Wow! How completely mean of those owners
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That’s the thing with these types of asks — they’re essentially interviews, because the HO can back out or the sitter can. If you’re OK spending a bunch of time doing that and not ending up with the sit going through, you’re fine. But most of us can compare opportunity costs among various sits, which can help decide whether that’s worthwhile.
Practically, most HOs are fine meeting via Zoom. So would I pursue a sit that required hours of driving and could fall through? That sit would have to be incredible vs. the others, or why not just pursue another one?
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As long as the home host was happy to pay for my time and travel expenses I’d happily pop over. Otherwise, it is a no from me.
Agreed, I genuinely don’t have time beforehand but the request has felt like a bit of an ask for an unpaid service.
@RR12345 Has the sit been confirmed?
If the homeowner was happy to confirm the sit without stipulating that this was their expectation then they shouldn’t really be throwing this on you and you can decline if you are not able to do it.
However does the homeowner know that you are 2 hours away ? They may not realise or have thought about it… is it a request “would it be possible to come earlier to meet xx? “ or a more of a demand / expectation.
As others have suggested you can politely decline but offer the alternative that you are happy for a video call talk through or to arrive early for a handover .
Just to add we have gone to sits beforehand to met the pets but that was something we offered to do in our application as we knew we would be within 30mins drive to the sits and they were all long sits in big homes / gardens where we thought it would be beneficial for us to be shown the ropes beforehand. We’ve also had a video walkthrough with homeowners who we have done 2 sits for but not yet met in person .
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I’ve let them know I was too far for a pre-sit visit, and they didn’t reply and declined the sit so I guess it was a demand / expectation.
No biggie - hopefully they can find someone who fits what they need.
Yes I’ve done pre-sit visits too if it’s nearby. Happy to accommodate if I can, and if there’s a good reason why.
I was asked this a few months ago by a home lowner who only wanted a three night sit. I would have fitted it in between other sitd but she wanted me to visit beforehand, which for me would have been, nearly a 500 mile round trip. It just was not feesable plus the expense of petrol. and doing the trip all in one day, or getting accommodation for a night. And after all that, she could easily decide to go with somebody else.
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I recently had a video call with a Pet Parent who asked if I could arrive a few days early, so she could see how well her pup and I got along. Because she lives in a city I’d like to visit, and the sit was for 3 weeks, I told her my only concern would be the additional cost of overnight accommodations for those additional days (She has a one-bedroom condo.) She said she would be happy to put me up in the guest unit in her condo complex, so I wouldn’t have any additional cost. That was a great solution for all of us (her, me and her pup)!
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@botvot that was really rude of the HOs. If only every member took the confirmation seriously.
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I’m wondering if it’s typical, or even acceptable, to ask a sitter to spend some time with you and your pup before they begin to sit. I can’t imagine leaving our dog with someone he’s never been around. I’m wondering if, in your experience, sitters have been willing to meet up at the park or at your home a couple of times before your trip for short introductions/visits to get your dog used to them.
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Hi @tommarellofam and a warm welcome to the Community Forum 
We have met up with owners before a sit starts on several occasions, even when we have completed international sits. We have also arrived the day or a couple of days before a sit starts and have been invited by the owners to stay and we have had a chance to get to know each other beforehand which is nice.
For reference, as a member, you can also add your TrustedHousesitters profile on to your Forum profile by following the attached link, should you wish. This will then enable others to offer you helpful advice and feedback and will also give your listing extra exposure!
If you are unsure how to do this, or if you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to ask, we are all more than happy to help.
Also, remember you can use the spyglass symbol at the top of the page next to the TrustedHousesitters logo and search for any questions that you may have as they have most likely already been answered on here and of course if not then please just ask! 
I have attached a link and another thread you should also find helpful
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Welcome @tommarellofam I wouldn’t say it’s typical but yes it is acceptable provided that you state this requirement in your listing and pick a local sitter who will be able to travel to met you and without a lot of expense .
You do need to be considerate of the sitter’s time too, so may need to be flexible around the times that are convenient for them to meet up with you .
We have done this on three of our sits - in this case they were local and we offered to do it in our application and agreed on it during or video calls .
You will need to think about whether you are willing to confirm the sit before having met the sitter or afterwards and again be clear about this in your communication with potential sitters.
A possibility to consider: If you’re a HO, you can always offer to meet where the potential sitter finds convenient, including potentially bringing your pet (unless you have a menagerie). Or you could meet in the middle, depending on distance.
Why I suggest that: Some sitters might consider those options more reasonable, given that such meetings are more like interviews for both sides — either or both could find the mtg unsuccessful. With a sitter making all the effort to meet, there’s an imbalance in the dynamic of an equal exchange. There can be an element of being summoned, which isn’t ideal.
Of course, it’s up to each sitter to decide whether they want to do any such visits or mtgs. Some might not mind, because they want to explore an area before accepting a sit as well, or they highly value the sit for some reason.
Most sitters will likely not be local to you . If you want to meet a sitter a couple of times prior to the arranged sit then you will be reducing the pool of sitters available from thousands to a small handful.
We have sat for many dogs of all shapes and sizes and have never met the dog prior to the sit.
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Hi @tommarellofam its sounds like you are a new HO and understandably a little anxious.
I would suggest- if you’d really prefer to have a pre-sit meet up (as a way of checking out a potential sitter) choose a local sitter to invite -so they won’t sacrifice too much time or costs in the event you do not choose them. Most sitters would not want to incur costs when they may not be chosen!
It happened to us once that we were invited to visit a potential host. They’d had lots of applicants (pre 5 applicant limit) but not chosen anyone so when they immediately invited us over we assumed that it was a done deal and this was just a formality before confirming! We drove 100km (each way) and spent a very friendly hour with them. We were ready to confirm and then they said ’ oh we’ve got another couple coming in an hour- we’ll let you know’!! We were shocked! It killed the moment. Once in the car we cancelled our application. They should have been upfront- but instead they wasted our time and misled us.
Please don’t do that to a sitter!
Most sitters -with experience and positive 5* reviews -you should be able to choose without a pre-sit visit. Though its always good to have a video call.
Many hosts (if they have a spare bedroom) invite sitters to arrive the night before so they can meet properly and the pets can get used to them. This is always s good option and we do this frequently. Its absolutely normal & acceptable- even preferable- to meet sitters before you take off on your holiday- but if you choose your sitters well then a short personal handover- a few hours before leaving or an overnight -is usually more than enough for a reassuring handover!
We have on rare occasions done pre-sit visit when we’ve been in the area- but (these days) only if the sit is already confirmed and/or we will not meet the host on the day the sit starts.
Good luck!
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HO here. I’ve only asked that if the CONFIRMED sitter was already in the area, and never as a requirement. Which has happened a couple times. Otherwise I ask to get on a Zoom call, walk around with my tablet to give a virtual tour. Seems to work great, and I think it helps both HO and sitter to gain a little familiarity.
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Hello @Firechick and a very warm welcome to the Community Forum and it’s lovely to see you joining in on this thread
For reference, as a member, you can also add your TrustedHousesitters profile on to your Forum profile by following the attached link, should you wish. This will then enable others to offer you helpful advice and feedback.
If you are unsure how to do this, or if you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to ask, we are all more than happy to help.
Also, remember you can use the spyglass symbol at the top of the page next to the TrustedHousesitters logo and search for any questions that you may have as they have most likely already been answered on here and of course if not then please just ask!
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