Hi all. Not new to THS, but to this forum.
I have listed our place for a two-week sit in June. I haven’t really had much in the way of interest and wonder whether it would be better to split the two-week sit into x2 one-week sits.
Views please!
Many sitters like longer sits and two weeks is definitely not considered super-long term by any means so the length is unlikely to be an issue. Though if you are willing to split the dates, it could potentially lead to more interest.
As big as the sitter membership is for the site, the number of sitters that are actively seeking sits at a given moment, and are looking or are available to go to a particular area during a specific set of dates is probably smaller than we realize. So oftentimes, the lack of applicants really has nothing to do with the opportunity being undesirable in some way.
Though with that being said, without seeing a listing, it is possible some tweaks could be made–better pictures of the living space-- or there could be elements that may make it less appealing, like a dog sit where you can’t leave them alone for more than an hour or two for example.
It is possible to put your listing link in your forum profile and people can take a look and give some feedback, though it is important to keep in mind that while people can offer some really great suggestions, many things they say are often purely based on their own personal preferences and it doesn’t mean large numbers of sitters share these same dislikes, deal breakers,etc…
June is pretty far off and while many sitters book really far ahead, many don’t, so for a listing three months out, there is definitely still a good possibility you will get applicants.
As a sitter, I know that sometimes I am uncertain about my travel plans and I keep my eye on certain areas that I may end up going. There have been many times where I ended up applying for sits that had been listed for quite some time.
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Don’t split it! You’ve titled your post a ‘relatively long sit’ but 2 weeks is a very normal period, long would be 4 weeks - 3 months in my eyes. Instead add your THS profile to your forum profile, and ask for feedback on your listing, everyone on great at helping give some tips on how it could be improved from a sitters perspective.
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No, it wouldn’t. If you check the forum you’ll see this has been discussed a lot
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@terryfloyd852, the housesitting community is remarkably diverse in terms of objectives. Some seek local, short-term housesits. Some seek international, long-term housesits. We’ve completed a bunch of housesits in excess of one month. Indeed, unless dates/location/stuff were fabulous, we’d probably not even enquire about a 1-week housesit. No right or wrong. But there are plenty of housesitters out there that seek relatively long sits.
Below are some comments on a similar thread from a few days ago.
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Absolutely do not split the sit! I think it’s fair to say a 2-week sit is not considered a long period by most sitters. We would never accept a split-sit (where we take over from, or pass over to, another sitter). There are lots of other threads about this - use the spyglass to check them out.
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Split-sits are considered risky by many.
I think 2 weeks is a great length for a sit, as it could be of interest for long distance travellers (I would want at least two weeks to pay for intercontinental travel) and a nice lenght also for sitters working that are dependent of sits that align with available days for vacation. June is also a nice sitting month in many locations. It could be that some tweaks can be done to your listing, as others have mentioned you could get some input here in forum should you wish to. You could also check «the competition» in your area. Search for a house sit in your location, see how other hosts present their home and sit and consider what you would choose to apply for as a sitter. Many listings would improve greatly with just small alterations.
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Thanks for this feedback KC1102, really appreciate it. I’ve added our listing to my profile (new to the forum too, so didn’t know about this!). I’ll also be a little less impatient about the dates.
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Thanks HappyDeb. Seems the consensus is not to split it. I thought it may help get the 2 week slot booked up, but guess not. I’ve now added my profile to the forum.
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Thanks GTB for your feedback. Coincidentally, a family from New Zealand wrote as applied to do the sit, and despite numerous messages to them there has been complete radio silence since I accepted their application!
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Thanks HappyPets. Your comments appear to be echoed by others who replied, so I’ll not split the sit!
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Many thanks Garfield for your feedback. I’ve added my profile to the forum, so this can be viewed and commented upon for possible improvement. There was a family from NZ who wanted to sit, but there has been no response from them since I accepted their application to sit. Ho-hum!
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To split or not to split.. I think pets prefer continuity, especially if you’ve got a great fit. Lots of changes is asking for complications and therefore trouble perhaps. Of course it depends on the pets fish don’t care who gives a pinch of food but cats and dogs are more interactive . I’m a pet sitter but if I were to have pet sitters helping me in a home with pets I’d prefer one choice of sitter. Job done! One review to write too! Keep it simple is my motto.
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Hello from down the A12 in Chelmsford! I had a look at the listing and I’d mention that you’re very close to Stansted as sitters might fly in to there and pick up a hire car as you’re very rural.
Also, you’ve not mentioned how long the dogs could be left for. If it’s possible, could a friend pop in and let them out during the day allowing the sitters to visit Colchester Castle, Maldon, Colchester Zoo, Freeport, Sudbury etc? If so, definitely mention it and add the attractions on your listing, Castle Hedingham too. All doable if the dogs can be left. Do supermarkets do home deliveries? You live in a wonderful part of Essex and I’m sure if you mentioned the local attractions that would make it more appealing.
All the best.
PS. Don’t split the dates.
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Hi Daisy from Chelmsford! Thank you so much for your feedback. If you look at the intro in our profile, you’ll now see that I have incorporated your comments! Very useful!! Yes, this is a lovely part of Essex.
PS. We won’t!!
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Thanks HighFive. Yes, the consensus is not to split the sit to we won’t go down that path!
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Your profile looks fantastic, but there are a couple of things you could do to potentially improve it. Don’t take offence, I hope it helps, because you have a great profile already.
The main thing is your title. Currently it says “House/dog sit in rural North Essex, Colne Engaine”, but that doesn’t make the best use of that space. Because a sitter already knows before they even click into your ad that it’s a dog sit as they see the dog icon, they also know it’s a house sit because every sit is. Also, you’ve said ‘rural’ but that means different things to different people so it ‘could’ potentially put some off confusing ‘rural’ with ‘isolated’, ie a million miles from a shop/pub/etc. So I wouldn’t have put that. Depending on whether you are in the village or not, a better wording could be something like “Beautiful Village with Gorgeous Dogs near Colchester, North Essex”. I wouldn’t bother with Colne Engaine, because unless someone is familiar with the place they won’t know where it is anyway, whereas a larger number would have heard of Colchester and know it’s a nice traditional English place. But still keep your actual location as Earls Colne, that’s great.
Intro - include your dogs in the first paragraph in an enticing way, ie
We are both in our 50s and have two children, and two gorgeous dogs (if they are easy-going - put that too). Bla bla bla. As it makes you appear even more relatable and the sitter will feel connected to you more.
Home & Location - Move the last paragraph, about the location and place it AFTER “The main house is late 16th / early 17th century.” As the actual location details are one of the most important things a sitter looks at, whether they have a car or not. Also is it actually IN the village? If so, say how many minutes walk it is to the nearest shop/pub, if not, say how many miles.
Responsibilities - say how many minutes you walk the dogs for on a morning.
Hope that helps, you have beautiful dogs!
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Thank you so much for your really detailed and helpful comments and pointers. I have already changed the profile and details etc, so hopefully this will help potential sitters.
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You have a really lovely listing @terryfloyd852 with gorgeous dogs. And your previous sitters have loved sitting for you so that’s a real positive.
Your dates are just too early for my arrival from Australia! My very first THS sit in 2016 was in Castle Hedingham and I returned the following year to sit for these owners again. Essex is a beautiful county as is its neighbour, Suffolk, and I loved my time there. Maybe it’s time to return there!
As your listing is still showing “Low Applications”, remove your dates briefly then re-post them. This will make it “New” again which is what you want. You can do this as often as you would like to.
All the very best and I’ll keep my eye out for future dates you list.
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