New to TH we posted our first trip and immediately had 5 great applicants. We responded to all of them wanting to schedule a Zoom or Teams meeting or the like and have yet to receive replies even though the “read” icon is showing. I also responded to a sitters question about car necessity, yet I have received no messages back; It almost seems like my messaging function is not working. Is there a way to test its functionality? is it possible my replies are being held since we are new to the site? If it is all working correctly how long do you usually wait for an applicant to get back to you before you move on? Right now my listing is paused.
24-48 hours should usually be enough time. If a HS isn’t responsive the interest might not be that high from his/her side (a lot of sitters apply to multiple sits). Not sure if I would really interview 5 people, but it’s your choice. Usually a HO will schedule a video chat with just one HS and put the other suitable applicants on hold.
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I suggest you leave it 48 hrs and then decline so you can receive more applications.
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How long has it been? I rarely have to wait more than a few hours before seeing a response. The messaging is wonky, I’d check in with Membership services.
Welcome @ShAmy. I agree with @Timmy that as a sitter I try to respond asap if a HO comes back to me regarding my application to sit. I’d agree that 2 days is fair.
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I agree with the other posters, that 48 hours is probably a decently long time to wait. Sometimes sitters are trying to rearrange their itineraries, to see if they can make it work.
If you want to do a test, maybe link your listing to your forum ID and have someone do a test application, to see if it goes through? And then of course, immediately decline it so that you aren’t scaring away potential sitters that see that you have applicants already and might assume that the sit is already in the finalization process.
ShAmy as a sitter I would not be interested in a video chat if I knew you were chatting with 5 sitters but that could just be my preference. I prefer when home owners have narrowed it down to 1 or 2 people and then we are chatting to see if it is in fact a match on both sides.
Hope you hear back from some applicants soon.
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Thanks. Wasn’t planning to interview 5, we have our top 2 choices but just confirming applicants are comfortable with winter driving conditions and have an appropriate vehicle before we schedule an interview.
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It’s coming up on 48 hours. Guess i’m just being impatient as I’m used to much more rapid communication.
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Thanks. I was assuming I’d get replies within 24 hours so surprised some of them are going into the 2nd and 3rd day. 3 of my applicants were vague on whether they could do my dates but wanted to introduce themselves and be considered for future sits… I’ve asked them to at least confirm they can do the dates before we move on without response - guess I will decline if I haven’t heard back in another 24 hours.
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Kootenaigirl I am not planning to interview 5 people and have narrowed it to one or 2., but my applicants were vague on key items like if they have transportation, are comfortable with winter driving, if they are bringing their pet and 3 or them are even unclear if they can do the dates and want to introduce themselves and be considered for future sits. So I sent each a message to clarify and have been surprised by the lack of response. All of the applicants seem great but I don’t want to move forward until I know they can actually do the sit. I have one applicant who was clear and I’d like to do a video chat but she has not responded to a request for one yet. I guess I’m just surprised at how slow the communication is and wondering if its an issue with the messaging. The forum has been much more responsive.
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The lack of response does seem strange. It could be the holiday weekend, if you’re in the US? After 48 hrs with no response I think I’d send a note saying you were sorry not to hear back and then decline their app so more sitters can apply, especially as it sounds like most of your current applicants aren’t actually available. If they are, they are not nearly as proactive as I’d hope. They could still respond (maybe even re-apply?) because now messaging between the two of you is open.
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@ShAmy That is frustrating. If you decline people and your listing is opened again and you want me to apply and we can try some messages out feel free to PM me 
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I would expect very quick replies, within a matter of hours. If they have notifications turned on, they are notified whenever an email comes in from the THS app. You could drop them a line letting them know you want to move quickly and to please reply as soon as they receive this or you will figure they are no longer available or interested. That should prompt some action. Yes, it’s a holiday weekend but that should not affect response time. These things should move quickly. At that point you’ll be able to rule some of them out and reopen your listing to receive more applicants.
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From a sitter POV, this sounds bizarre. When I apply for a sit, I check every hour to see if the HO/PP has read my application, then again for a response. It sounds like you have had some sitters doing a “beat the rule of 5” application just to introduce themselves but they haven’t been polite enough to withdraw their applications. The others sound like they are those who just apply for anything in their date/location range and then take the first/best offer without regard to the other HO/PP. There must be instances where any sitter or owner has sudden crises and circumstances that prevent good, prompt communication but realistically they can’t be frequent.
Reach out to your 2 favourites one more time if you want to but give the others the boot!
I’m tired and jaded, really despondent about the (possibly apocryphal) stories of Nouveau Sitters who don’t care about what they do and want a freebie lifestyle.
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Is this for a Christmas sit? I ask because I’m experiencing something similar.
I am fairly new to THS and have had four sitters over the past few months. All have been great and I got quite a few decent applicants very soon after posting for each of those sits.
A month ago, I posted for a Christmas sit. It took several days to get any applicants, and when I did, they were mediocre. I did a Zoom call with one, who was OK (but not great) and after the call, the sitter chose a different sit.
I re-posted the sit after my sit went to page 2. That was two weeks ago and I have not had a single applicant, and, again, my listing is on page 2 for my city. I think there are so many people looking for holiday sitters, and much fewer sitters available right now.
Sitters just wanting to show their interest in future sits rather than your current dates could be an unintended consequence of the 5 app pausing, as its one way of opening a conversation with owners for desirable listing. However, they should respond quickly once you’ve responded and withdraw their applications to make room for sitters who can do the current dates. I would decline them and unpause your sit so you can accept more applicants.
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No, mine is last 2 weeks of Jan. I’m in a ski town with a great house and lots of interest just lackluster follow-up communication.
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Just throwing in my two cents, randomly:
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I looked briefly at your listing, and it looks amazing. And you have 5 applicants already but it’s in late January. So don’t hurry picking someone. You want to find a way to field more applicants.
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You can decline an application and you will still be able to communicate with them, and vice versa. They can still message you. You can also trade cells/emails before or after (since they can still message you on TH anytime after they’ve applied).
- So, you could politely decline the applicants that spark the least joy. Before you do so, you can message them letting them know so. E.g., “Thank you for applying. I want to give space for more applicants to apply, so I’m declining your application, but you’re still in the running. If you’re still interested, please respond to my earlier questions via messaging here, or you can text me at X or email me at Y.”
- If you’re wondering how that might work practically, if you do decide to pick someone you declined earlier (which frankly is unlikely), then you could coordinate with them when you’ll decline the 5 active invitations, which should leave plenty of time for them to resubmit an application.
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If prompt communication is important to you, please put that in your listing. (I didn’t read it carefully, if you already did so.) Some people are good at being flexible, meaning they might be slower by default (and it’s Thanksgiving weekend…), but they will adjust as needed.
- Personally, I’m much more responsive to texts than emails, though I prefer emails for details. The point is I see texts faster. If I’m traveling (like during Thanksgiving…) I may not check email as often. Some may get TH app notifications, but some may use only the TH website, so for me only vague emails. (“You’ve got a message!”) If someone’s applied to 10 different places, it can be hard handling 10 threads like that.
Long story short: I’d decline the worst 3 of your current applicants, but leave the door open for them to continue the conversation. Repeat that process until you find the “perfect” sitter.
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The sit really does look good! Not surprised sitters are inquiring about future dates. It might be best to reject the sitters who are not certain they can do your dates more swiftly so you can get applications from other sitters who can actually come. We as sitters also look for more responsive HOs. It’s a matter of respect and important for us during emergencies to know that we can reach the HO.
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