Hello, We had a friend sitting for us but unfortunately they had to cancel and now we have less than 30 days to find someone for a month long sit. My husband discovered this service and I think we have included everything needed in our posting but we may have missed something… Any advice, I’m starting to get very Everyone we contact has been very nice but are not available.
Listing has been added to Forum profile
Welcome!
@deysareus ! For sure you can get input here. We can not see your listing in forum unless you add it to your forum profile:
How to add a listing or profile link to your FORUM profile
We’d be happy to help. Reaching out and inviting rarely works on THS. You need to publish your dates so that sitters can apply and we can help you with your profile so you include what is important for sitters.
Did you also put the listing on active?
So that all sitters who are searching for a sit and are available for your dates can apply?
Or did you only contact the sitters yourself?
Because contacting yourself (and not make a active listing) most of the time doesn’t work. (Dates do not fit, not searching in your environment etc.)
Welcome, @deysareus.
We are sitters, and very rarely are able to accommodate requests from pet parents. The system essentially works best when sitters respond to listings which fit in with their location and date requirements, and a lot depends on how the home and pet-care responsibilities are presented. As others have said, if you add your listing to your profile on here, you will receive advice from experienced sitters on how to best attract applicants.
Hi. I took a look at your listing. Here are a few things i think you could do to attract sitters.
You say the the coast is an hours drive away which is great but how long can the dogs be left? If they cant be left for enough time to go and enjoy the ocean can they be brought with the sitter and will you be offering the use of your car?
You say, wake up time is 6am. Is this set in stone? 6 am is pretty early for some people.
Your house looks nice but there seems to be a bit of clutter in the photos. I’d pick up a little, make the beds and retake the photos showung the sitter what the house would look like when they arrive.
I’m sure more people will chime in with suggestions now that your listing is linked up.
Hi, your home and pets look lovely - bar one bed that looks oddly lumpy and as though it slopes from one side?
There’s not much info on the location outside your community. Are you near interesting towns or tourist areas? Nice restaurants, cafes, sports, etc etc. you need to think about why someone would want to visit there.
Also how far to grocery stores?
Responsibilities - where do the pets sleep? Bedtime at 10pm - do the sitters have to go to bed then too? Are dogs good on leads? Can you let them out at 6am and go back to bed? Can they be left and for how long? Can they travel in the sitters car? At the moment it sounds as though the sitters can’t really go out at all.
You have some lovely photos @deysareus but I do agree there needs to be some tidying up in the kitchen area, and beds would look more attractive made up. The lumpy looking one I hope is not for the sitter! If this is so then remove those photos.
You make little mention of what walking your two dogs entails and exactly how well trained they are considering they are young. Wrestling in the kitchen wouldn’t be behaviour I would accept so I would be concerned as to just how much training they have had.
Having taken a quick look at your listing, it reads as if responsibilities for the dogs are pretty full-on from 6am - 10pm? Their wrestling in the kitchen will put some sitters off. Where do they sleep? Any medical or behavioural issues? What’s their recall like? Do they walk well on the lead? How long can they be left? Are you hoping for a single sitter or a couple? By mentioning all these things in your listing, applicants will be better informed.
I agree with what others have said about the interior pics: one bed looks as if there are things under the covers and one is unmade. There’s also a stack of boxes and other items in front of your fireplace.
IMHO the most appealing listings are those where rooms appear clean, organised and uncluttered. That said, I’m all for authenticity, so if this is what your sitters can expect on arrival, keep it real.
Wishing you luck.
The timing and location of this sit would’ve worked well for me, because I telecommute and am having my home remodeled in the area. But I’d want to sit somewhere clean and uncluttered, with a comfortable bed.
All great advice re: the photos and how to improve the description on the listing.
A couple of things I suggest are to post only one photo of each room, now there are way too many of each of them, plus I’d reshuffle and put the pets’ first. I’d eliminate the photo of the master bedroom if that’s not where the sitters will sleep, but maybe you could add a photo of the backyard?
You mention that there are 2 guest rooms: would you welcome families too?
Good luck in finding someone! 
Thank you for your suggestions, we can make some of the changes right away. Unfortunately the clutter will take some time to completely sort through. Combining two houses into one is a daunting and overwhelming task.
Hello @deysareus 
At the moment it sounds as if the sitter needs to come to your place and stay there all day, every day at the house so that’s a hard sell as this is a mutual exchange. How long can the pups be left alone for? What happens at 6am, is it a pee and back to bed or time for the first walk as that’s early for many people? Ditto info needed on the 10pm thing. Could you offer use of a car? A remote worker might enjoy the sit if they don’t want to go anywhere but you’ll need to be lucky for why choose your place over many others. What is the draw for the sitter do you think? And add that. Right now your listing says you don’t need a sitter so have you found someone? #fingerscrossed
I would make decluttering and setting up new photos as your top priority… also try to think beyond your own needs and normal schedule with your pets and much more about attracting a sitter last minute. You’re going to have to work very hard and pretty quickly to get somebody I think….and if it’s too much work for you then that sends a strong signal to sitters that you’re perhaps not a considerate HO. The onus is on you to make your sit ‘desirable’. Sitters have a lot of choice and are in a strong position to be picky about where they go.
Good luck though.
Listing says not looking for a sitter, have you managed to find one?
@deysareus Could you perhaps simply move all the clutter into one room for the duration of the sit? Making the space more welcoming and habitable for a sitter for the month-long duration of the sit is possibly more achievable in the short term than properly sorting and organising your home contents?
@deysareus This is just one sitter’s opinion, but here goes: THS is not “a service.” Please reframe your thinking so that you prepare your listing, your home, and your expectations as you would if your best friend were going to stay and take care of your pet(s) and house. Hope that helps.