Newbie here 😊How to get a good sitter so I can book hols

The alternative is buying pet care, on Rover etcera.

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Yes I agree with all you said. As we live in north east it’s not so accessible- we used to live on Devon coast so would have had loads of applicants - now we are in the countryside but not a popular area. Great for us , not for attracting pet sitters .
I’ve seen 14 day money back if no sitters - so will go for that if we don’t get anyone.
Thank you

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My alternative is to get my money back if no takers within 14 days and use the money towards getting someone local to take care of my pets - or take them with me :blush::blush:

Just a heads up: the guarantee is only valid, if you don’t have any applications during the first 14 days.

It’s likely that not all who apply will be suitable for your sit. So, you might end up with no sitter and no money back either, if you do receive applications but non who’d be suitable.

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That’s understandable, but it’s also not so daunting or difficult to have an attractive listing. Really it’s just about making sure your listing is fair, mutually beneficial and attractive enough that somebody would want to come and stay in your home. It’s really just making sure your pictures don’t show a messy or dirty home, and your descriptions include some sort of incentive for a sitter to come and stay (e.g: describing what’s to see & do in the area and what amenities a sitter will have available to them). You don’t need to be a brilliant writer or marketer or anything like that, you just need a listing that is friendly, fair & appealing :blush: You should be fine!

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@annepolet

Plenty to offer in the NE England. Holy Island, Northumberland beaches, Cheviot Hills, Hadrians Wall, High Force and many more places to visit. (We live here)
If your sit is appealing, its a guarantee you will get sits but like most things, you will only get out what you put in.

Good luck on your housesitting journey

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@Hallt64
Whenever I see your user name, I think of Haltwhistle.
I am in Cumbria, but only 25 minutes from the border :smiley:

@Louise7
:grinning:Actually, my wife and I are just deciding where to have a picnic lunch in the glorious Summer sunshine. We may even pop over the border in Cumbria (we have our passports ready :grinning:)
NW Durham is where we are based but visited Haltwhistle area many times :grin:

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@annepolet people sit for many different reasons. We happily take rural sits because we have a car and at the moment sit mostly in the UK. We love the North East, Northumberland is a firm favorite of ours and we have elderly parents in County Durham so try to be there when we can as they don’t have room for visitors. One of our repeat sits has moved to North Yorkshire so we get a chance to explore another part of the north east that we haven’t been to yet. As many others have said there are sitters for each sit. Good luck.

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Don’t rely on the money back guarantee. It only works if you get no applicants within 14 days. A sitter would need to ‘apply’ just to ask you a simple question.

The answer is to put up a great listing in good time with relevant photos. Complete the amenities section to save us asking questions such as is there a shower, how big is the bed etc.

Listings appeal to sitters for all kinds of reason.
Some enjoy the countryside and local walks, some work from home and some prefer to be out exploring.

You just need to find the right match.

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@Hallt64
Not sure if you are taking the Michael about the sunshine, we have heavy rain in my area :disappointed: the dog I am minding at my home and myself got wet through on our first walk of the day :grinning:

No, its beautiful. Considering Hexham/Corbridge area but maybe not if closer to your rain

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Okay, thanks for the heads up :blossom::hibiscus:

This is getting better and better - not :face_with_monocle::face_with_monocle::balloon::balloon:

I have done all that :blossom::hibiscus:
Thank you :pray:

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Thank you - we love it here
But aware it’s not London, the Cotswolds - where I lived for 5 years, Devon coast - where I also lived for 5 years
But definitely prefer the wildness and not so crowded north east :blush::blush:
We are heading to Northumberland on hols - just wanted to visit all the history without dogs :blossom::hibiscus:

Thank you for your kind words :blossom::hibiscus:

We’re from the UK, we sit full time, and we sit in both the in UK (in the North) and Spain. We have returned to care for many of the same pets in both the UK and Spain, and we sit both in the UK, because we have family in both places that we can pop to visit at the same time.

Personally, as long as your dates are a little while away, then see what dates you want, and post your dates but say in your profile that you can be a little flexible with dates, and see which sitters apply.

Then if you don’t get the type of sitter you are after, then try reaching out to some local people, there is a huge bonus in that, because they may want to sit for you again in the future if everything goes well. But some may want a total change of scenery.

We typically return to sits that are located within 1.5hrs from our home town in the UK, or within an hour taxi ride of where our family lives in Spain. Some sitters are after somewhere fresh each time, whereas we’re after a quick catch up with our family every so often.

As we return to some of the same pets, quite often, owners will ask for availability before they book their holidays, but we’ve already sat for them beforehand typically, so it’s easier to do that, as we already know one another, so we know they’ll organise their dates fast, and they know they can rely on us to keep those dates free while they do.

Thank you :pray: