We have used THS for at least 5 years and have loved all the wonderful sitters we’ve met!
We just decided to travel for two weeks over the holidays and I am really nervous that I’m not yet getting responses to my listing. I had a call with someone last night but she was juggling options and we lost.
I read on the forum that it tends to be very busy at the holidays. Do any of you sitters out there have any suggestions for making my listing more appealing or do I just need to sit back and wait? I do live in an area of the country, Williamsburg, Virginia, that tends to be very popular around the holidays.
I’ve never really asked sitters for any suggestions, but I would love to hear any advice you might have! Cheers!
I’m not a sitter, but one of the primary reasons I’m on this forum is to understand how sitters think, what are their needs, and how to make my listing as attractive as possible so as to ensure that we have coverage when we travel which is quite frequently, including this year from mid December thru mid January.
There are things that you cannot control or change about the desirability of your listing but there’s many things that you can offer that may make the difference.
It’s natural that during the holidays, sitters want to spend time with family. So market your listing as a great way for the sitter to spend the holidays with their family and give reasons why. Allow the sitter to at least have family over for dinner, and maybe even stay a day or two. If there’s any holiday specific events going on, or there are things to do that would be an enjoyable holiday activity, list them.
Those are “holiday-specific” ideas but there are a lot more that you can implement to make your listing more attractive all year round.
-allow the sitter to leave pets alone for long enough periods for them to get out and about
-offer use of the car
-do what you can to minimize sitter workload (I recently installed an automatic 5-zone irrigation system to remove most of the garden watering from the list of responsibilities).
-list all the great things to do in the area
-provide as many of the amenities as possible as listed in the host listing section
-make sure your pictures are clear and showcase the positive aspects of your home and property as you see in real estate listings
Consider posting a link to your profile so the members can check it out and see what improvements might be possible.
Consider using the readily available and free AI technology to reword some of the text in the listing, it’s amazing what AI can do to improve it and change the tone to something more appealing to your target audience.
I agree with everything except this last suggestion. I absolutely hate AI generated text and much prefer to hear the voice of the HO. As sitters, we’re looking for insight relating to compatibility with HOs, and the way one writes provides the initial clues.
I don’t disagree with you, but I do think AI has it’s place to clarify certain terms here and there.
Did you read my AI thread? The AI version is much better and conveys the image I wanted to send in a much more effective manner. AI even offered to write an entire pet sitting guide but as per your post that would completely remove the host’s personality from the equation.
@idocsteve, great ideas. @Shacky, welcome back to THS Forum. Seems that you’ve been an active member of THS for several years. Fabulous.
In other related THS Forum threads, a lull in applications has been a catalyst for a Pet Parent to take a fresh look at their listing. To ensure that photos look attractive; listing contents are complete (property, pets, location, transit, attractions, etc); and perhaps reflect on anything you can do to increase the housesit appeal (use of car, collection from airport/train, openness to arrive day early / stay day after).
Some Pet Parents appear to found it useful to use THS Search function to see the number and contents of other listings in your area. That’s the competition!
Not sure of your timeline but there is a Last Minute Sits on THS Forum that can help, but clearly not guarantee, find a housesitter.
I’ve just had a look at your other thread, and responded.
I can see the point you’re making, but would skip any listing I perceived to have been written by AI. It’s all too ‘beige’ - I want to know what kind of person I’m likely to be meeting and dealing with, not to read some contrived notion of that person which AI has fabricated!
I look for candid honesty in listings. If I read a PP is trying to paint a rosy picture that sounds like fluff I stay away. I don’t like listings that are written like they are looking for unpaid staff. Tell the sitter how much free time away from the pets is comfortable to you at one time. Make suggestions of things to do in area. How long the usual walk with the dog is and how many times a day. I read too many listings that just say dog needs to be walked. It could just be that people are not traveling to the US right now. Were your past sits this time a year from people outside the country?
Looks a lovely listing @Shacky. Do include a photo of sitter’s bathroom as I know I look for a separate shower; complete all of the Amenities list; which bedroom is for sitters; and, if possible, include exterior photos of what it will be like during winter eg snow perhaps.
Are there any health or medical issues for Mello?
You can also make your listing New again by removing your dates briefly then re-posting them.
Hi @Shacky
As a sitter that doesn’t do Xmas sits as I catch up with family over the holiday period I get 10’s of messages from mid November from HO’s asking if I can sit during this period.
That’s how tough it can be even for well rated HO’s to get a sitter over Xmas and New Year period so maybe have a back up plan.
Sorry maybe not what you wanted to hear.
I’m liking some of the changes to reflect the holiday spirit.
A slightly off topic suggestion but this caught my eye:
“Mello gets up relatively early and needs a long walk (30-45 minutes) before breakfast.”
I don’t consider 30-45 minutes to be a long walk, especially the lower end of the range. If people are walking their dogs for less time than that, I think it’s unfair to the dog (generally speaking).
Less is more.
Remove the word “long”. It puts a negative spin on it, almost as if you’re apologizing in advance for the delay and work effort the sitter will have to endure prior to their morning sustenance. Remove “relatively early” as it’s almost like you’re apologizing for interrupting the sitter’s sleep. We all have our own definition of what constitutes “relatively early”.
“Melio needs a 30-45 minute walk before 9:00” (or whatever time).
I just read your profile. Since you are in the woods is a car needed and if so I would list it. I googled and the high there that time of year is 52 degrees and the low 36. Too cold for me to bike but I come from warm climates. How far is the market? Maybe mention that. If you offer a car I bet that would really help get applicants.
I’ve never offered the use of a car - have you used cars in sits before? I’ll see about my insurance coverage - that’s a great idea. We’re under a mile to the grocery store but get your point. All our prior sitters have driven here so it did not even come to mind!