We are off on holiday at the end of October (Sun 26 Oct – Fri 14 Nov) to celebrate a big birthday. We had a THS Sitter confirmed but she has had to withdraw due to family health reasons.
I have re-listed the sit but have had no applications. I would welcome any advice on how to make the listing more attractive. We are a rural area so own transport is essential. Unfortunately, our second vehicle is not reliable enough to offer its use to a sitter and we need our other car to get us to the airport (no other way of getting to airport a couple of hours away).
I have reached out to Sitters who have saved our listing and searched for other Sitters. This latter way is very frustrating as I can’t find a way of limiting the search to Sitters willing to look after livestock.
I know we are a niche market – a few sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks and a dog but it doesn’t take very long to look after them each day and previous sitters have found plenty of time for themselves.
You’ll want to delete your dates and repost them. This will ping anyone who has saved your listing or who has a saved search set up under which you fall. It’ll also move you up from the bottom of the results to the top and get rid of the low applications flag.
Offering your car would help. Would you be willing to offer it if the sitter was willing to take you to the airport and pick you up? A long drive, but it might be acceptable to the right sitter given the cost of rental vehicles.
Just a couple of tips which may help. I’d remove the word rural from your title, some people don’t know what it means, and think it means isolated, when in reality you’re only 4 miles away from shops.
For example this…
Enjoy rural Shropshire whilst caring for a dog, chickens, sheep &…
could become the below for example…
Enjoy beautiful scenic views in Shropshire with a duck pond
I’d also put within your first two lines of the intro (after the word outdoors) just 4 miles to shops/pubs etc. As that’s the bit sitters read first, and a shop being within a short distance is a huge bonus to a sitter. There’s lots of sitters with cars in the UK, so don’t worry too much about it being 4 miles away.
You also use the word ‘smallholding’ in your intro and ‘livestock’ in your responsibilities section, so some sitters will feel out of their depth thinking they need proper farming skills and they invisibly indicate it’s more like a full time job, than leisure time with animals. So it may help a little if you leave those words out, and focus more on the fun and enjoyable element of spending time with pigs, sheep, and ducks.
In general I think your post looks very appealing to the right sitter(s). Others have already given great advice. I will add to redo the photo of the bathroom. It looks a bit – dingy – and I think it’s just the photo quality and not the actual space. Take some more photos at the best time of day in terms of lighting, and optimize them on your phone to make it more appealing (experienced sitters have had some unfortunate bathroom experiences and even a hint of a dingy bathroom will stop some from applying).
Also, it would help to address, head-on, the age of your beautiful dog. Many sitters get nervous sitting for older pets as they are justifiably worried about something happening under their watch. If an owner acknowledges the pet’s age and makes a clear statement about veterinary arrangements, that can help put their minds at ease.
You don’t need to dwell on it, but something simple along the lines of: “Our retriever is 16 years old and still enjoys walks and cuddles. We know he is in his senior years, so we have a clear plan in place with our vet if any health issues come up. We’ll go over those arrangements with you before the sit.”
That kind of reassurance shows you’ve thought it through, removes the “what if?” anxiety for sitters, and helps them focus on enjoying time with your dog rather than worrying about worst-case scenarios.
As you say that «We are looking for a sitter(s) with some experience of looking after livestock» I would assume that you limit your pool of sitters substantially. I’m not saying you should delete it - if it is required then it is!
If it is not actually required but preferred, you could mention that.
A big concern for many with UK sits is heating, as heating and costs seem a much bigger issue for UK hosts than in other parts of the world. Personally I’d avoid UK sits in Oct. for that reason. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you should allow heating as they want, but maybe mention what kind of indoor temp. you would have and allow. As healthwise a temp. of 18-20°C is recommended that would be fine for most. But there has been THS-stories of sitters in their coats in the living room watching their frosty breath more or less so it could be worth mentioning.
I agree with the above advices, especially regarding the use of a car. “Rural” in a headline, signals to me, that I would need a car and insurance.
Would additionally adjust the pitch by moving the section about the area and sights further up - this should be the key element that highlights what makes your listing, district and location stand out compared to others.
Personally, I don’t go for shared accommodation, so requiring guests to arrive the day before you leave might not only clash with their plans but also narrow your pool even more. Instead, you could simply mention that you’ll be heading off after dinner - it’s your request, so you need to handle the necessary logistics to meet such request (an airport hotel or similar).
If you already have someone walking the dog regularly, I would continue this arrangement during the housesit and indeed include this in the pitch.
Finally, I’d replace the winter photos with snow with something more current and sunny.
Such animals may be idyllic to a niche portion of the housesitter community. Seems an instance when reaching out directly to housesitters that have favourited your listing may find progress. Some adaptability may be wise. Perhaps one of them can help with most, if not all, of your dates. Perhaps two favourited housesitters complete the dates between them. Regardless, that a housesitter has favourited your listing implicitly means that they like your animal selection.
Any backup plan may include housesitter for the dog and property (i.e. typical housesit), with a different (paid?) person looking after the livestock.
Hi @Margaret. I’m sorry I can’t help you now, as small rural holdings are my favorite sits and I have livestock experience. I’m favoriting your listing, though, and perhaps I can apply at a future date.
Best of luck!
@BonnyinBrighton Thanks for the suggestion & wish it were that simple. Our 2nd vehicle rarely gets used off our property and needs a lot of work doing to it - far more than it is worth.
Unfortunately not. We only have one road worthy vehicle and we need that to get to the airport - no viable public transport there and 2 1/2 hrs drive away.
Perhaps there’s another way for you to get to the airport? You need to do something radical to tip the balance or you’ll not be going on holiday at all at this rate. Also if there’s no public transport how will your sitter arrive?
Are you open to sitters without their own transport? I think owners often assume that a sitter will need a car for their own personal needs but this is not always the case. There may not be many that would be interested but it’s always worth covering all eventualities. I have done many sits of a month or more in very remote places without having any transport.
Are you willing to collect and return a sitter to the nearest transport connection?
Can you take them to a supermarket on the way to the house, or can they get deliveries of groceries?
If the sitter walks to Clun, can they get a taxi back? Or would a neighbour be kind enough to give them a lift in or out on a specific day?
A three week retreat from the world may be just what someone is looking for.
Could the skills required to look after the animals being taught in an afternoon, or in a day? If a sitter came for two nights before you leave could you bring them up to speed on the requirements if a neighbour was willing to be backup? Personally I would jump at the chance in order to gain the experience.
I also noticed that your last sitter did not leave a review and nor did you (not that I can see). This is going to raise concerns as to why not. Could you mention the reason in your listing?
I love your part of the world and am always on the look-out for sits there. I’m also keen to gain more experience with animals like sheep and goats.
But I think you’re simply asking too much of an unpaid sitter. Yes, sure, you’ve found people happy to do it in the past. But that doesn’t mean such people will always be around. IMO, you should either be finding a professional stand-in - or be looking at sites like Workaway or WWOOF… What you’re offering is not a house or pet sit; it’s full-time care of a small farm - as well as a dog with behavioural issues.
I’m not sure that THS is the right forum for you. But that’s just my pennyworth, of course.
so it could be worth mentioning.