Hello new to forum hope you can help.
Posted my first listing 2 days ago, lots of photos, info etc. It’s in UK for end of Feb, i’ve had no takers yet and having “reached out” as the website suggests to about 15 sitters I’ve only heard back from 5 who aren’t available (calendar was white I understand green is best though)
Advice on the following would be helpful:
How quickly would you expect a response to an email invite?
Should I invite local sitters or those a bit further away?
As it’s the UK and end Feb am I unlikely to find someone ie as it’s not the best time for weather in the UK?
Any other thoughts welcome, I haven’t booked holiday yet as I don’t want to end up without a sitter so dates are somewhat flexible.
Hello and welcome. Response time to emails varies on the site, just as it does in our own lives. Some respond within minutes, whereas others take days. Those who take longer to respond sometimes miss out on opportunities.
If you would like feedback on your listing, given it’s your first one, I suggest you add it to your forum profile. That way people can perhaps give you feedback that might be helpful.
As for timing and weather, the variety of sitters and their likes and dislikes is endless. I don’t think you should be disheartened by those factors. During the pandemic, there are any number of reasons why responses and applications might be slow. One hint I’ll share is not to accept someone you’re not comfortable with just because no one else has applied. Make sure it’s a good fit for everyone involved, as it’s so important.
Hi @Bvly welcome to our community forum and to TrustedHousesitters, @Snowbird has given some great advice and feedback … your home is lovely, location is great and Jasmine & Freddy will make the most delightful company for any sitter, these are different times and as Snowbird has said this is effecting response and commitment rates.
I know the need to have pet care in place is uppermost in any owner’s mind, once we know our pet family members care is assured other aspects of travel plans can be the focus.
There is still time to find the right sitters for your pets and home and as Snowbird says adding the listing to your forum profile will give other members access …
Welcome again and if you need any information or the answers to any questions our members will be happy to help, you’ll also find great articles on the website blog.
@Bvly –
Our experience: our first THS sit (In the USA’s Pacific NW) was posted 9 days ago. There have been NO applications yet. In addition, I have been reaching out to sitters who have calendars marked green (“available”) but not one of the 10 has accepted an invite to explore our sit further. That we are new to THS and do not have any reviews yet probably doesn’t help.
It is taking an average of ~3-4 days to people to decline the invitation. Five of the 10 sitters have yet to respond at all, even after 5 days. There seem to be several reasons behind this, incl. sitters simply not checking their email or else trying to decide if their other commitments preclude a sit right now.
This is apparently not terribly unusual, especially in these uncertain times. I have been advised via this forum that there may be more interest as our March sit draws closer and people are better able to plan. I’m going to continue reaching out. I hope my experience helps – I don’t know how typical it is, but is certainly has some commonalities with yours. Best of luck with your search!
Thanks MtnSk8wtr guess we’ll both have to keep plugging away, and hope! Makes it difficult to plan though as obviously no sitter no holiday.
Good luck
Bvly
Hello Snowbird and thank you for your reply, I’ve had a look how I can add my listing to my profile but couldn’t see how I’m on my phone so will have another look on my iPad as it seems easier to navigate the website on that. My husband said the same about email replies ie just because I’d reply straight away doesn’t mean other people will/can
We usually reply within a few hours (even if we should decline a sit). But others might take longer and perhaps not check their inbox very frequently. We very often don’t get replies when we decline an invitation. We also use the THS app and get notified that way. We (as sitters) use multiple platforms, although THS is definitely a good one. It might also help to let the support team push up the listing, if it’s not recent.
Invites are delivered to my personal email box that I check throughout the day. I reply as soon as I see it and the HO, up until now, have always thanked me for my prompt reply.
I always reply as soon as I see the invite - whether or not I can do the sit. I guess in the same way that some HO’s take their time to reply to applications, some sitters take their time to respond to invitations.
I have privately invited a few pet sitters, and one seemed to be interested, but when I sent her the dates she went silent. I have just had another contact me, she is available - should I keep trying to get in touch with the first one, or accept the latest offer. Bit anxious as the dates are quite soon, and good communication is a bit of a thing with me, especially whilst we’re away.
Hi @Pushkina , does your latest message to the first sitter show that she has read it? If she has read it, then you should assume she is not interested. If this present one suits your requirements then you should accept her. Then write to the first one advising her that you have found another sitter.
I would completely agree with @Itchyfeet - if someone hasn’t answered your message and more than a couple of days have passed, then do begin talks with your new applicant, and out of courtesy send a quick message explaining your position.
I know some might say why bother if they haven’t contacted you, but my thinking is it helps inform new sitters (or owners in reverse) who don’t realize the importance and who haven’t taken the Code of Conduct on board. I’ve had a few owners message us back to say they hadn’t realized a) how quickly they need to get back to sitters and b) that any messaging was necessary ! So I hope it helps in some small way Good luck with you new applicant!!
We agree completely with @Itchyfeet and @Vanessa_A. We would also add that you shouldn’t feel anxious about going with another applicant. Having a sitter that communicates well and within reasonable timeframes will likely be a quality that puts you at ease while traveling.
Hi, I always reply straight away regardless if I am waiting to hear from another sit or on one or not sitting at that time, I just be straight up honest, when we were full time sitting before covid lockdowns, we were doing it full time and would leave a sit and go to the next sit the same day, sometimes odd times, however always communicated clearly and honestly with the HO, I often had more than one sit at a time that we were applying for and communicating with the HO with, I learned quickly to do Video Calls and the HO can get a feel, I have had HO rearrange their Holidays so we could come, we are repeat sitters for many of them now. Look at all the applicants, do some video calls and put your mind at ease with who you choose to look after your beloved pets and home too. x
How can you tell if an invitation to sit has been read? I’ve sent a few invitations to local sitters and am not getting responses so maybe they’re not reading them?
Good luck with you new applicant!!