Our Essentials as Your Sitters - A Guide

We never said otherwise @MaggieUU.

We sit only or 4 times a year. We work a lot and this is our hobby. Not our way of living.

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If I received a similar document addressing me, as a sitter, with this tone and detail, I would immediately remove my application.

I completely understand what you are doing, and why, but it comes across as really over-formal and lawyerly (not to mention AI-created).

I always have a video call with prospective HOs, and use that to get a feel of the people, pets and place.

In over 120 sits I’ve had perhaps 1 or 2 that were less than ideal. But perhaps I’m just a much more easy-going type of person.

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Please read all my comments on this thread to understand

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I prefer a more relaxed approach. And relaxed does not mean lax, I’m extremely selective about the sits I apply to and accept. However, I’m very formal in my career, traveling is something I do for enjoyment and housesitting is part of that. I consider it to be a friendly exchange. My virtual chats are typically conversations where all the necessary information comes up naturally and anything that doesn’t come up can be asked as part of the conversation. I can follow up with a written message to confirm anything I might want in writing (typically, arrival/departure times). I have declined sits after chatting when dealbreaker info came up, or if I just didn’t get the right vibe. As a sitter, if I received a list like this with this tone, I would decline and I’m sure some HOs would be put off by this. It’s all about finding the right fit. But I prefer to keep things more relaxed and friendly.

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In fact, no, we don’t tick all the boxes. Cobwebs seem to appear overnight in my house (we don’t normally use any pesticide). Suppose we are in Australia, and a silly spider decides to spin one during the housesit (a long stay of course), and the house sitter notifies us that he/she is ending the sit because the house must be free of cobwebs as specified. What then ? This is just an example, but I would be very uncomfortable leaving my pets to somebody who threatens to abandon them even before the sit starts, with or without a Plan B.

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That’s exactly our own approach. There’s nothing better than a personal exchange.

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Come on, you’re overdramatizing and reading things into it that simply aren’t there. Please take a moment to actually read the paragraph about when we would end a sit. It’s definitely not because of a few cobwebs.

Also, just to clarify: we send this guide after the video call. Meaning, we always add a few words when we share it, and the homeowners get to know us during the call. So it won’t come across nearly as harsh as it might seem if you only scroll through the list without any context.

So please, no need for drama.
You’re exactly the type of HO we want to avoid, and you would avoid us. All fine, issue fixed. :smiley:

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Please, are people too lazy to read the whole thread? Of course it’s all about personal interaction.

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prefer to delete this comment.

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I agree with you. I find this list off putting. I like the adventure and you never really know what you will find till you are there, lists or no lists.

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It’s probably NOT AI-created. AI is mostly programmed to be people pleasing and sometimes overly so. The language in AI might not sound exactly natural, but it tends to hedge a lot and would be programmed to avoid too using words like ā€œshould.ā€ Most popular AI-language programs go through a rigourous testing process and are also programmed for concision. An AI generated model would be shorter.

So not true. Just because she finds it off putting as I do and I am a sitter, doesn’t mean she looks at sitters as a servant or whatever you said. You are someone with strong opinions that seems to criticize those that don’t agree with you.

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So agree, trouble! Also a sitter

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Of course it’s ChatGPT

No, I am a person who stands their ground and is okay not being loved and applauded by everyone. That’s all. :sweat_smile:

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If it works for you then I’ll drink to that. Not everyone will want to follow suit, but others might just think it’s a fabulous idea. So thanks for sharing and all the best for future sits. :smiley::smiley:

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Thank you Daisy, likewise.

At the end of the day, we all do our best in the way that works for us. I believe there’s space for many different approaches within this community – and I’m glad we can share and learn from each other.

Happy sitting!

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I stand corrected. I would imagine (and again could be wrong) that it took awhile and various suggestions or working from a draft and bullet points to get it exactly as you wanted it to be.

No, not at all. It took 5 minutes.

But your system is not very fair. Think about this : some people do not travel for pleasure, but for duty. Imagine XYZ having to fly to Australia because his aged mother is having a hip replacement, and put yourself in his shoes. He is worrying about Mum’s well-being, traveling costs, the prospect of a long uncomfortable journey, hotels, passport, visa etc. And of course about finding a reliable pet sitter for Moggy and Rover. After hours on the computer and a nice chat with you, he thinks he’s found the perfect HS, but then… he receives your friendly Guide. And his level of anxiety goes rocket high. Is that a win-win situation for XYZ? Where is the ā€œpeace of mindā€ publicised by the platform ? I do think you mean well, but it seems to me that you have’nt really worked this through. Anyway, that’s my last reply. No further comments from me.

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