I have contacted about 60 potential sitters. There is no way to tell if they are booked. Only about a third of them even reply and those that did are already booked. Not knowing if someone is available is really frustrating.
You don’t contact potential sitters. Instead, you publish the dates of your travel and, if your listing looks desirable enough, sitters will contact you.
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It’s been my experience that reaching out to sitters who have favorited our listing or were available for a prior sitting is a complete waste of time.
The most efficient use of this platform is to make your listing as attractive as possible, including making your policies such that sitters aren’t put off, one example being that they aren’t stuck at the property for long periods supervising a dependent animal.
If you don’t get any applicants, it’s my understanding that deleting the listing and then relisting it may attract more sitters. But consider making some changes first, you can even ask for assistance here (and provide a link to the listing).
There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to sitters but think of it as a desperation move and don’t expect miracles.
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My month+ sits always get the most applications - although I do list them at least 2 months in advance of the start. If you would like feedback on your listing, post it in your profile and lots of sitters will be happy to help with tweaks that could make your sit more attractive.
Agree that inviting sitters is a waste of time.
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You can contact potential sitters. It does no harm. And if you’re not getting any takers just via the listing, it seems a sensible step. (I’ve accepted three sits via invitations; all were delightful and I wouldn’t have even looked at those listings otherwise.)
There seems to be a rather odd “anti” reaction on these forums when sit-invitations are mentioned. But it seems to me that the worst they can be is a bit of a waste of time. And they might just yield good results..
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We are sitters and plan at least six months in advance. A six week sit in the correct location would be a gold mine for us but giving only a couple of months notice would mean we probably have something booked already. As you may have read on the forum every sitter approaches this differently so here’s hoping there’s someone out there who likes the look of your opportunity. Good luck
Elsie
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Please get back to us to let you know you’ve seen the replies. It sounds like you might not have posted your listing and are only reaching out to sitters which usually doesn’t work. Here is how to post your listing, step by step: (THis will allow interested sitters to find you.)
- Make sure everything on your listing is as appealing as it can be.
- Make sure your dates are firm. The dates should start on the day you need the sitter to arrive and end the day you will be back from your trip.
- To post your dates from the web app, go to your dashboard and look on the righthand side for something that says “all dates” or “manage dates.”
- Click on “add a new date” and put the start and end dates on the calendar.
- Follow further prompts to post the listings.
This way sitters who are interested in your location, dates and pets will find the sit. You might get some sitters applying you don’t think would work because of poor reviews or lack of experience or something else. You can decline them on the right hand side. It’s nice to send them a little note as to why. If they seem suitable you can ask to meet them for a video chat and talk about to see if it will work out. You can only get up to five applications at a time. If you need to see more, you’ll need to decline unsuitable people, and go to “Manage my listing” and “unpause” to get more applications.
If you aren’t getting any applications, don’t despair. Start a thread for help on your listing!
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Contacting sitters does work. I accept about 25% of invites sent to me. And I have even done some where unable to do first or last day/s, and they have managed to get friends of family and have been more than happy, with what I am able to do.
I really do not understand sitters, who say it never works. It does.
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As this seems to be a theme with new hosts, is there a problem with how the site explains to them the way it works? I’m a host and but have been for a while and so can’t remember how it was all explained at first but I do know that I completed the listing I had to post it not try to contact sitters direct and can see no reason why this isnt clear now?
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@basketcat, two suggestions
- Search the THS Forum - there are many similar posts that contain a great deal of transferrable ideas
- Add your THS listings to your THS Forum profile - some smart cookies on THS Forum may volunteer personalized feedback
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@basketcat best way is to make an attractive listing , then sitters who are interested in sitting for you and who available for your dates will apply to you .
On THS it’s the sitter who chooses the sit they want to apply for -
If you want some suggestions on how to make your listing more attractive to sitters you can ask @Jenny to add a link it your forum profile .
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Please post your listing here and perhaps we might be able to assist in making it more attractive.
Perhaps the process isn’t clear to you ?
That said, you haven’t noted how many responses you’ve received and your contacting potential sitters is not necessicarily an indication of the desireability.
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I agree. I also think it worth highlighting that cold calls are not the typical or most effective way to find a sitter. A lot of new THS hosts are posting here asking why they’re not getting any interest after contacting 10s of sitters.
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It’s “normal” in the sense that few unsolicited invitations are accepted, simply because so many elements have to line up for a match. You can of course continue to invite sitters who’ve not applied, but it might end up being an exercise in futility.
It’s a better bet to strengthen your listing and get sitters to apply. Along those lines, you might want to add you listing link to your profile here and get feedback from experienced sitters, so you can improve your odds.
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If you’ve posted your listing and haven’t gotten any applicants, I think it’s smart to reach out to specific sitters. I don’t know how you cull the gigantic list as I’m not a homeowner, but as a sitter I will strongly consider invitations. I have had repeat sits through invitations and the process is much easier than starting from scratch. So don’t be put off by sitters saying they don’t consider invites - some of us do! And don’t lose hope - I’m continually amazed at how many sitters apply for sits last minute. And sitters who have months long sits lined up may find themselves scrambling to fill in a chunk of time if a host needs to cancel. Best of luck!
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Basketcat. Where is the sit that you have? If it is somewhere warm and sunny I would definitely consider it. I always escape somewhere hot in the winter but rarely house sitting, as never seem to be any that are long term in the right location.
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Please can you share your listing @basketcat and members can offer some help & advice? Invites sometimes work but not often. The crucial bit is that when it says “available”, that sitter could be on another sit on a different platform, or travelling, or working, or taking a break from sitting and so on. The THS calendar ONLY reflects THS sits and nothing else so it’s very hit & miss. #letsseethelisting
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Just let me know if you’d like me to add your listing @basketcat - happy to help!
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Hi @Jenny I have a question about the 5 application limit. Back when it was imposed, it had 2 major impacts. First, it stopped HOs being overwhelmed by too many applications coming in too fast. Second, it shifted pressure onto sitters to apply as quickly as possible resulting in regular false starts and application hiccups. The second impact is still with us but the first not so much. If the limit of 5 applications were raised, it might lessen the pressure on sitters and smooth the process a bit. Just wondering.
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I think hosts should have the ability to pick the number of applicants before a pause. I’d prefer a number perhaps double that amount.
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