She would also prefer that they have at least five 5-star reviews.
How and where do I politely insert this into our ad?
Or should it be in our profile.
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Hello,
Yes you should definitely mention it in your ad, it avoids receiving applications you know you will not be happy with.
I regularly see ads where people ask their sitters to be single, female, vegan, experienced, ⌠so no harm in that.
You can mention it at the end of your introduction + if itâs nothing too personal maybe mention the reason e.g. âour cat is not comfortable around men, so unfortunately we can only accept applications from womenâ
Hope that helps?
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Hello @Joselyn_and_Blair You may want to review Angelaâs top 10 tips with your wife (in particularly, #6), and the reason this was posted. Please keep in mind that those new to THS may not be new to house or pet sitting. Many have years of relevant experience. Also, if you consider those who are local, you could perhaps arrange to meet them in person beforehand, which may ease your wifeâs concerns. With todayâs owner/sitter ratio, discounting any particular group limits your chances of finding a suitable sitter. I hope all goes well for you.
Oh, and for the record, Iâm an older, single, female sitter with more than five 5* reviews. 
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I recommend to read (at least part of) this thread, because it shows that the 5 Star reviews are not as significant as one thinks they are.
I rather rely on my gut feeling, the application letter and the video chat, which we always do, before confirming a sitter.
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@Joselyn_and_Blair , please do not be dissuaded by this post from @anon39388349 . There are bad experiences but they are certainly the exception.
Just as people tend to post reviews for businesses when they have had poor service or a bad experience, this is sometimes why THS members decide to seek out and post to the forum. If your wife prefers a mature female sitter, that is not a problem. There are many great sitters here who fit that profile.
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@mars
I didnât want to say that there are lots of bad sitters but not to rely too much on the 5 star reviews. Instead, trust your gut feeling and do a video call.
My now confirmed sitters for July donât have any reviews as sitters. I chose them anyway, because they used to be HOs with THS and they had an old cat, which needed regular shots given by the sitters themselves. Additionally, during the video call I saw parts of their home and it was beautiful and clean.
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I think the 5 star review is important, but reading the written part is often more telling.
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I understand relying on the number of THS reviews⌠but as others have mentioned, read the applications and profiles of those with fewer reviews.
They may have years of professional experience, just didnât find out about THS until recently! Or maybe THS is only one of the platforms they use for house sitting.
Youâll be interviewing them⌠You can always ask for external references!
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[quote=âSnowbird, post:3, topic:13322â]
Oh, and for the record, Iâm an older, single, female sitter with more than five 5* reviews.
[/quote] 
Me too.
Canât see how to vote but am in agreement.
âWe can only consider mature, single female sitters with at least five 5-star reviews.â It should be at the top of your listing, since these are very specific requirements that will exclude the majority of sitters. But itâs true what has been written here, the reviews might reveal the whole truth or only part of the truth and itâs 100% better to listen to your intuition (itâs a problem with pretty much all platforms where both parties rate each other).
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Actually nearly ALL sitters have 5 stars. This simply canât be, because not everyone can be that perfect. I have found about two or three with âonlyâ four stars. This is far from realistic. A sitter without being a HO at the same time, probably canât see that.
I think thatâs crossing into discriminatory language. Although being a THS sitter is not a âjobâ --it does provide potentially calculable benefit.
The only OK thing to say in this regard in a listing is âcat is afraid of menâ or similar.
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Why isnât it simply possible for HOs to post in their listing what constellation they prefer?
I state that we have a Queen size waterbed and a single bed, that we donât want underage children in the house and no sitters traveling with their own petsâŚeverything else is up to the sitters.
We wouldnât decline single sitters, male sitters, sitters traveling with a friend or a child (if itâs not underage) or couples. If they think they can sleep in one or both of our available beds, apply!
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When I joined THS I also thought that I prefer single female sitters older than 40, but this actually has changed.
It changed, because I didnât post it in my listing and because others, who didnât meet this (secret) expectation, applied to my listing.
Now I think, that couples or two adults traveling together, arenât that bad at all, because in case of any disruption they might be able to split up.
Also, at the beginning, I thought that at least 10x5-star reviews would be mandatory for me to even consider the sitters. Now I donât give that much about it, and rather trust my gut feeling and the overall picture I get from a sitter, including a video chat the background of the sitters and other means of communication.
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As a single senior lady believe me I get anxious about sits as well .usually a video call with ho helps so itâs a two way thing .
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I canât find any negative reviews at all Iâm guessing everyone is afraid to leave them which at first rendered the reviews meaningless in my opinion
But if you do some digging silence or rather the lack of a review speaks volumes imo
I look up a sitter and their bookings and if corresponding reviews or if huge gaps in not receiving reviews etc Iâm guessing the HO chose not to leave a review
Iâm sorry id this is an unfair way but until THS fixed this problem I donât see any other way to eliminate sitters in my selection process
Itâs great that youâre being thoughtful about your wifeâs preferences when it comes to finding the right sitter. Including her requirements, like being an older, single female, along with a note about preferring sitters with at least five 5-star reviews, can help filter out candidates more efficiently. Iâd suggest placing this information directly in your ad for clarityâit ensures potential candidates know exactly what youâre looking for upfront.
I would try to be a bit flexible unless thereâs a sound reason (eg pet afraid of men). Yes, of course you can have an image in mind of your ideal sitter, but many fantastic sitters wonât meet this âshopping listâ. I say that as someone firmly in your target group.
You need to remember that HOs are competing for sitters, just as much as sitters compete for sits. Quite a lot of experienced sitters wonât risk a new HO without reviews, for example. I think itâs a little off for new HOs without reviews themself, to insist on X-number of 5 star reviews for their sitters. We all have to start somewhere, and your sitter has to be willing to take a risk on youâŚbut you are not willing to do the same?
Donât be too restrictive about your pool of potential sitters without good reason as it may backfire on you. Better a good younger or male sitter than a poor older female, or none at all.
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As a senior sitter I look at both what the host wrote about the sitter and what the sitter wrote or replied to about them. When I see a score lower than 5 stars I will go to the sitterâs page and see if they left a reply. Sometimes by reading their reply I know I would not apply to sit for this host as they sound unreasonable or the sitter was treated like unpaid staff. This could be even if the sitter left them a favorable review.
I have had some amazing hosts and some that were bait and switch with the responsibilities. I am guilty of leaving favorable reviews on the most part as I like to look back at all the good and the good can just be the adorable animal. Iâve always had great pets to watch which always brightens my day.
You should advertise for the type of sitter you want. I personally wouldnât limit as there are great sitters in every age group and gender. There are also bad ones in every age group and gender as well. I agree with the person who wrote, go with your gut after speaking to them.
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