2 days ago i found an offer "near Paris " i wanted to apply but i read first 2 feedbacks.
Previous sitters warned future applicants that sit was 45 mn from Paris with public transportation…
I sent a message to the owner asking where she was living precisely
She answered. Gave the name of the suburb town.
I declined.
1/ Paris and suburb atmospheres are very different
2/ how THS can mention
Paris if the town area code is not Paris ?
Good Detective work.
For me, the feedbacks are a big factor in deciding whether or not to apply to a housesit. But I also read through the reviews for the sitter to understand both sides of the story.
That doesn’t mean that if there are no feedbacks that I won’t apply. HO also start from scratch. Only when several sitters were there and feedbacks are missing then I make my thoughts.
But everyone reads the feedback as it suits him. One is bothered by the big city, the other it is too rural. Clean or dirty, modern or old-fashioned furnishings, that’s all very relative and probably depends on what you would like. I try to read between the lines. For example: The dog was very energetic and not to get tired. Sounds like fun or stress. Fun if you want to hike for 10 hours, stress if you are planning a relaxing vacation.
Looking at ads today i was ready to apply when i read that sitter’s feed back. Very useful. I did not apply
Some sitters explained on another thread it was difficult to sound negative. But it is very useful for future sitters
I was looking at that ad the other day as it pops up frequently & was curious. Not convinced & wouldn’t consider it if ever up in Wales.
Agree with you 
We had something similar happen to use for a listing posted for Oslo, Norway, however we agreed to the sit before getting the address. Once we received the address, we were a bit disappointed that the home was quite a bit outside of the city. However, we made the most of it and still very much enjoyed our time. We took a few days to venture to Oslo, but also took many walks and hikes in the area of the home.
We did learn the same lesson you have learned though. We now always ask for a nearby cross street or landmark (or read for clues in the listing) before committing to a house sit. It’s especially important since we don’t have a vehicle and need to be able to get to a grocery store occasionally. 
Since we find it so helpful when other sitters leave detailed and informational reviews, we always leave a thorough review ourselves. We include distances to grocery store and public transportation, WiFi speeds, local walks and attractions, demeanor and personality of pets, etc. We hope others have found it as helpful as we would have 
100% on location/grocery stores. We once did a house sit where we learned this the hard way, even though we’d asked about transportation and even grocery stores. The owner assured us that they were next to a train station w/ grocery stores were nearby. Turns out the grocery store was in town a few miles away. Even if we took the train one stop to the town, it was a 20 min, uphill (1 way) walk to the grocery store. They must have always driven, making it seem close
We did another sit listed as in New York City and it was actually 1.5 hour train ride out of the city and you needed a car to get to the train station. Being from the area, I know it well and calling that NYC is not even a huge stretch, it’s just not accurate lol. The couple was very sweet and we got all the details before agreeing, but someone not familiar w/ the area or who didn’t ask those questions would’ve been frustrated.
In both these instances, I’m sure that the owners were not intentionally trying to misrepresent the situation or mislead anyone. I’m not trying to point fingers at all, just saying that no questions is too many! And if any owners are reading, to be super detailed in the listing as to the location
Yes some owners are reading : Me for example…
But shopping is easy, can be made on foot !!! I tell my sitters (who can be pleased not to need a car as I don’t give any .
But as a sitter I forgot to ask if the home where I planned to sit was close to a grocery shop, last august in Kent with the lock down I faced a bad surprise : the rental car I was expecting could not be delivered to me. When the owner’s daughter drove us to Avis from the train stration, we discovered the shop was closed with no warning ! The owner called abroad gave us the name of another local company and we could manage to rent in some town near by, hiring a taxi togo there and get the car. There was not any grocery shop in the village, during a few days we survived on the next door pub.
