If there are sitters who will do the high demand sits that is great. However, when I see no one has applied it is usually a red flag the owner has unrealistic expectations. In my opinion, some of the listings should really be looking to pay for what they are seeking. I don’t know if owners can offer compensation on this site or not.
I see so many home owner posts with no reviews meaning there has been a huge uptick in home owners joining. I typically will not apply to a sit without any reviews However, I will utilize a pet sitter without any reviews. Home owners have no references and if I am going to spend time and money to get there, I want to know I will enjoy it and not walking into a nightmare.
I also just posted for a sit in Portland and it is what most pet sitters would consider an ideal sit. One cat, a car, great location and lovely home. I only had two applicants within the first day. Way down from previous postings… I think the cost of travel is drastically impacting sitters.
I have been invited to numerous sits in Portland and beyond. I have not been available or the sit isn’t for me. Many sitters get asked back by home owners and become less available for new sits. This is definitely the case for me. I no longer do local sits via THS. I have a concierge business and charge. If you get stuck send me a private message with dates. I will be in Portland in June as of now.
Re: HO posts with no reviews… I joined TH as a HO in early 2018 and have had about 7-8 sitters since then. Oddly, I only got reviews for the last two (starting in May 2021). Made me wonder if previously there wasn’t an option for Sitters to review HOs. One of the no-review sitters I’d invited back for a second sit and she gladly accepted, so don’t think it was a case of the first few years’ sitters being disgruntled or something. Maybe someone here can help explain.
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Not considering HOs without feedbacks is the same as not wanting a sitter without reviews. One has to start somewhere. If everybody thought like this THS wouldn’t exist.
If you choose not to do a video call with HOs, who want to schedule some with other sitters, that’s your choice and if you have had confirmations without, great for you.
I am a HO, who might want to do more than one video call, because I decide AFTER it has taken place if the sitter fits, not before. What’s the point in doing it at all if I already decided?
When I think the first sitter, I was having a video call with, is a fit I confirm right away and cancel the other video appointments.
I also don’t like to be held on hold and I understand that it feels that way if there are more applicants the HO want to talk to. But as sitters are free to apply for multiple sits for the same time period, HOs should be allowed to choose how they manage their decision process.
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I don’t think this is true at all. Some sits will get less interest for lots of reasons, not just because of unreasonable owners. I have two sits coming up, both of which I was the only applicant. Both are long-time members with multiple glowing 5* reviews and great profiles/homes/pets. The fact is just that their location isn’t as sexy as a main tourist center and there are more HOs than Sitters at this point. It doesn’t help that the cost of rental cars right now is out of this world so any sit that requires a car automatically will get fewer applicants.
And no, no money exchanges hands on this site. Luckily everyone has free choice so if they think a sit is too demanding to do for free, they can just not do that sit.
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You should always assume HOs are talking to other sitters. Just like you should be talking to other HOs.
We even turned down another sit while waiting to hear back from these owners.
Yeah, I wouldn’t do this. If I hadn’t heard from the first sit, I would circle back to them to check in, but if they weren’t willing/able to make a choice yet, then I’d accept the 2nd sit.
I am accustomed to virtual meets once people have decided you are the best candidate but both parties want a face to face.
In years of sitting, this is not my experience at all. In my experience. HOs do a video call with every sitter they’re interested in and then make a choice, which i think is perfectly reasonable. I know that after doing a video call, there have been sits I’ve decided I didn’t want to do. Interviewing and doing research is just part of the cost of doing business, whether you get the sit or not.
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If you are no longer a sitter with THS, are you only here to advertise your paid sitting business? Seems pretty shady.
I think the review option was always there but I’m pretty crap at reviewing (everything, not just here) unless things are bad, and really didn’t think about it for a long time. Now I pay more attention to the fact that reviews help HOs too so I make sure to do it.
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I am a very active pet sitter with THS. I no longer do local pet sits via THS unless I have sat for them in the past. I am only in Portland a few months a year and need to earn income when home to support my international pet sits. Over the holidays I had several people very desperate for pet sitters so I reached out to everyone I know who does it for money and everyone was booked. I finally started telling owners I could only do it via my business because I had no intention of pet sitting while my children were home. This summer will be the same. I do not advertise myself via THS. Only help people who have no other THS options.
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Why would I assume owners are doing virtual meets with many people when I am told they would be thrilled to have us sit for them? As stated, I will now ask this question. I learned my lesson. I ask for transparency so I can determine if the pet sit is worth my time to do a midnight meeting. When dealing with 8-9 hour time zones it is often not a convenient time.
I circled back to the owners and made them aware someone else had invited us to a sit (without a visual meeting). We gave the pet sit preference because it was located where my partner is attending a family reunion so he needs to be in the area.It is also on the east coast so convenient for returning to Europe immediately following it. We had no idea they had friends considering staying at their home. That is the primary point of my comment. I have had other people tell me if there is a possibility a friend may stay. Sometimes I can wait and other times I can’t. I don’t post for pet sitters until I know for 100% certainty, I’m not going to pull the listing.
I have only been asked to do one virtual meet with all of my international pet sits. I assume you do most of your pet sits in the states.
I am at a stage in life where we resonate with certain types of people. I spend a lot of time personalizing my cover letters with my application. Nearly all of my international petsits have been for expats. They can see our home and the lifestyle we live and read our reviews as both pet sitters and homeowners. I belong to Home Exchange and no one meets virtually prior to sharing their homes.
This is a community not a paid job. However, when I am on a pet sit I treat it like my job. I seldom leave the animals, do deep cleans, establish friendships etc… On my current petsit I am even helping a neighbor. This shows in my reviews. Many people have enough experience to recognize golden pet sitters when they apply and are thrilled you are interested.
When I had THS “Sitters of the Year” apply for our post, I did not need to interview them but they needed to interview us.
I dont understand the issue about the homeowners considering having friends sit for them. To me, this is no different to having multiple THS applicants - it’s not as though only one person at a time can apply.
As a homeowner (with a booked holiday in a month’s time), I’m considering all and any options available to ensure my pets are looked after - THS, paid sitters, family and friends. (That said, my F&F are no better placed to sit than a ‘professional’ sitter.)
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Your friends apply to help you?
Ask your sitters to do reviews for you: it’s called Feedback on their menu. For some years I didn’t even know doing reviews for owners was an option.
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I ‘invite’ them. I have similarly ‘invited’ paid sitters. At the end of it all, I still need to find the best fit who can care for my pets. Whilst friends and family have an advantage that they are known to me, they also have their own commitments (job, family, pets) and I’m asking a huge favour whereas 'professional ’ sitters are already in the market.
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I spend on average 20-30 minutes applying for a pet sit after I have read all their reviews, researched the location and transportation costs. Every pet sit I apply for takes a minimum of an hour of my time. I communicate a lot with all of my future/past owners and sitters so I treat it as my profession and establish relationships with all involved. This is a lifestyle choice for me. I love the relationship part and true friendships that emerge with like minded people living all over the world more than anything.
I don’t appreciate people posting if they have family or friends who are considering helping them either paid or for free. Ultimately, they will utilize people they have established relationships with and who they trust. I would respectively ask owners to sort out if they truly need a pet sitter from THS prior to posting.
You must have an amazing home in a highly desirable location to have so many people eager to help you. I am extremely selective on where I apply. If I am going to be in a specific place on set dates for personal reasons, I am much more willing to spend more time securing the pet sit. However, the majority of the pet sits I apply for are because they speak to me for a particular reason. There are so many pet sits and the best pet sitters are able to be very selective.
Your bunnies are adorable! I don’t see any reviews or applicants for your posting so perhaps you utilize other platforms. I know a lot of people in the U.K. are really struggling to find sitters especially if not in the most desirable places. Best of luck with your search.
How do I know someone belongs to “the best”?
Even someone without a review yet can be absolutely perfect.
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Where is the difference between more than one sitter applying and family taking the sit? Someone gets the job and to the one declined it doesn’t matter who gets it.
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I apologize for making a blanket statement earlier. I have made exceptions to pet sitting for new people to the site especially when beginning myself. I should say, if I am on the fence about applying for a pet sit, I won’t apply if they don’t have any reviews. I literally look down for reviews before reading anything from the post. The cover photo or heading has to be pretty fantastic if it isn’t in a location I will be already traveling for me to read the posting. I recently had one week between pet sits so I was far more open to postings without reviews since my timeline and location was so specific.
I had several experiences with new owners in the beginning where they were clueless about the rules. They were lovely people but I could have reported two homeowners to THS for family members entering the home/property without notifying me. One was also not really honest about their dog’s behavior and the state of their home. You have cats so reviews are not as much of an issue but large dogs are a must for me after one bad experience. I am currently on what has likely been my favorite sit and they were new to the platform. However, they have a small breed of dog I know well and adore and based on their profile, I had no concerns about them or their home. My point is as a pet sitter I have far more concerns about where I am going to be staying than the high quality pet sitters who typically apply to my postings.
This thread is meant to help homeowners. I am sharing my experiences and perspective. People are free to take it or leave it. I love your cover photo to grab my attention. Your post is great with plenty of details and photos. If I were planning to be in your area, I would apply without reviews but I wouldn’t travel to you specifically without reviews. I hope that makes sense and clarifies.
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Yes, it does make sense 
explaining it like this.
Thank you so much for the compliment about my listing 
But again, it’s all about communication. If you feel that new HOs don’t know the rules why not talk to them about it? I wouldn’t have known many things (like cameras in the house, which I don’t have, or a third party dropping by, which my relatives wouldn’t do) without this forum. Yes, there is a code of conduct, but I confess, I don’t like reading this stuff…