Hi Everyone, we just signed up and are looking for a sitter next week for our dogs. I’m curious to know how I can get a sitter that is local to sit for us considering our house is nothing fancy or in an exotic bay area location like wine country or San Francisco proper. How have folks’ experience been in finding a local sitter to stay at their place in the Bay Area?
Hello @elcerritopups and welcome to TrustedHousesitters and the community forum.
The most likelihood of success with a listing is to make sure you have followed the guidelines for creating a perfect listing. The largest audience by far is on the website, although you can embed your listing in your forum username/profile for added exposure.
Many sitters are booked far in advance, so yours is a short timespan to have applicants, review applications, arrange phone calls or video chats with suitable applicants, and confirm all arrangements. Whenever possible, I suggest you allow more time between posting and the sit dates.
Here’s a post to provide tips on how to search for sitters to invite directly.
Once the start date of your sit is within seven days, you can add the listing to the last-minute sits category on the forum.
I hope all goes well for you.
Francine
Volunteer moderator 
1 Like
I’m in west Sonoma County and typically get a handful of applicants for our little farm. Your best bet will probably be a new local-ish sitter who needs more THS sits and reviews. You might get applicants with no reviews but don’t dismiss them, they could be perfect for your sit. It is very late to be posting but plenty of people would like to beat the inland heat or just have a break from regular daily life. As Snowbird said, follow the suggestions for a good listing and make it as comprehensive as possible. Fancy isn’t necessary, just good clear photos and descriptions of the space, animals, and responsibilities.
2 Likes
I’m assuming you’re in El Cerrito, based on your forum name, @elcerritopups.
El Cerrito is lovely!
The Bay Area is so expensive to live in, I’m sure there’s lots of locals with roommates or tiny apartments (where they’re not allowed to have dogs) who would enjoy a temporary house and dogs!
Also, there’s often people traveling through, who need to fill a gap between sits, or whose sit just got cancelled due to illness or whatever.
Or maybe they’d enjoy being in the Bay near all the “exotic” stuff, but a quieter part, where they can actually park their car and feel nice and safe…
Or maybe their adult kids live in the East Bay and they want to visit, but with their own homey accommodations they can stay in, with bonus dogs!
There’s a million great reason to come to El Cerrito… mention them in your listing. What are the parts you like? It doesn’t hurt to do a little marketing in your listing.
Local parks, hiking, sailing and surfing, restaurants, cheap BART to the city, how far to Berkeley, SF, Sonoma, Muir Woods, etc.
Not all of us are looking for exotic or fancy!
My friend lives in a clean, cozy, small home in a small bay area town. It’s not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, the home or the town. It’s quite plain. But she usually gets house sitters she likes through THS!
The time frame you’re looking at is quite short, but other than that, I think you’re fine!
1 Like
Thanks to everyone for their helpful insight! I guess I was short-sighted with the potential of our comfy little bungalow in quaint El Cerrito! As some of you did see I am posting pretty late but unfortunately our designated sitter bailed out just last week and I’m tired of dealing with flakes on Rover. So I came across TH impressed by the caliber of reviews and community. I’m equally impressed by the informative forum and helpful folks like you all. Thanks again for all the advice!
8 Likes
Welcome @elcerritopups
Don’t be so hard our your home and community! We’ve done sits in El Cerrito and Albany and loved them!
Definitely mention in your listing that you are near Berkeley (maybe you’ll get parents wanting to visit their college kids?) and proximity to BART to take sitters into SF, or wherever they might like to explore.
Good luck! 
2 Likes