Hello. I have created my profile on Trusted Housesitters and am posting in the hope that someone can give me some advice.
I have put up three sets of dates I would like a sitter for and have had no interest. (Apart from one instant reply who then realised they had the wrong date!) I have some flexibility with the dates (as we have friends who can help out a bit) but there seems no way to show this.
I have tried to complete my listing as full as possible and admit to being very disappointed at the lack of interest! Any advice please?
Many thanks. 
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Hi @Sian welcome to our community forum and to TrustedHousesitters.
Your listing is detailed and informative, location is very desirable and your pets are adorable, the recipe for a great sitter experience with wonderful pet companionship.
Regarding flexibility with dates you could mention this in your intro text however it would be helpful to give some idea of what that means for potential sitters.
Have you done a search and reached out to any sitters yet? Many sitters are choosing to stay local or at least closer than they might have done before the pandemic, being proactive with invites can bring success.
COVID is still influencing plans for many and responses are taking longer and your sit is towards the end of March, I know getting pet care in place is a high priority but would advise not getting too concerned for the moment.
Youāve added your listing to your profile, members will be able to view and being helpful and supportive will give you feedback which Iām sure you will find helpful. We can also feature your listing on our Social Media channels, if this is something you would like please Direct Message me.
We are here to help.
Angela and the Team
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Hi @Sian, you have created a very good listing and your dogs and cats look lovely as does your location and home. You have only just listed it so be patient! As Angela has said, the pandemic has really changed things and many sitters are either choosing to sit locally or not book too far in advance because of the possibility of cancellations. Had I been available for your June dates, I would have applied as I will be in England at that time. I am sure you will have success in getting wonderful sitters. There are plenty of threads on this forum which you will find helpful as well as blogs and articles on the website.
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Hi @Sian. Iām also new to Trusted House Sitters and like yourself was starting to worry due to receiving no applicants for our end of March holiday. I sent invitations to a couple of sitters who I could see had availability on my required dates and to my absolute delight and relief, I got an acceptance. So thatās well worth a try. The lovely couple who are sitting only live 45 minutes away so donāt disregard sending out invitations to fairly local sitters.
Thereās lots of helpful advice on this forum from members and admin
Good luck and keep us posted
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Thank you so much. As I said, coincidentally, I decided to reach out to a number of local sitters after I wrote on the forum last night and have a lovely couple coming to meet us! I will try other sitters but itās very hard to know who to choose other than local. I think I may try people who live in a city like London.
Thank you again for your support.
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Many thanks for your kind words - I will keep patient!
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Many thanks - coincidentally, I decided to reach out to a number of local sitters after I wrote on the forum last night and have had a positive response - so fingers crossed! I would like to avoid social media but really appreciate the support.
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Good luck with your sitter communications and please keep us updated ā¦
@Sian, my family and I would certainly apply to sit for you if we were available on any of your dates. Your animals sound wonderful, your location is great and not ever so far from us in Gloucestershire. Iāve added your listing to my favourites in case our dates match up in future. We are tied to school holiday dates (2 boys at school and I work in a school). Iām sure youāll find a lovely sitter soon.
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@Sian There is nothing wrong with your advertisement, actually I have added you on my pet sit bucket list. Unfortunately, itās still difficult to travel outside the UE border at the moment. Wish you to find the perfect sitters 
Tamara
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Hi, @Sian. If youāre still in need of sitters, and the end of your June date is flexible, I might be able to help. I have a sit in Wales that starts the 26th, but I would really prefer heading up on the 25th to provide a cushion.
If that might help you out, please take a look at my profile, which is linked on my member description, and we can discuss it.
Anyway, donāt lose heart. People are looking!
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Hi @sian its interesting that you should mention this as we have been full hosting members of THS for about six years and whenever we added dates it was almost a full time job replying to them all, we were always oversubscribed. We have great reviews and feedback from many house sitters, however the Pandemic does seem to have shifted the confidence of house sitters to move around so much and we are not getting very many applications for our list of dates some of which are for long weekends and others are for several weeks. I am hoping that travel confidence will improve this year.
Lisa
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Hello all,
I am delighted to say that I reached out and messaged several sitters, both local and far flung, and have had a number of interested sitters. Thank you so much for your support - and, for newbies like me, advice is donāt sit and wait for someone to respond - message sitters direct.
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Hi @Sian thatās excellent news and advice from a ānewbieā to other owner members who might be in the same position ā¦
Do keep us updated!!
Glad to hear it! Iām sure your sitters will be terrific. Enjoy your travels!
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I directly reached out to five and not one of them has replied even to say that they are not available which I find a little poor. As a host I reply to every single applicant and this should be encouraged as you find out so much more once you engage with people.
Really sorry to hear this - I completely agree with what you said. I ended up reaching out to more sitters and, although some did not reply, most did. We now have two excellent sitters lined up and also a lovely sitter who responded through this forum - so have hope.
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Hi @LisaRoads54, so sad to hear that. Some months ago I discovered by chance that Iād received an invitation to sit but the app didnāt show me the notification! Might be because I rarely open the website from pc or Maybe necai of a bug(I donāt receive THS recap emails too, but instead I receive the forum email notifications). Anyway, when I read the message I replied immediately and I apologised with the HO, explaining what happened.
When I apply for a sit, I anxiously wait for a reply, so I guess it is the same for a HO, I can resonate with your dismay.
P.s Forgive me for any language errors, I am not an English native speaker, but I always try my bestš Tamy
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I have also had issues with receiving some notifications but I have the THS app on my phone and I make a point of replying to messages the same day where possible. When I can see that a message has been read, I do wonder why a quick polite reply isnāt possible?
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