We’ve just joined and put in our listing for a trip starting in a couple of weeks. So far, no applications. Our house and location rock. But are we nuts to think we’d get sitters on such short notice?
Your question has been asked dozens of times on the forum so you might like to search it.
However, it may be a good idea for you to link your listing here so forum members can have a read and see if you might need to make some amendments. This has worked very well for others in your situation. Here’s how to link the listing:
It can be many things @Warren5 - where you are, how long the sit is, what time of year it is, how much care your pets need and so on? Also the availability of sitters vis a vis where you live. Add your listing profile to the forum for feedback from other members as @Smiley says, and also use the spyglass for info on the “securing sitters” subject and that will help too. Sometimes you fill a sit instantly and sometimes it can take a few weeks, all for the various reasons above. You might even have applicants by now! Best of luck
OK, I think I’ve done as you suggested. I put my listing link in my Forum Profile.
Folks looking for it can also find the yellow house with the patio with a Mountain View in Manitou Springs, CO.
There are a lot of sits in Colorado, but yours should be popular. Manitou Springs is great for hikers (I accidentally did some of the Incline earlier this year :o), and having cats means that sitters can be gone for longer than sits with dogs.
I would change the first photo so that the patio furniture doesn’t dominate it. I would love this sit if I were free!
@Warren5 , your listing and the cats look gorgeous. Your main challenge is that it’s last minute.
Thinking of sitters who may be traveling without a car, is the airport or other public transportation close by? If not, you could offer to drive them from/to the airport, train or bus.
I know you say the Main Street and hiking trails are within walking distance. If there are other towns or attractions sitters may like to check out that are farther away, it might also be nice if you could allow use of a car.
If you give @Angela_L , the forum Community manager, permission, she will post your listing to THS social media to give it more exposure and when it’s a week or less before your sit and you have still not found a sitter, you can post it to the forum as a last minute sit. You can also boost your listing to move it to the front of the search results. Good luck.
Lots of sitters do last minute sits. If you listed it only yesterday, I can say that I don’t check listings every day unless I’m looking for something last minute. Typically my wife and I book out our sits six months in advance because we typically do sits that are at least two months long or more and those are rarely last minutes but we’ve also booked a last minute sit the same day it was posted that started three days. So to answer your question, your location at prime fall colour season, you’re likely to find a sitter. The message from @mars had some great advice to follow!
@Warren5 With just a quick look at the photos and listing:
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It’s important to complete the amenities section as it will answer so many questions for sitters, and will avoid many sitters just passing you by as they’re not willing to connect to ask you
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e.g. is there a shower, or bathtub, or both - add a photo or two (as needed) to show this. If there’s a shower curtain, open it so people can see things clearly
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Are the cats indoor only or outdoor too?
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Where do they sleep?
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Do they need any medications?
Thanks for the input. Think we should do the same shot just with the view, but without the furniture?
Great input. Where is the amenities section? Should I just list that stuff under the description?
Oh, now I see the amenity section, after the photos.
Well done @Warren5 for taking members’ advice and amending your listing accordingly. I have to agree with @Lassie that I too would love to sit for you but am currently sitting in Western Australia.
Good luck with finding a sitter/s!
For me, the next photo (the one of the house) would be eye-catching.
Also, I had made a short video of how it looks for sitters on the app, when they are browsing the map to find a sit. They may decide on one photo and five words in the title on whether to swipe or to click. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_VjObgnjcBc
Maybe close down the umbrella and take the photo from higher and further away, so you see that it is a deck with an amazing view, but the patio furniture doesn’t dominate it. You could open the doors in photo #9 and take the photo from there.
IO am new to Trusted House Sitters and my confirmed sitter had to cancel 14 days before our trip. I invited 40 sitters and received 33 no’s and 7 no responses. 7 days before my trip, I boosted my posting in Trusted House Sitters (premier membership) and this put me at the top of the listings. I posted in the Forum at the same time under last minute sit. I received multiple applications within the coming hours and had a wonderful sitter confirmed that same day. I found both the Forum and Trusted House Sitters responsive and helpful when I reached out to them.
Love that story @Pawsitive - the reason the forum works