I’m trying to decide whether this will work for me. We are planning a week long trip. The sitter will be pretty much stuck in a house in the woods in rural Maryland the whole time. We have several animals that need food or medication throughout the day, so there will be at most 3 hours between their needing to be here.
If a sitter is unable to leave your home for more than 3 hours and has multiple pets to care for—especially those with medical needs—it will naturally limit the number of sitters who are both interested and available.
That said, you only one sitter that this appeals for it to work.
It’s worth thinking about what your home offers in return. Could it appeal as a peaceful countryside retreat? Or does it have a comfortable workspace with reliable Wi-Fi for someone working remotely? Might it be better suited to a couple or a family rather than a single sitter? Are there amenities that would appeal to sitters ( hot tub / swimming pool ? )
Highlighting these aspects can make your listing more attractive to the right person.
Hi @richardl,
Welcome to the forum!
I guess you are trying to decide whether you should sign up or not. You can try. There’s a money back promise
Standard and Premium Pet Parent memberships:
If you do not receive any sitter applications within 14 days of posting your first listing, you’ll be eligible to cancel your membership and receive your money back with no strings attached.
To qualify for the Money Back Promise, you must publish your listing a minimum of 14 days before the start of the first sit. This applies to your first-year membership only and you must have either a standard or premium membership.
@Silversitters has given you great advice. I would just add that, although it doesn’t sound like a popular sit, you might get the right fit: people wanting a retreat, even families wanting to live the experience together, etc.
Does your place have easy access to some kind of attractions or grocery stores? If not, could you take the sitters to a store so that they can get provisions for the duration of the sit and pick them up somewhere if they don’t have a car? That would widen your pool of applicants. The more attractive you make your listing, the more likely you are to get a sitter.
There is lots of advice on the forum on how to create a great listing, you can use the spyglass to search for it and you are welcome to come back with questions.
Good luck!
Perhaps offering a provisions pack or other welcome pack would endear you to sitters sufficiently to explore if this sit is a match for them.(Most sitters require a video chat to explore the details of a sit before agreeing). Would you collect and return them from an onward travel point, or lend your car maybe? Could you adapt some of the meds schedule to provide a longer absence window? Lots of adaptations to your listing could attract somebody out there.
On another note- please ensure the Vet arrangements are watertight ie Vet credit card is fully loaded or another payment system in place. THS includes in its T&Cs that sitters pay emergency vet bills, and to be reimbursed by the HO later. Many sitters don’t agree with this and will not do this (myself included) so make sure you mention your plan to pay your Vet. Best Wishes.
It may appeal to a person interested in pursuing veterinary school or a person thinking about buying land and having animals and this experience would be beneficial to them. Families on here like to give their kids the experience of caring for different animals. Just be honest in your listing what the day looks like so someone doesn’t leave the sit complaining this was never exposed in the Welcome Guide or profile.
Are there hiking, fishing, swimming, rock climbing, birding… areas by your place? Outdoors person/people may love such an area. I’d focus on those in your listing.
As you have asked, I would like to give you an honest answer/opinion. You may list your requirements and it is possible you will find a sitter, however, I do not see your odds as being very good. If you will look at your situation with an open mind, ask yourself what your absolute needs really are. Is there any possibility of rearranging feeding or medication times to allow for longer intervals? Is there any way to offer to have someone else feed and/or medicate the animals on two or three occasions over the week so the sitter/s can do some exploring?
If you are able to make some adjustments, then you may find this a great opportunity. If you truly cannot accommodate any changes, then I would recommend finding a paid sitter.
Good luck and welcome.
Thanks everyone for the advice and insights. There are some suggestions there that would be helpful. We DO have a hot tub and there will be farm fresh eggs that the sitter will need to pluck from under the chickens. And fresh veggies from the garden. We may be able to modify the schedule some to make it easier for the sitter to experience the area. The 3 hours are really an animal that needs to be fed 4 times a day so timing isn’t as critical as for medication. We live within about an hour of Washington DC so that could be an advantage if we can get them time to enjoy it.
Again, thanks for being so generous with your advice.
I Suggest that a good photo of that is the first photo if that makes your home stand out from other listings
Are the animals well behaved and easy to be around? If yes, there might be a number of potential sitters who want to relax and unwind in the countryside.
or that might attract the wrong kind of sitter…
You could consider giving the sitter a “break” for a day and ask a friend to feed the dog twice so that the sitter could go sight-seeing for 8 hours or so.
@richardl, welcome to THS Forum.
We agree with great advice from @Silversitters.
The housesitting community is remarkably diverse in terms of personal situation, listing preferences and housesit usage. Suggest post honest, complete listing with good photographs. Suggest concurrently determine a backup plan.