Onboard hopefully

Hi there.
I am very new to all of this and glad now to get onto the forum.
My name is Fiona. I am a retired Primary School Headteacher, now settled back in Scotland 7 years after 20 years abroad.
I am hoping some very kind people can give me advice.

I have a sitter for May.
I have desperately been trying to get a sitter from 10th July to 26th but after much searching and sending many invitations I have no luck.
It’s quite worrying when flights are booked. Also, I have gone through SO many profiles I am cross-eyed.
Any help out there?
Thank you. Fiona

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Hi @fionamacrae. I assume you’ve posted your listing? Making that as attractive as possible to sitters is your best bet (sending individual invitations is rarely successful).
If you add a link to your listing to your forum profile members can help you tweak it. The following instructions should help you.

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You’ll find a lot of discussions here on the forum about inviting sitters and that it’s usually fruitless. If you link the listing here, as suggested, experienced sitters can give you some feedback. You have however attracted a sitter already for this month. You can’t rely on getting a sitter so must ensure you have a backup plan.

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July is still a way off so don’t worry yet .

Once you have had a sitter stay in May write a review promptly , hopefully they will do the same and then sitters will be able to see how the first sit went .

I think that I found your listing - You say I will be getting cat flaps , if that is now done - You could update your listing .

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Hello and yes starting out it’s a bit daunting!
I found your Dingwall listing. Having never been there myself suggesting a sitter look online for what’s to do there is tbh a bit off putting- you need to put the work in and create an attractive listing to draw sitters in to read more…definitely tell sitters up front as the 1st thing they’ll read all about why Dingwall is a great place to visit (your Bio can be severely cut as it has very little impact on a sit what hobbies or interests the HO has). Does this sound harsh, I don’t mean to be just giving I hope helpful feedback from a sitter skimming through your listing. Secondly I’d make a huge effort to declutter and take new photos, pretend you’re selling the place and putting photos onto an Estate Agent site. Third I’d cut out the stuff about wardrobe space- it gives the impression that a sitter isn’t being respected or you can’t be bothered to make suitable space it’s all about the impression given in the first reading.
The whole listing needs to be far more appealing/upbeat/focussed on the positives. Yes be honest about pet behaviour but tell us how lovely your pets are too. Best wishes you’ll get some great advice here.

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I agree with all that @BonnyinBrighton has stated. The fact that you have NO Amenties list is quite unusual. I would strongly suggest that you review other listings to get ideas on how to sell your own.

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Thank you for your gentle encouragement. I do realise I have some info. to put on but the last two weeks have been difficult so had to leave it until now.
There are some gaps which I know require adding to.

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Thank you for your positive attitude Edith.

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Thank you.

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Thank you for your positive post.

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If it comes down to spending so much time looking at sitters and doing so much inviting that you’ve become cross eyed, your time would be much better spent beefing up your skimpy listing. That’s valuable, because applicants tend to work out better odds wise (because of the many variables with sits, including timing and location). Plus, even folks you invite would often want robust listing info and/or not waste time asking a bunch of Qs.

Personally, when I see a skimpy listing, I automatically skip it. That’s because I figure such hosts don’t have reciprocity at top of mind and I see that as an easy sign to avoid a risky sit. It wouldn’t matter if I’d been invited.

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@fionamacrae Happy to give feedback on your listing after you’ve added it here!(Note that since the forum is separate from the THS app, we can’t see your listing unless you add the link to your profile - check Edith’s directions for how to do so!)

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If you search Dingwall plus dates you’ll find it…. a few of us have offered useful feedback.

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:backhand_index_pointing_up: I agree!

You’ve done a great job of including thorough information – all of which is important to review at some point – but a lot of the pet care details (Responsibilities) can be saved for your later conversations with sitters. (For example: “Always lift him away from you as because of blindness (or naughtiness) he will stretch out paws.” and “The cats are not allowed in the double room” don’t need to be in the listing) In the listing, it’s best to focus on (1) the positives about their personality and (2) the basics about care.

In the Home & Location section, you’ve done a nice job by:

  • describing the basic layout of the home
  • describing the specific bedroom the sitter will stay in
  • describing walkability and public transit
  • describing the most attractive features of the home

As others have mentioned, you don’t need to describe the closet space or storage space the sitter will have. (Similar to the previous note, this is too much nittygritty/unnecessary detail at this stage.)

Avoid phrases of limitation (beginning with “but”) – like “but I do keep some covered as the animals tend to go on chairs etc” and “but limited clothes’ space.” These make the listing sound more negative. Without misrepresenting the situation, keep it focused on the positive.

I don’t know anything about Dingwall or Inverness… but on the map, I see it’s near the northern coast, which I imagine must be very beautiful, with tons of scenic nature? If that’s the case, be sure to use some descriptive language that demonstrates this. You don’t need to over-do it, but a sentence or two would give sitters an idea of what the area has to offer.

Some details I’d suggest adding:

  • for how many hours can the animals be left at home alone?
  • fill in the Amenities section
  • is there a parking spot available for sitters who bring a car?

Also, play around with some alternative headlines. “My fun trio” is cute but is focused on you and doesn’t really grab a sitter’s attention by appealing to them. Think about what might attract a sitter, like:

  • Close to City & Nature
  • Beautiful/Scenic
  • Quaint Town
  • 3 Adorable & Easy Pets

A new headline might look like… “Cozy Home in Quaint Town Close to City & Nature with 3 Adorable & Easy Pets” or “Scenic Area on Northern Scottish Coast with my Fun Trio”
:backhand_index_pointing_up: These communicate appeal, which will help hook a sitter into reading your full listing and learning more about your fun trio :slight_smile:

Hope that helps! It’s all about thinking about it from the sitter’s side. And remember that this isn’t your welcome guide – you don’t need to go into nittygritty details yet. Stick to a detailed summary that highlights everything you love about your home, your area, and your pets!

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Thanks but I won’t be posting at all on the Community Forum.
Today was a ‘try out.’

You have been very positive and helpful one-eyed_scalliwag. You show interest in what I have done. I haven’t been able to carry out some areas thoroughly due to health issues but have done this today mainly based on your encouragement.
Thank you.

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You’ve written a brilliantly helpful comment I hope the HO follows up and is grateful. Well done :clap:t2: I think this would also be helpful to other HOs too to understand how a sitter might read a listing. You took a lot of trouble over this :+1:

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From my reply to one-eyed-scalloway I think you will have noticed how appreciative I am to that person.
This topic doesn’t require any further action.

Hello everyone!

OP has confirmed that they’re happy with the replies they’ve received, so I’m going to go ahead and close the topic to new replies.

Thanks to everyone who popped on with some advice!

Jenny