What am I doing wrong? Or is the sit too short? If I am messing up, I’ll take advice, please.
I “rejected” 2 applicants. One because they didn’t read carefully that we are in Vancouver, WA not BC and she didn’t want to reject our sit. Another because she couldn’t/wouldn’t commit because she was so busy with her family, locally.
Please help. If it is me, I will do anything to glow up!
Liz Wharton
(Oct 30 - Nov 8 in Vancouver, WA PNW.).
@TwoGalsGo If you add your listing to your forum profile, sitters will be able to give you advice to help you.
Hi Liz,
I think I found your listing and loved the warm and welcoming style.
If you’re looking to spruce it up a bit I’d suggest pruning it a little as it’s quite long in all sections, and in both the first and second sections there’s some repetition.
It’s all a bit hard to take in at a glance, especially for people living outside the US for whom things like ‘the unincorporated neighborhood of Clark County, Vancouver, WA called Salmon Creek’ and ‘wonderful for people interested in history (Lewis and Clark)’ means very little. If you change the title to something like ‘Across the river from Portland, OR - a welcoming sit’ it will help with the WA/BC confusion.
Maybe use the first section to introduce yourself and animals and then the second to describe ‘home and location’. Bullet points under headings can be a great way to give information in a ‘quick to read’ way, ie ‘House Highlights’ (bullet points about the choice of bed - great that you have photos of both options, workout room, etc), ‘Location Highlights’ (bullet points about things to do in the area eg, things within walking distance, and then further afield etc).
Knowing that it might be possible to use your car is very helpful as car hire can be prohibitively expensive. But for those who don’t drive and might be interested - is it possible to adequately exercise Bodie right from the house (as it seems you could get by shopping by foot)?
You mention ‘a sunny back yard and patio’ but there are no photos of the outside at all, which might be appealing for people? I’d also take out some of the animal photos, especially the very similar ones of Bodie - one or two of each pet, with an additional joint photo is all that is really needed. BTW I absolutely love the photo of you two holding Bodie and Dasher, so I’d be tempted to lead the listing with that one.
Good luck.
Unless you’re specifically looking for locals, maybe go with Washington and Oregon over WA and OR. PNW for Pacific North West would be clearer as Northwest United States.
Two letter abbreviations and acronyms are friends to no one not thoroughly versed in certain specialized lingo.
Shorthand descriptors like Tristate Region, the Bay Area or Twin Cities aren’t non locals friendly either.
You’re not doing anything wrong, it’s a nice listing with a super friendly vibe. The biggest issue may be that there’s a lot of competition popping up in the search, even though they aren’t anywhere near you. The search function is terrible. I think there are also more HO’s than sitters these days, and many people are hesitant to travel to the US at the moment so your sitter pool is smaller. There are still many wonderful sitters out there though! I’d make a few changes and de-list and relist your sit so it comes up new.
What I would change (I’m a homeowner, not a sitter):
-Listing title: sitters only see the first 5-6 words, so maybe “Relax, Hike, & Dine in the Gorgeous Pacific Northwest” or something.
-Photos: I think the photo of the four of you is the most attention-grabbing. Remove the first couple pics of Bodie standing as his head is cut off due to the landscape format. Pics of the two of them are very cute.
-Add photos of the outdoor space.
-I find the first paragraph about destination and James Beard star chefs confusing. Maybe it could be reworded.
Try to attach your listing to your forum profile as suggested. I had to literally google your location and exact dates to find the sit. You’ll get more helpful advice here and you have time to find someone perfect, so hang tight 
Thank you, Temba. I’lll try to figure out how to attach that profile. Appreciate the insights,
Liz
BJane, thank you so much for reading my (admittedly long, which I will trim and bullet, ASAP. I suspected that would be an issue for some folks). I have a good amount of ideas to incorporate and changes to make right now, so will get bush.
Everyone has been so helpful and I am grateful,
Liz
Hey OTR, thank you so much for your advice. I think I should have thought of exactly that! Will change post haste! So grateful for your sharp eyes!
Abashedly,
Liz
You’re the best, Temba!