For us the low applications purple tag is the reason we scroll straight past and don’t even look at the listing. We’re not interested in doing the sit others don’t want. Sorry, but It’s the harsh reality. Do whatever you can to keep changing your listing so it comes up with the red “new” tag.
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If I remember correctly before the Low Application tag all listings came up as new and I scanned through them all.
Unlike some sitters I don’t usually have a particular type of sit in mind. If something takes my fancy, the home and pets look good and the dates work I may apply.
Since the Low Applications tag came in I just go straight to the filter for ‘Newest’ and don’t even see the Low Applications listings. I use the full site and not the app.
I feel a Last Minute tag may be useful for some people but the Low Applications one is of no use to anyone as far as I can make out.
Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
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I’m with you on this one @Twitcher and I feel genuinely sorry for those homeowners with the “low application” tag. I believe it actually puts them at a disadvantage.
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It’s like the sale rail @ziggy - as in an option to buy the last minute unwanted items. Terrible idea and tag!! #marketingdisaster #lowapplicationbadge
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@Cuttlefish you have such a way with words 
I didn’t see it mentioned yet … you might consider inviting sitters rather than just waiting for applications. We live in a very beautiful and highly visited area (Asheville, NC) and still run into some occasions where reaching out to sitters seems prudent. We typically invite folks within a 4-6 hour drive and need to invite approximately 10-20 before getting a positive response. We tend to invite about 3 at a time and then wait a few days or until all have declined before inviting a new batch. Good luck!
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I agree with @Twitcher and others that I don’t look at “Low Applications” as I have seen them when they came out as new.
However, this morning, I realised that they are marked as Low very quickly.
Yesterday morning I applied for a new sitting in the USA with No Applicants. I know that this listing had appeared during the night. I applied immediately.
This morning, I looked at the listing at 6.45 as the owner had responded to me. I also noted that I was still the only applicant but, worryingly for any HO, it was marked “Low Applications”
This is really quick and I am wondering what the criteria is for this. Anyone can easily miss this listing as they think they will have seen it when it was New. I think it should stay as New for longer than 1 day.
@Ben-ProductManager - are you able to explain the criteria - thanks
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Hello @Itchyfeet As Ben is not online I can help as I can see that this information was given on another thread "Low Applications" Label on Desktop Listings - #22 by Karen_E
The criteria for the low application tag to be applied is
“48hrs low application tag with only 1 applicant”
I believe that the new badge lasts 24 hours after the dates are posted, then there is a period with no badge and then after 48 hours if there 0 or 1 applicant the low badge is applied.
I hope that helps, if you are worried any listings are not showing this correctly then please reach out to membership services with the listing link at support@trustedhousesitters.com
Seems a lot of sits are “low applicants.” Maybe that’s to let sitters know that they might get a housesit easier as in less competition? I also posted dates that in before Christmas and I’m having a difficult time finding sitters if that’s any consolation.
I hope membership services comes to realize that the “low applications” badge is of no use to anyone.
It sheds a bad light on the HO’s listing and sitters admit that they ignore these “bargain basement” listings.
Lose/lose!!
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I’ve seen listings with both the New tag and the Low Applications tag. Something must be wrong with the logic.
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That badge reminds me of budget UK estate agent Purple Bricks trying to flog everyone a house that no one wants @jcvbva 
#terriblemarketing
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@jcvbva Please can you send me a link to the listing, thank you 
Yes I’ll message you the link though it isn’t showing both tags now. This isn’t the only one I’ve seen with both tags.
Almost every listing that pops up in my feed says * low application * is there some kind of bug or glitch? I’m not seeing any listing that do not have that label. Seems off or the system needs another new update. 
@Catgoddess_99 Low application listings will show up first in the feed by default (on the app and the computer). You need to change the filter from ‘recommended’ to ‘new’ and you will see new listings first.
Considering the number of listings on the site, there are probably a ton that have this designation. Given a listing gets removed from the feed after 5 applications–which is still a really low number–this label seems completely unnecessary. I believe any sit with less than 3 applicants gets ‘branded’ with it.
I know a lot of HOs don’t love the ‘low applications’ designation, and considering that listings disappear from the feed after a mere 5, it doesn’t seem necessary.
As a sitter I just wanted to say that this label would not deter me from reading a listing. With the number of sits available far exceeding the number of sitters looking for assignments at any given time, I don’t think this label automatically says anything about the desirability of the sit. This is especially true in areas like the UK and US where listings are in the thousands on a regular basis. I see lots of great sits without a lot of applications–it is nothing more than there simply aren’t enough people to fill them.
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But when I am interested in a region, I will often already have read that listing when it was new.
@pietkuip Yes that is true in many cases. For my husband and I, we often have a tentative plan about our itinerary–full time sitter- but end up changing our mind for one reason or another, which leads us to looking at an area we hadn’t been previously. In the US especially–where we are from–this usually means seeing a ton of listings that may have been up for awhile but are totally new to us. We are firming up some plans right now and there is a good chance we will end up applying to some of these ‘low application’ listings that look like really great sits.
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Its interesting that THS thinks 1 application is not enough and 5 is too many. Thats a tight window.
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