Getting a New York City or other "desirable" location sit

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

I live in NYC and list a sit there. I also sit elsewhere sometimes. Here are my tips for getting a NYC sit. These tips may apply to other popular locations as well:

  1. If you are just starting out and don’t have a lot of site history, make sure your profile is as good as it can be. If you are just starting out on THS, emphasize your previous experience taking care of pets and homes. Be as authentic as you can. If you’ve taken care of a friend’s pets, have references from those friends. If you’ve been a pet owner or volunteered at a shelter, write about those experiences. (I usually decline people with no site experience immediately, but sometimes dates may be difficult or there may be something that resonates and I’ll look at a newbie’s profile and references.)

  2. At this point, given the issues with the US-border, there is no reason for someone in NYC to take on a sitter, who might have problems gaining entry, so my tendency is to decline sitters who are planning on coming to NYC from another country specifically for my sit. I’d recommend checking out other forum threads on issues with border challenges and making a plan that you could mention upfront in your listing. https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/challenges-with-border-guards-re-the-laws/38437/556

  3. It probably makes sense to apply for and get sits in less competitive places so you have a review history. I’m not saying skip opportunities, but I am saying it will be helpful to have some great site reviews first.

  4. You can favorite listings and receive alerts. You can also set up alerts for areas. However, these aren’t very helpful as often by the time you get the alert the 5 slots are already taken. So, it probably makes more sense to create a saved search for your dates and preferences and just check several times a day in case something has posted.

  5. Once you start an application, you’ll have time to finish it and it will go through so if you are lucky enough to be able to apply before the spaces are taken, then write a personalized application naming the pets and explaining why you’d be a great sitter for the listing.

  6. If the listing is already “in review” by the time you see it, don’t give up! Because of the five application rule, sometimes I get 5 applications but none of them are suitable. Sometimes only one is suitable! So I often decline unsuitable people quickly and make space for more applications; therefore, if a listing is “in review” keep checking on it as it might reopen.

  7. If you are searching for NYC, you will likely see “nearby” sits. Some of them are in areas that are easily accessible to everything NYC has to offer. Others may be a full 90 minutes or further. This is a problem with the mapping system So check google maps to see whether or not the listing makes sense to you. (Hint: You can start an application and check google maps and then decide whether or not to continue the application.)

  8. Familiarize yourself with areas near NYC that might make sense. For example Jersey City is in another state, but may be minutes away by ferry, or 20 minutes by the PATH train, or 30 minutes by bus! Queens is within the bounds of NYC but some areas may be less than 30 minutes from Times Square, while others may be 90-minutes away!

  9. Consider how much time you’ll need to be away and balance with pet care duties. Most cat sits will enable you to be away for 8 or more hours, but for many dog sits, you’ll need to spend more time with the dog, so consider how this will work with the specific location.

  10. If you do manage to get an application in and it is declined, don’t be afraid to write to the homeowner again, letting them know that you are still available. You never know if a sitter will cancel. Also once you apply, you will be able to write to that homeowner again if they list again. It’s a little hard to find old messages in the mail system, but it’s doable. In case something has changed such as getting more sit experience, it’s worth writing to them if you’ve had previous contact but weren’t able to get the application in due to the slots being filled.

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2

This is good advice, especially about familiarizing yourself with surrounding areas. For example, I think many may think of Queens and Brooklyn as ‘suburbs’ of Manhattan, while they are actually almost like cities in their own right, both of which are much bigger!

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I currently live in Manhattan, but having grown up in Queens, and having lived in Brooklyn, I would disagree with their being either suburbs or “cities in their own right.” Both are big areas geographically. All of NYC is divided into neighborhoods, each with their own character. Some of these iconic neighborhoods are in Manhattan. Others are in other boroughs. All boroughs are represented on the City Council and share a mayor, who btw grew up in Manhattan, went to high school in the Bronx, and lived in Astoria Queens until he moved to the Mayor’s Residence in Manhattan recently.

While there are some leafy surburban feelign neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn, I wouldn’t characterize them as suburbs.

So if I were looking for a sit, and it was anywhere outside of Manhattan, I’d want to pin down the neighborhood and check out what the neighborhood was like and the transportation options. Neighborhoods in Queens like Sunnyside, Woodside, Astoria, Long Island City would have lots of eateries and grocery stores, but the main attraction for tourists would be quick access to mid-town Manhattan, Times Square, etc via the subway. Someone could live in Upper Manhattan but if the sitter wants to check out the Tribeca or Greenwich Village, it’s going to be a longish subway ride.

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4

Exactly why I stayed in Long Island City, Queens during my last trip to NY. Just a couple of subway stops to Manhattan and hotel prices drastically less.

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Yes they aren’t actual independent cities…my wording was off. My point was that people may not realize how big of an area both are. And since the average tourist is probably most interested in Manhattan specifically–which is seen as the ‘center’ of it all, it is good to do the research as you suggested. And no, I don’t think of them as suburbs either..I was referring to how people may think of those areas in general, not literally, if they are not familiar. I am from NJ and sat all over NYC for six years so am very familiar with it

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6

Yes. I’ve had the experience with a sitter last year who was coming in and spending the first night at a hostel in Brooklyn so she could “experience” Brooklyn even though I tried to explain to her that she could just get on the train and experience Brooklyn whenever she wanted to!

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7

Fascinating NYC tips for the uninitiated, I only know it from things like six* in the city and gossip girl :rofl:

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8

Great tips from @Marion.

As a host with a popular sit and no shortage of applicants I turn away lots of newcomers with no history, and I’ll offer 2 more suggestions.

Do local sits and offer to meet the host and their pets ahead of time.

Apply for last minute sits where the host is desperate for a sitter.

Get at least 3 5 star reviews under your belt and watch your acceptance rates soar.

Even if it’s a place you don’t want to sit. It’s like starting in the mailroom and working your way up to CEO. There was a movie about that once it was hilarious.

“How to succeed in business without really trying”