Hi, I’ve listed a sit. It’s been a few days and no responses. Any advice? Thanks!
(Title updated by Forum team to encourage more attention)
You should link your listing in your profile and post back when you have and we can provide feedback on improvements.
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thanks! I’ll do that
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I’d like some bathroom pics, some more living area pics, brighter bedroom pics, plus some stuff to do, some “why would I love this sit? All that good stuff @Winteryspruce & a better cover photo too would grab attention. Think of it as mutual exchange, if you were a guest why would you stay in you home and look after the cats? Two nights is a hard sell as it’s a lot of work and upheaval for an unpaid sitter to stay at yours, there needs to be a clear reason or draw for you to attract sitters. #tweakthelisting
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Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it
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My $.02
- I’d adjust your title to put whatever it’s in walking distance of first. It gets cut off so all you see is nice older home and people can see “nice” in the photos and age doesn’t matter much unless it’ll impact any property work that needs doing. So, put the good stuff first.
- Agree with Cuttlefish about fleshing out the home and location section. Are there restaurants, cafes, shops, etc. worth visiting? Cute museums, activities, etc? If someone was coming to spend a long weekend in your town as a tourist, what would you tell them were the highlights? Is there stuff further afield like hiking, waterfalls, etc. Most people will know nothing about the area, talk it up.
- Will misty want to sleep with the sitter? If so, you should specify that as some people don’t like that. Do they have an cute personality quirks? Sounds like they’re indoor/outdoor cats. Do they have a cat flap to manage themselves or does the sitter need to let them in/out and will they alert when they want either? How long can they be left alone? Do they need to be inside if the sitter is going out for the day? Do they free feed or are they fed at specific times of day?
As mentioned, a 2 day sit is a big ask. You really need to sell this as a charming weekend getaway and a chance to explore a cute historic town while also cuddling some cute creatures. Since it looks like you have 2 bedrooms, maybe offer for them to stay a day early/late for more time to explore?
Good luck!
The sit is for 2 cats - Misty and Piper - but your opening statement is that you also have 2 dogs. Some sitters may read no further than this point, so make it very clear from the onset that the dogs will be going with you.
When looking through sits, we cannot see the entire title unless we click on the listing, and sitters won’t do that unless something about it grabs their attention. I can see up to the word ‘Old’ in your listing @Winteryspruce (great name!), so maybe think of a more punchy title.
The first pic in any listing is what piques a sitter’s interest, so one showing 2 doorways and a fridge is not going to do that. We like to see the exterior of the home (either front or back) so we have an idea of what type of property we’d be staying in. One pic depicts an armchair which is obscuring your fireplace, so maybe try to rearrange the furniture to give a better view of the room as a whole. For the bathroom pic, try opening the curtains and standing further back if you can, to get a wider angle. The view from the window is difficult to make out because of the sunlight glare, so it’s possibly worth taking that again when the light is better. You’ve shown the front garden after rain, and the grass looks quite long. It’s worth trimming the lawn then taking a pic when the sun is shining and the paths are dry. I would want to see clear images of both the living room and the kitchen, too. Basically, you need to show your home and pets in their best possible light, so that sitters can see themselves enjoying being there.
Tell us a bit more about what there is to do in your area, and what amenities are nearby (and if not nearby, how far to shops etc?). Do sitters need a car? Do you have secure off-street parking? Can they use your car? Are there reliable transport links nearby? Remember that most sitters aren’t local to you, so possibly will know very little about your area. Sell it to us!
Tell us more about Misty and Piper and their routines. Do they get on? Are they shy or friendly? Do they like to sit on knees? Like being groomed? Are they vocal? How often are they fed, and what? Do they use a cat flap? Are there any litter boxes to clean out? How long can they be left?
Paint us a picture of your home, area and pets, so that we’ll want to spend time there.
Best of luck with it!
Your home looks cosy and your cats are very cute! Lots of great feedback here already, I would just add that you haven’t completed your amenities section, which means that sitters:
A) Don’t know what amenities will be available to them, and
B) Don’t know if you have a security camera (which must be listed under the ‘safety & security’ section of the amenities if you do have one, otherwise it’s against THS policy to not inform sitters of its presence).
Hope that helps! 
Agree with CreatureCuddler but don’t feel you MUST offer an extra night ahead/after the sit if you’re not comfortable with that.
We’ve taken 2-3 day sits when they happened to be in our intended plan of travel so have faith a good sitter will appear once you’ve amended your post with the (excellent) recommendations above!
If you are OK with a sitter staying an extra night, suggest adding something along the lines of “flexibile about night-before arrival” Many HO like having a sitter arrive the night before to be sure everything is in place the day they leave. Or conversely, if you think you’ll get back very late, say something about flexibility with a night at the end of the sit.
Good luck!