This totally worked for us! Our HO’s hadn’t even booked their holiday when they contacted us but we were able to discuss and reach mutually convenient dates and everyone was happy. We’re going to do a pre-sit visit (which is what we like to do if at all possible) in the next couple of weeks as we’re visiting family near to them 
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Is the favorites list now in order starting with the most recent? If so, I’m willing to give this a try for some upcoming sits.
Answering my own question FWIW, several sitters favorited my listing today and I can see that they are not in order from most recent as no new sitters have appeared at the top. If they are in some order I have no idea what it is and can’t find any info online. The email alerting me did not have specifics either. Basically, It’s not that easy to figure out who to reach out to about upcoming sits with flexible dates.
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Thank you for following up on this!! I’ve been thinking about how to open the line of communication with sitters too, have seen you around on other threads where reaching out was suggested, and wondered if it was actually feasible. I’ve moved across the country a couple times since joining THS and have a big backlog of sitters who’ve favorited my listing but probably wouldn’t be interested in it anymore since it’s in a different state. It’s too bad 
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Exactly. My sit hasn’t changed much, but in the past I’ve reached out to a few sitters from the list and every time their living or work situation had changed dramatically enough that it was no longer a good fit. It’s a shame since it sounds like the notification system isn’t great either, so I don’t even know if they’re getting alerts. As far as I can tell, in 4+ years, I have yet to receive an application from someone who’s saved my listing, which seems strange. I did send one invitation yesterday so we’ll see if that goes anywhere, but it seems like a crapshoot.
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When that happens, I immediately look at the sitter’s profile, and if it feels like we might be a good match, I reach out with a private invitation. So far the dates have never worked out, but maybe in the future.
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How do you tell which sitter saved your listing? My email sends me to a page with 94 sitters who’ve saved it in the last four years. And my list on the web interface is different from the app. Maybe on the web they are in order? Hard to know.
As for inviting them, I figure if they are saving instead of applying it’s because the dates don’t work, but it’s a good suggestion to open lines of communication. Maybe I’ll give it a try since we have more trips coming up.
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I prefer to privately invite. I save them by hearting their profile when they heart mine.
I had a bad experience with sitters who arrived hours before I was to leave for Europe, announcing on arrival that they intended to leave early because they had been traveling for months, were ready to go home, and lived halfway across the country. I had to scramble to find care for my dogs on that last day, as I was on a tour and couldn’t come home a day early.
I now look for sitters that live in an 8 hour radius of me just to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
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That’s a shame @Marlamay but sitters who’ve come from further away are often more committed not less because they’ve spent out on flights & travel to get to you and your pets. Asking about travel arrangements & plans will help make you feel more relaxed. We rarely sit in the same country we live in and have never cancelled a sit in more than 40, and are often away for 6 months at a time. #foodforthought
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Well I certainly thought our arrangements were firm. We’d had several zoom calls and they expressed excitement at having the opportunity to explore my town (a resort area). And without elaborating, they were not very honest people. The experiences definitely made me skittish, although I know it is probably not typical.
DM me if you want to communicate with me about possible private sits. I am in Oregon, USA.
Edited to remove member’s details per the Community Rules
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