Hello! New here. I posted my listing a couple of weeks ago and not getting any traction. I’m in a rural area and suspect thats not helping any. But would appreciate advice? The animalls are super easy, in good health, require no meds, and the house is pretty adorable. Not sure what I could do other than offer my car, but I’m unable to do that. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
You can link your listing so we can look at it and offer more specific advice.
In general I’d say it appears to be a sitters market at the moment and there is never any guarantee you will get one despite what the THS advertising might tell you. Lots of posts out there asking the same question. Good luck.
Hello @Cornbread and welcome! Attach your listing to your profile and then you can get feedback from experienced members to help
Are you in the USA or UK? (As there are a glut of sits) Can you leave your pets for at least 4 hours or more? (That’s often a blocker) Can the sitter manage without a car even without use of yours? (As that restricts your applicants significantly) #letstakealook
Why are you unable to offer your car? I have used hosts cars all over the world, sometimes they have to make a temporary change in their insurance but so what they save so much money on having a free sitter.
Linked the OP’s listing to their profile.
it is the home owners choice. I don’t allow anyone, even family, to drive my car. You should not be questioning them on this.
I am sure there are plenty US Citizens with their own car who can apply to this sit.
With your main dates being during the coldest part of winter and in quite a rural location, this could be why sitters are hesitant to apply.
I’m unsure just how close your nearest town is as you mention places that are 2 hours away. Is there somewhere closer for groceries etc? Where is your vet and how would you expect a sitter to take your large dog or cat to the vet in an emergency? What if they’re snowed in?
If you remove your dates briefly then re-post them, your listing will become New again and brought to sitters’ attention.
Maybe because the hosts will be travelling in their car.
You seem to be selling your home and pets, but have missed the basics that a sitter needs to know in order to stay.
Along with what others have said, your “home & location” part should be about just that, not about your pets, there’s a different section for that. A sitter needs to know how far it is to the nearest food shop. They may not know your area. You have given the impression the nearest food shop is 2 hour drive away.
Also I’d remove the word “rural” as some people will see that as totally isolated, and adds to the impression the nearest food shop is a 2 hours drive away, because that’s the only distance you’ve put.
So personally, I’d replace the word rural for “scenic” or “beautiful views”, so you’re basically saying rural, just in a different way, so people don’t confuse it with total isolation, as that’s how you’ve described your place, and every sitter needs food.
Thanks for the helpful feedback! I’ll take all of this into consideration and definitely add info about nearby stores and resources. There are reasons I’m not able to provide a car that I won’t elaborate on here, but I understand it limits me further as well.
Sitter perspective: you aren’t selling your area! Your October sit might hold some lovely fall colors and you’re in a beautiful area. Add some things to do within an hour of your home.
I’m half interested in your Fall sit myself. But I’d have a bunch of questions. I’d have never seen it because I typically only search cat sits.
It’s the location and duration. As a fellow rural HO, I find that most sitters are either looking for 1) Any sit in a major city, or 2) a place like yours for sitters who work remotely to hunker down for 3 months+.
One thing you could do is, if you’re okay with it, is to put in your ad that a sitter can drive to Nashville with the dogs and walk them around the city, parks, etc. If the dogs need to stay home, then for most sitters it wouldn’t be worth it to drive all that way to Nashville without being able to spend a lot of time there, so then the proximity to Nashville isn’t much of a selling point.
You could mention any fall festivals, pumpkin patch, hey ride, corn maze or other seasonal attractions visitors may not be aware of. I live in a land of no seasons so I’m always excited to travel to places that have “fall”
They are having problems getting applicants! Offering a car can make the difference I do not tell what to do I suggest what may solve the problem no one has to follow my thoughts.
the thought of bears would seriously put me off. but I wouldn’t be looking for a US sit so that may be a normal thing in the US, idk
Some areas have bears normally, but they don’t tend to interact with humans. If they do, they tend to be relocated or killed by wildlife officials.
They tend to come out more if their habitat shrinks or there are disasters that destroy their food supplies.
Every place where there are bears, people are urged to take precautions, like not making food easily accessible. At my current sit, for example, the garbage can is bear-proofed.
Many Americans know the above and aren’t put off.
quite right, you don’t have to justify your reasons or your decision about your car to anyone on here.
@Cornbread, there’s been a steady stream of US pet parents - some experienced THS members - that now struggle to receive applicants nevermind confirm sitters.
Sometimes challenges are specific to a listing (e.g. unattractive photos, extensive pet care, unappealing location). Suggest use ‘magnifying glass’ search function at top of screen to glean insight from similar Forum threads.
Sometimes challenges are macro. Reality is that many international housesitters no longer apply to US listings. Reasons vary. THS does not publish data on historically how many US listings were completed by non-US housesitters.
By chance, today spotted this chart on tourist visits to the US. Broad guidance on THS Forum is that US pet parents re-focus their listings to attract US housesitters. We guess that’s not going to change anytime soon. And it could get worse.
It is not yours/ours to ask why a host offers or doesn’t offer something. Their choices need neither expalantion nor justification . They only need clarity and honesty.