Hello! My husband and I are brand new to THS. We have an active posting starting in early Aug, listed a couple of days ago. Twelve people have looked at our posting/marked us as a favorite, but we have had no applications.
Is it normal to have no applications after a few days? Should I be worried that we won’t find a sitter, since our travel is just over 3 weeks away? I’ll need to make alternate plans if we dont secure a THS sitter.
I haven’t used the boost feature yet since our listing still says “new”. I was planning to boost the posting (though don’t know how to do that!) once the “new” label disappears. Is that a good strategy?
I’d love to hear from more experienced members to learn what is typical or if i should be doing anything different to attract sitters. Thanks!
Hi @Fannie - we are full time sitters nearly 2 years in with 31 sits. It totally depends to be honest. Where you are, what you’re asking for, how long the sit is, what kind of pets you have and so on. When sitters make it a favourite they like the look of the sit but can’t do your dates so are setting an alert for next time around. If you link your listing on here then members can give you advice on how to make it really appeal. Here’s how to do it. Best of luck
We’re sitters, and with some we apply within the same day, but with others I need more time to figure out the logistics of where we are at and when.
Sitters mark their ‘favourites’ in different ways. For us, it’s not for the ones we potentially want to apply for or that we have already done (as we already know which ones they are), we use it to save ones we would like to see potentially come up in the future with dates that may then match ours. But different people use their ‘favourites’ in different ways.
You could reach out to the ones you like the look of in those 12 and ask them to apply, that would be a great starting point, you could just do one at a time if you have someone that sounds perfect. Make your message to them a little more personable (in the same way that you would like someone to apply to you), by pointing out something positive about their profile, so that they know you picked them for their individual qualities, rather than just needing someone/anyone quickly. You already know they liked you by them marking you as one of their favourites, but they don’t know you like them unless you indicate it.
As a sitter, I would find August too short notice. I tend to plan my sittings several months in advance, so that I can get cheap flights. For example, I am now fully booked until end of November. In answer to your question, it really depends on how attractive your sitting is. If you are in central London, for example, people will apply really quickly. If you are somewhere more remote and your pets cannot be alone, then your pool of sitters will be smaller
I didnt know you could check to see if anyone is viewing our sit listing. Can someone tell me how you do this. I have been using the site for around 10 years and didnt know this.
Sign up to allow for notifications and you will get an email/can see when someone marks your listing as a favorite, and that way you know they have looked at your sitting opportunity. Maybe there is another way too, but thats how I found out!
It’s still not too late to get a sitter! Absolutely have a last case scenario set in place so you have peace of mind, but I remember getting the right fit for my first sitters within 3 days of my trip starting. THAT was harrowing. But it worked out.
For some, people will get sitter applications immediately (imagine my surprise when my 3-monther in 2024 maxed out on applications overnight @_@) and some sits need a bit more time to find the right fit. Also, I see last minute sits pop up all the time.
You have the 1 week last minute option for the forum and social media boosting. But if you can, see if you can swing a local sitter to have in your back pocket. Just so you feel more at ease. Best of luck!
