We have listed our house under the name of our village, Plaxtol but it is somewhat unlikely that anyone would search for it by name. We have easy access to London by a fast direct rail service in under an hour door to door.
What would be the best way to approach this?
Are we on the right track?
(Edited to add listing to forum profile in line with forum guidelines)
As someone unfamiliar with the UK, if I see a sit advertised as âLondonâ but is actually an hour away, well then my thoughts are how long can I leave the pet as travel is minimum 2 hours assuming no problems or delays. Also how much is the train? If quite expensive I wouldnât be doing that very often. Therefore âLondonâ is not a selling point, itâs kind of a distraction. The heading doesnât give you a lot of space to grab a sitters attention and honestly having looked at hundreds a lot of home owners are doing themselves a disservice. Make sure your first photo is a good one.
Just looked at your listing, looks tempting enough to me, but one thing I noticed you didnât say how long your pets can be left alone for. Sitters would be exploring locally I would assume as they will need a car.
I think the most appropriate thing would be to list it under Tonbridge or Sevenoaks, as the nearest large towns. In your introduction you could describe the train/getting into London situation.
It really depends what pets you have but trips into London arenât really feasible if you have a dog that can only be left for 4 hours or so. And as Cathie has mentioned cost is also an issue as UK trains are not cheap.
Sitters very much appreciate transparency about location.
Hi @AnneandGary and welcome to the forum.
I wouldnât worry too much about sitters finding your location by doing a search. You have created a good listing and have rave reviews from previous sitters.
Also I wouldnât place great importance on your access to London, although you mention you could arrange a dog walker if the sitter(s) wanted to go. I would take that out of the title. I feel your listing would attract sitters who wish to spend time with your dogs exploring the Kent countryside.
The only suggestions I have to improve your listing is to change the heading (Hop to Kent would be lost on most sitters, even some UK sitters wouldnât know it is a hop growing region).
Perhaps something like - Easy dogs in Kent Countryside
Also mention how long the dogs can be left for after a walk in case sitters want to explore a local stately home or such.
Hope this helps.
@AnneandGary, welcome to THS Forum.
To our knowledge, THS listings automatically state the nearest largest urban community rather than the actual location.
Recommend that, in the listing text, you clearly state Plaxtol location; travel details from nearest major stations; any use/requirement for car; duration pets can be left; and preferences/requirements for applicants (e.g. if seek local person, seek WTF person). We find that clear disclosures upfront help both parties towards timely fit.
Many housesitter applicants are not local. Some may even be international.
Good luck!
Hi @AnneandGary Weâre sitting in Plaxtol in Aug and weâre from Australia! It was listed as that with Kent countryside mentioned in the title. Itâs perfect for us as we have relatives in Sevenoaks who weâll be able to visit.
Youâve had successful sits before so Iâm wondering why youâre concerned about your location now. Is it to attract more applicants? If so you could perhaps say in your title âCute dogs in hamlet near Sevenoaksâ (or Tonbridge).
Perhaps we could meet in August for a cuppa?!
Weâre sitters in the UK, youâre place looks lovely. But Iâd swap Royal Tunbridge Wells or Sevenoaks as your main searchable place name, but then say in your profile about your Plaxtol and how many miles it is from that main location.
This helps for 2 reasons:
Also, Iâd change your title as the only âsellingâ words, are Kent and London, the rest are just filler words, thereâs zero desirable descriptive words in your title.
So Iâd swap your title to:
Beautiful home in Kent (just 25mins to London) with pretty scenic views.
Also, your intro is the first thing sitters see, but again you lack descriptive or appealing words, beautiful, pretty garden, scenic views etc. You donât have to leave it all for the location part. Youâve got the word countryside in the intro, but describe the countryside, eg âbeautiful countryside with gorgeous viewsâ allows the sitter to imagine themselves living in your place⌠& if they themselves like our stunning UK countryside, theyâll naturally feel more connected to you (because we sit for people we like or who are familiar to us).
You live in a stunning place, so make sure sitters know that.
Iâm sure youâll find someone quickly, youâve got a lovely place, in a stunning location.
More than happy to meet up! Are you looking after dogs? If so we could go on a walk together. Not sure of the forum rules for giving out personal contact details so how best to do this?
Weâre looking after a cat @AnneandGary. Iâll send you a direct message through the forum. Youâll see a link to it as thereâll be a symbol with a 1 on your forum name. Out dog walking at present but will do it later.
Itâs very easy to look up a location on a map (not the THS one). At least you give yours! - Iâve seen so many sits listed as âSouth of Shangri-Laâ or âWithin reach of Cloud Cuckoo Landâ⌠or wherever. Itâs incredibly frustrating, because the actual neighbourhood of a sit makes the difference between applying - or not. For me, anyway.
Thank you all for your helpful replies, I have updated the listing. We have been very lucky in the past with sitting requests in a matter of hours but our date in September has been notably less popular. The enquiries we did have were a little odd, with one lady coming to the UK with her 6 month old daughter expecting to cope with 2 dogs and no vehicle (we do make own transport required on the listing).
I donât quite understand the house picture- is this x3 cottages and your home is in the centre or is it one house made up of x3 original cottages? Itâs unclear to me as a sitterâŚ
It is all one property. I can update the description, thank you for the feedback.
I have sent you the message now @AnneandGary