Hi Guys
What is an appropriate amount of time to wait to hear back about a sit, before applying for an alternative for the same dates? Thanks
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This subject has come up previously, my take on it is…
Apply for any sitting you wish to even if they crossover on dates.
I have found that…
- HO don’t always respond very quickly.
- Even when they read your application some don’t bother acknowledging it or respond within a polite timescale.
- After 7-10 days with no contact I cancel my application given the lack of apparent interest (and manners)
Therefore, if you apply for one sit at a time you will almost certainly hit some of the issues described above and this will reduce your opportunities.
Just ensure you manage multiple applications so that you don’t end up double booking!
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Thank you Martin,
That was most useful. We are new to this and are trying to secure our first sit. I think if we don’t up our game with the applications and sit back for a week to 10 day each time waiting for replies, it might never happen. I wasn’t aware you could with draw an application. Could you please tell me how this is done?
Thanks Teresa
Hi @LV123 welcome to the forum and to our TrustedHousesitters you will find some great advice here from both new and experienced members and there are many great “How To” articles on the website blog for members and our Membership Services Team are available with practical advice to help you get started, so all the encouragement, information and support you need to get the very best from your membership.
I often apply for sits with overlapping dates. I look at it the same as applying for multiple jobs simultaneously, which everyone does. When seeking real life jobs, didn’t/don’t you apply for more than one at a time? If we didn’t and waited to hear the response to just one application at a time, a lot of us would/will be unemployed.
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Welcome to the forum. If there are multiple sits that appeal to you with overlapping dates, you can certainly apply to them all. There is no obligation to wait until a homeowner responds to apply for another sit. Everyone is different, but I rarely withdraw my application unless I get another sit confirmed or make other plans that conflict with the dates. I once applied for a sit that I had not heard back on for 3 weeks. I assumed that they were not interested in me, but it turned out that they were just really busy at work. I got the sit and it was great. If I had withdrawn, I would have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to visit a remarkable city and hang out with sweets kitties. I know that it is annoying to be on hold, but sometimes patience pays off. Best of luck to you.
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Basically you go back in to your application and uncheck the dates… you get the opportunity to message the HO at the same time.
Good luck with your hunting!
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After about 10 days, if the HO I’ve applied to hasn’t replied, or chosen, I simply message again and write that I’ve been accepted for an alternative sit.
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Martin,
This is new information for me! Interesting! I really would like to eventually do some international housesitting, but so far, my experience is that the owners generally do not choose a sitter far enough in advance for me to make international travel plans based on the house sit. I spend a lot of time spinning my wheels, looking for opportunities, which turn out to be empty ones. Any advice?
PV Gemini
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I expect that international ones are probably not viable much before 2022, HO are likely to choose someone within their own boundaries so that it reduces the risks of cancellation for covid or other reasons.
I’m focusing on UK based sits for the moment and hoping that international opportunities open up soon… and yes you need to search for those posting ahead of time as they are not so frequent.
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Hi @PVGemini welcome to our community forum, thank you for joining.
While some international sits are happening as @Martin_S says the opportunities are less than normal, when safe travel returns owners will have more confidence to plan well ahead and have less worry about their travel plans being cancelled because that situation has a knock on effect.
International sits will return and now there are more great opportunities and experiences in our own “back yards” many sitters are saying they didn’t know just how amazing "home"can be … and you’ll find great help and advice from members in the forum.
We agree Martin .
It will be slow to totally feel free to travel any were
Better to be safe than sorry
I live in the state of Oregon (US) and have looked for sits in Oregon, Washington, and California. Some of them have 31-40 applicants and have not yet chosen anyone for a sit that begins in June or July 2021. I do not understand leaving all of those people hanging.
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Hi @PVGemini when Membership Services become aware of any listing with a high number of applicants who have not paused applications they will contact the owner and advise them on best practices for managing their listing and responding to sitters.
Some owners, particularly new members are not aware that applications can be paused, we frequently send nudges and reminders.
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Angela,
My main issue is that owners are not obligated to make any decision despite having more than enough applications to choose from. In my opinion, it is impolite. The concept of Trusted Housesitters would be far more valuable if the owners would be obligated to choose a sitter within a certain timeframe. TH would have more interested and engaged sitters if the rules were different. Perhaps the staff at TH could do an analysis/study of the situation to better understand how this affects their business.
Best,
Sarah
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Hi Sarah we value our members feedback, one of the great advantages of having the forum. Communication and member success, both for owners and sitters has always been a key focus, this is an interesting suggestion and one for the product team.
Thank you, we really appreciate your input.
We don’t wait. If multiple potential sits come up at the same time we apply for them all and accept whatever one accepts us first. We would never ever play one against the other, that is just wrong. If we are accepted for a sit we then write a short polite note saying we are withdrawing our application as we have been accepted for somewhere else but we hope to meet them sometime in the future. Like house sitters, pet owners like polite people who acknowledge them and keep them informed.
It can be a lesson to pet owners that they have to make decisions quickly or they won’t get their first choice sitter.
Elsie
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We apply for multiple overlapping sits at the same time. It evens out the power balance of sitter and homeowner. It’s not right that a sitter should be hanging around waiting for a decision from a homeowner. If homeowners also get messages saying that they have missed out on sitters due to their slow decision making it may encourage them to get a move on next time.
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You never wait, there hundreds sitters and sit out there.
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Agreed. I don’t wait unless it’s people I already know or I really want the experience of what is on offer.