Hi there,
We have not used this site for a few years, i have put my ad up but have had no bites, i have written directly to over 20 people who all have availability on their calendar but say they aren’t available. What am i missing it wasn’t this hard last time and I’m starting to get anxious.
Thanks
Hi @Tayeintas
A very warm welcome to the forum. I am so sorry you have not received the right response.
If you go to your dashboard, Manage dates, you can boost your listing dates there which may help bring more attention to your listing.
You can also add your listing to your forum profile here so other members can see it, and offer you some advice and guidance.
The way to add your listing link is here >> https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/how-to-add-a-listing-or-profile-link-to-your-forum-profile
Keeping fingers crossed you find some great sitters.
Thank you Therese! Fingers crossed!
Hi @Tayeintas ,
I’m a sitter and would say definitely make sure you have clean, bright, well shot photographs of your home and choose the best, most beautiful one to be the first/cover pic. I think the photos make the profile appealing.
Having a lot of photos of the home, kitchen, bathrooms, guest room, yard, etc. The more the better in my opinion, giving the sitters more confidence in where they will be living.
Also, I’m sorry I cannot see your post so I have no idea what you have up already - but do your pets need special care or medications? Sometimes this is a deterrent for some less experienced sitters or sitters who just don’t want that responsibility.
Length - this is also a thing. Many of us sitters give preference to longer sits! It’s just true. Moving in and out, traveling there etc - for many of us, it’s only worth it if we can really move in, settle in for awhile and enjoy the place. So short sits are less appealing and might be worth paying a local sitter for to have peace of mind that you have someone on hand. (I hope that is ok to say!)
Lastly, try your best to highlight your area - what’s in town, can you offer the sitter good parking, amenities, etc. For most of us sitters, the question is - would living in this house, in this area be cool for a week or more? Would I feel at ease and happy in the home, is the pet care doable for me and are there things to do in my free time?
It also makes a difference if you have reviews from past sitters who speak to having a good time there. If it’s a first sit, I wonder if HOs have the opportunity to get outside references, like we do on the Sitter side? This has helped me as a 1st time TH’er also.
Good luck and hang in there!
Hello @Tayeintas; definitely add your listing link to your profile here so the community can “assess” your listing (in the nicest, most helpful way). There are lots of very experienced people here in the forum and also new ones who might have a fresh angle on something.
thank you ive just attached my profile, would be grateful if you could take a look.
Kind regards
Taye
Unless there’s something amiss with my links @Tayeintas, you haven’t linked your own listing.
I have now fixed this - so it should be visible.
Well @Tayeintas, Tasmania isn’t that frequent on THS (IMO only, others may know better) so I think your sit could be really popular if you give your listing a perk up.
There are many, many posts from HOs on this forum asking for listing advice and enquiring why they have no or few applicants and there may be a bit of “repeat fatigue” amongst forum members. However, everyone deserves individual attention so I’ll do my best (although a search might serve you better because some people have given really good advice on these questions in the past).
Photos:
I would put the “portrait photo” of your house front first, it’s attractive & eye catching
remove some of the pet pics. There’s a general consensus that one of each animal is sufficient. There’s economy in seeing 2 or more in the same photo!
Add picture(s) of the sitter’s bedroom (very important)
Keep the bathroom pics in and the one of you two (sitters often like to see for whom they are sitting).
Add some pics of the living areas of your house, incl kitchen.
Copy:
I’m easily confused admittedly but I found your introduction required a double-read. At first it was a sit for 3 cats and then you added a couple of dogs too. Maybe consider something like
“ We are a couple in our mid 40’s looking for a house sitter to mind our 3 beautiful cats Styx, Sassy & Blossom and our two dogs, Dusty the lab and Clancy our new Golden Retriever pup! The cats are inside only and the dogs are outside during the day but sleep inside by the fire overnight.”
The little snippets about pet relationships and foibles can come later, probably in responsibilities or maybe about your home.
A lot of sitters need transport info such as the necessity of having a car, whether a car be available to them, public transport in your area etc.
More people will add to or correct me soon, I’m sure.
And there’s lots more info & conversation about the topic of “listing pimping” on this thread, that includes a specific guidance article for HOs:
I think it could have helped if you had called this thread “Is really nobody interested in Tasmania?” or something like that. I guess you can still edit the title?
@Tayeintas Hello!
Ok thanks for sharing your profile and here are my thoughts that probably echo others in this thread:
-Tasmania is probably an area where TH is just not as popular yet, which could be a huge reason why there is less interest. I just did a search and only 10 sits came up in that area, so it’s probably less known over there yet. (I would suggest trying to post your need for a sitter in social media town/neighborhood groups - you may reach more local people who are available. You may have to pay them, but it’s a helpful backup plan!)
-Main house pic should be the Cover/Profile pic as it’s bright and cute and inviting.
-Less pet photos for sure - 1 of each is plenty.
-Photos of the spaces the sitter will be utilizing daily like the Guest Room, Kitchen, the new laundry you mentioned, etc.
-Is there AC or heat? You mention a fireplace.
I was a little concerned when you wrote “Dusty the lab who will eat everything” - meaning: he will eat things he’s not supposed to eat? That line was confusing to me and made me wonder if this dog needs to be monitored or would eat my belongings, etc.
-Also, for me (maybe not for many others) - sitting a Puppy under 1 year is a different Tier of sitting. They tend to need more supervision in the home. Add that to 4 other pets. To me, this sit would be a lot of animals (which is a good fit for some people) but new sitters might be inclined to skip a sit with 5 pets, one of whom is a Puppy. Has the puppy ever been sat by a stranger before?
These are just my first instinct thoughts, questions and and ideas!
I hope they help and that you find the right and best fit for your crew!
I agree with others on changing the photos. The current thumbnail one is a lonely outside table and chairs, which does northing to sell the listing! I would put the photo with the 2 dogs by the woodpile first. Sitters can see immediately how big the dogs are and the breeds. Add photos of other rooms, and of nearby attractions.
I’m a fan of using the headline to sell the listing and tell sitters something that isn’t obvious from the thumbnail. Everything in your headline at the moment is redundant “” Please help us - Cat & dog sitter needed in Glen Huon, Tasmania. " We know the location, pets and that you need a sitter. Change it to say. for example “Family friendly [you have 4 bedrooms - can you accept a family?], cozy house near sea” or whatever is appropriate.
Good luck.
Yes, I always feel more confident about applying when I can actually see a clear photo of the person on the other end. The little thumbshot of the HO is so small and sometimes I can barely tell what they look like
Hello Taye, I think you have been given some good advice re simplifying the opening wording, and about adding home photos. My advice on your listing is only from what we look for….cute pets, especially dogs.
So the pet photos should be way ahead of your beautiful lawn for me!
Keep the extra pictures in with the pet descriptions ( loads of pet pics in this section are good as far as I am concerned, especially when you have a number of animals, we like to know which is which when we arrive). I also love your captions, but agree ‘ eats everything’ is ambiguous.
We travel from the UK to Australia for sits, and if we were then heading over to Tasmania a short sit without another on the island would be off putting, so I think your location, whilst fabulous will limit the responses you get from overseas as things stand.
Are your dates just for the sit or for some handover time too? Or are the even moveable by a day or so? Tag a day on before and after and then it could be more appealing.
It is only because of the advice you have been given that I realised that you have a four bedroom home. I would have flicked along thinking ‘ too many pets, too small a home, too short a time’. When really you can probably do a day hand over and settle everyone in, a few photos of the living area and kitchen and you are a winner.
The use of a car is always great if you can offer it.
I like to know how long dogs can be left for. If the truth is three hours then it is better to know, and with a younger dog not knowing how long might put some folks off.
Some sitters want location, some want amenities others do just love being around your animals, we plan six months in advance, or more as travelling so far, other people bounce homes at the last minute. If you have room for a campervan to park up do mention it, that will open you up to the free spirited travellers too.
It must be really hard to produce a profile with wide appeal, remember you, your home and the pets are great…go sell yourselves :).
Thanks so much for your help!
Thanks so much for your perspective! Ive fixed up and hope to attract the right persons!
Thanks so much for your advice!
Thanks so much for your advice!
@Tayeintas
Good luck and please keep us posted as to how you get on.