Also it says my listing is live
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Found it on page 6 this time so thatās good (& bad) as there are 78 sits coming up for āWansteadā from 7 to 21 April so thatās the competition! My advice would be make the tweaks, unlist it and then re-list the sit and you should go to the top of the page as ānewā #fingerscrossed
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Hi @resc2010 - I took a look at your listing and note you had a sitter who left you an excellent review but you do not appear to have left a review in return.
Your pool of sitters will be smaller because of you preferring a single female but if sitters see a pattern of homeowners not leaving reviews it will also be a deterrent to some. Hope all went well.
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Yes, to @Twitcherās point, some of us sitters check for the reviews that hosts have previously written. If they donāt write them, some sitters will pass over the listing. Thatās because reviews are currency for sitters to get other sits. So if there are a number of similar sits, why bother with the ones where hosts donāt write reviews?
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Thereās reason why I didnāt leave as a review as there were some issues. It was her first sit and I could see she was not experienced with dogs but with no other applicants I chose her.I did discuss this with the sitter and I she is sitting for me again and I will leave a honest review then.
Thanks for the update @rssc2010. In hindsight perhaps you could have given her four or five star overall and marked her down on the category which caused you concern, and mentioned why.
Personally I would rather have a review than none at all. If I was a new sitter and had a missing review that may also be a red flag to a homeowner.
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@Garfield You wrote "it is not a great sign either if a listing often come up again for the same sit as if the host is not satisfied with any of the applicants. "
It is not a red flag if a homeowner reposts their listing.
As HOs, weāve had to repost our listing on several occasions because all of the first several applicants were unsuitable.
Why were they unsuitable?
Because even though we clearly state not to bring their own pets, yet they ask to bring theirs.
Because we clearly state no children, yet they want to bring theirs.
Or they apply but canāt do the dates listed.
And so on.
This is why it is sometimes impossible to find suitable sitters within the first 5.
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Owners canāt see if sitters have missing reviews. It doesnāt show on their profile.
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I actually looked at this sit recently, for me and my husband. But further into the information it says āsolo femaleā sitter. I think that narrows down the applicants. Also, you might want to put this in the heading.
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Iāve done 1-2 sits a year almost every single year in London for the past decade.
These sits usually get snapped up quickly, and no, thereās no need for a fancy property. Most of these sits were in standard apartments. And single female sitter shouldnāt limit you too much - normally thereās plenty of those for popular cities like London.
How far out is your sit? Too far out for example and I wouldnāt apply.
Zone 4 central line. So not in the city.
Not all sitters like to sleep with the pets .
So the requirement for a solo female sitter who is happy to share a double bed with your dog will limit the number of sitters .
Pros are that itās only 35mins to central London ( 15 walk +20 min train ride )
Keep in mind @rssc2010 that it was also your first time using a sitter and you chose to accept her because you had received no other applications, knowing that her experience of dogs was limited. To me, you helped each other out and, had I been her, I would be disappointed not to have received a review from you. Iām surprised she is sitting for you again, considering there were issues that lead you to not review her.
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Iād suggest amending your title to commence: āSolo Female Sitterā¦ā since that will immediately alert sitters to your primary requirement. Mentioning a dog and 2 cats isnāt necessary in the heading, since we can ascertain that by using search options.
Shelley looks gorgeous but I suspect not many sitters will want to share a bed with a big, hairy dog. Will she settle in her own bed, in the hallway or kitchen? It might be worth trying her for a night or two, since that would possibly increase your pool of applicants.
We always read reviews left by sitters, and cross reference with those left by hosts, so the fact youāve had just one sitter and not left her a review would be an immediate red flag for us, as sitters, so this has not done you any favours.
Hi there,
I took a look at your listing for you, and overall it looks friendly and inviting. However, as others have also suggested, it could do with a few tweaks, particularly your title & intro. Hereās some ideas to consider:
1: Use an engaging and exciting title that tells sitters straight away why they should sit for you. E.g: Explore London - sightseeing, culture, cuisine & more!
2: Intro
Your intro could start off with a few engaging sentences that tells sitters why they should sit for you. For example - welcome to my home, where you can explore London straight from my front doorstep! Your intro should also introduce yourself and your pets a little more, and tell sitters straight away that your only looking for single females (which will really restrict your pool of sitters, by the way). It should also tell sitters what you expect for a handover (when should they arrive?)
3: Your home and location section sounds great, but you havenāt given much detail about the house itself. What amenities do you have for sitters to enjoy? Do you have streaming services? Can you offer to collect them from the nearest station or airport if needed?
4: Responsibilities section:
This section looks clear & well written. However, the requirement to mow the grass and have the dog sleep on the bed will further narrow your pool of interested sitters, so consider if you can be more flexible with this. Just consider that your listing is competing against many other London sits, and at the moment you have a few factors that will really narrow sitter interest.
Hope that helps and best of luck!
I have no other applicants again and decided to give her a second opportunity. I will leave a review after that. Also I didnāt know she had no experience with dogs. She said she did but I felt she didnāt. I discussed with her I wasnāt leaving a review as I didnāt want to say anything negative so she was aware of this before taking the second sit. I already said that in replies .above.
I dog sit and Iām ok with dogs sleeping on the bed. To be honest I didnāt think it was an issue, but now I see it could be for some. My dog is nearly 12. I canāt change her routine now.
Hello everyone!
@rssc2010 has let me know theyāre happy with the replies theyāve had to their question, so Iām going to go ahead and close it to new replies now, as the discussion is specific to their listing.
Thank you to everyone who took part!
Jenny
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