Good matches versus non restricted options

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
1

IMHO, the thread “Hosts must disclose hazards” had not run its course. There was an open discussion about whether some information should be disclosed in the listing, mentioned in the reviews or just kept confidential between HO and sitters.

I am opening this thread in the HOs section because @Felinelover, as a HO, was proving a point I had made earlier as a sitter:

Filtering out bad matches is helpful for both sitters and HOs because it saves work and contributes to smooth sits for everyone.

I know from other threads that there are mixed opinions about this and that goes both for sitters and HOs and I am really interested in knowing everyone’s thoughts.

I don’t mind to be rebutted. I am genuinely interested in the reasoning of people who don’t think the way I do.

2

Confused, but are you are trying to further the discussion about quantity vs quality of applicants?

3

Ah ok, was thinking that but wasn’t sure, your edits helped :slight_smile:

Yes my point as a HO is reasonable disclosure up front is so helpful. I don’t want the max volume of applicants. I want my listing to be so clear that I get 2-3 BEST applicants, no more.

I am also genuinely curious - why the need to get so many applicants, or care if some read your listing and then choose not to apply? I view that as a success - I was clear, sitter was clear that they didn’t want that, so no miss or fuss everyone moved on. Success, in my opinion.

4

Sort of.
I was reading your argumentation and I am glad to see that for you the system works exactly in the same way it does for me as as sitter.
In my case, I don’t need to sit, I just do it for fun so I only apply for or accept sits that fulfill my criteria.

5

Yes. And I can afford paid sitters. I like THS because I like the concept and I like hostess-ing in general :slight_smile:

So hosting fellow travelers and hearing their tales is the part that I like, so different than paying a sitter.

But - not going to sacrifice pet care at all. If I don’t find the right THS match, I am going to a paid sitter. Just as many sitters don’t need to sit, they are selective.

I’m starting to think having the ability to be selective (either because you don’t HAVE to, or because you have so many great reviews you get top choice) is such a big factor in having success on THS.

6

There’s also another benefit of being transparent about what we can offer (both hosts and sitters): if we are clear upfront, we can not only avoid bad experiences, it also helps everyone to keep a great review record. If something relevant to the sit is hidden, sooner or later, it’s going to surface in reviews and that can result in filtering out desirable matches, too. We would risk throwing out the baby with the bath water.

7

:100:!!! Because there is usually something … in my case it’s a hairy dog. She’s sweet and well trained otherwise but she is hairy!

So now I just put that in my listing. The guest room where sitters sleep is usually closed so our hairy dog is t in there at all. But the sofa - sorry, that’s gonna have some amount of hair. If you don’t want that, just don’t apply, it’s all good!

I’ve found many sitters don’t mind that but stating it up front makes everything sooooo much easier!

8

For me, that’s also a bonus I don’t get when I pay for accommodation. I have great memories of shared meals around the world. I don’t get that in every sit but I get the pets’ company. Bonding with them and learning about their personalities is fascinating.

Also, living in someone’s real home and walking their dogs is the closest you can get to experiencing life like a local.

9

That’s wonderful, and yes I think these are the reasons why THS is special (not Rover or Air BnB)

10

@Felinelover

I’m not concerned about getting sitters. it’s a matter of doing things efficiently for maximum success. Sort of like when I was in business as an eye doctor. All was good but I was constantly looking for improvements. Old habits tend to stick.

11

I am not exactly sure what you are asking. But maybe this:

I am a messy person who can be clean when needed. I am not a good match with clean hosts. Sometimes I however will put up with super clean if the location is what I need. Sometimes super clean hosts have a home that is very easy to clean (everything automated and all spaces half empty). So for me it would not make sense to write to ty profile “I dont mind about your mess, I´m messy too”, even though I match best with messy hosts (I also do unorganized, drama and hassle well, and often these things go hand in hand). My preferences as skills are very flexible, and I can make myself match many different things.

But as a sitter it is less important what I write in my profile. So I am also curious why a host would think it is good to not disclose certain thins - besides counting on sitters just accepting things when it is too late to back out, or avoiding clutter in profile and not being sure what are things to disclose.

12

This makes perfect sense and there’s no need to say you’re messy because what really matters is the state in which you leave the home not how the home is when owners are not there, as long as you keep your end of the deal.
If the situation was the opposite, if you were nitpicky clean, then it would be better for you and HOs to be upfront about it because you would save yourself the trouble of getting into “average dirty” environments and HOs who are not similar to you would avoid bad review. HOs who are also nitpicky clean would be delighted to have you as a sitter and your profile and application would stand out for them, making the choice easier.

Post edited to improve language.

13

I didn’t read the other thread, but this is how I’ve crafted my profile. My city is saturated with sits in modern buildings replete with amenities. I live in an old building that attracts dust like a magnet attracts metal shavings, and I do not have a television, microwave, dishwasher, or in-unit laundry. My 5 applications no longer fill up within a day :rofl: . But, other than end of year holidays, I’ve gotten really stellar sitters for whom my sit is a great match! I am thrilled that sitters who would not like my home don’t apply, because I want sitters to have a good experience as much as I want my cat well cared-for.

14

That’s exactly what I meant. It’s also reassuring to know your perspective because you don’t get the 5 applications right away but still get great sitters.

It’s also nice of you to care about sitters’ experiences but even if you didn’t really care, you would still benefit from transparency. Also, the happier sitters feel about the agreement, the more likely they are to go the extra mile and to be proactive in unexpected circumstances.

15

Yes, absolutely. If someone — whether sitter or host — can afford choice, they don’t have to take dicey matches or over compromise. Often, we see accounts of sits gone wrong, because someone should have just not agreed to the sit or sitter in the first place.

That parallels of course with sitters or hosts who are just bad pickers — they lack the judgment to discern and are slow to learn. You can see this if someone repeatedly runs into problem sits or sitters, showing a pattern, rather than a one-off, which can be chalked up to occasional bad luck or such.

And then there are folks who outright lie or mislead, whether ahead of a sit (simply because they’re desperate to make a match, whether as a host or sitter) and/or they write untruthful reviews. Those folks often also kick themselves later, when they discover that their untruthful review ends up biting them.

Yes, this has been my approach. To me, better to be transparent and increase your chances of a good match, rather than a mismatch.

Personally, I’ve found this works well in other areas, too. Like when I’m interviewing for jobs or when I used to date, I have never tried to put on a front — just be yourself, because it’s better to match well.

Otherwise, if you pretend to be something you’re not, you will inevitably have to pretend or front indefinitely or you end up stopping and your real self then disillusions or disappoints or angers others, because you essentially pulled a bait and switch on the other party. That doesn’t tend to end well.

For me, better to not be chosen than to be chosen for the wrong reasons, especially when it comes to traveling, which is optional.

16

So many members have written untruthful positive reviews to avoid retaliation and damage to their credibility and reputation, that a double blind review system was implemented by THS to encourage more honesty.

How this member l quoted knows that these dishonest review leavers often “kick themselves later” is beyond me but I view such far fetched statements with the healthy dose of skepticism that they merit.

If anything a member is more likely to kick themselves later when they write an honest deserved negative review and find themselves in the middle of a he said/she said scenario with their well intended words of warning being questioned and they are the ones being viewed as unreasonable and nitpicky by potential sitters or hosts.

17

I also take this statement with a

My experience tells me otherwise:

1- I have often been put off a sit because of the tone the reviewer has used and even more often by the reply. I have applied and sat for people that have given factual, non emotional reviews, which were less than stellar because I found they had very reasonable expectations and wasn’t afraid to fall short of them.

2- Similarly, I have applied to sits that have been reviewed poorly because I felt the complaints of the sitter were not justified.

I do the same when I book accommodation. I read as many reviews as I can. I look for facts more than opinions. I do specific searches for criteria that are important for me and it’s works pretty well.

18

You might but others may not take the time, effort and risk of reading between the lines, coming up with their own theory as to what is the truth, and deciding the negative review was undeserved. Especially if there are other options where a reputation isn’t at question.

Not sure what you mean by this. A host left a negative review for a sitter and you didn’t believe it and passed on that sit? If so that’s exactly my point about a negative review working against the review leaver.

19

There is always a risk when you’re transparent, that others will ‘view’ or judge you to be ‘unreasonable’, wrong, etc.

The benefit though is what is unreasonable to one person is reasonable, important, and sometimes a deal breaker to another person.

If someone wanted a home with no dog hair, for example, they may be put off by my listing which basically says deal with it. That’s ok, because I am not trying to be ‘liked’ by most. I WANT those who find that unappealing to go away.

Again, there is a difference between maximizing applications versus making a great match. I want to make a great match, and if in that process a bunch of folks find ‘nitpicky’ or ‘unreasonable’ then so be it - I just don’t care. I want the ones who find it ok that’s real dogs actually shed and match with them.

The fear of being judged for being honest is real, but pushing past that yields much better results that to me at least, it’s worth the risk.

20

No. That’s not what I meant. I did believe the host’s story but I don’t think their expectations were reasonable and I didn’t like their entitled tone so I didn’t apply. On other occasions, I have read negative reviews given by the hosts which are reasonable and I am OK with that. In fact, I like that, because I am an honest person and like to deal with people that are honest, too.
Yet a third scenario:
Sitter gives a negative review about issues which were just bad luck, something that is not important for me or even something which was the sitter’s fault and they try to blame it on the host, I still apply for the sit.

Of course, it doesn’t work 100% but in most cases I can read between the lines of those “difficult” reviews.

Take the forum as an example. We get threads of people complaining about something all the time. Do they get unanimous sympathy from their peers (Hosts or sitters)?
No, they never do and that’s because what is a reasonable complaint for someone is just pettiness for others.