Screening homeowners

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
61

I’ve been doing this full-time for six years now. And while occasionally, I’ve had to take sits that I wouldn’t choose. just to fill a gap. But they were OK. They were fine. just not my ideal.

But the sits with the homeowners that were difficult. These were often booked way in advance. I had a lot of choice at that point to which sits I wanted to do.

There was behavior during the sitthat I just never would’ve expected. But now I know to be more careful when I have my initial contact. And that is what I’m trying to figure out now. But it really didn’t have anything to do with necessity.

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62

Strangely enough, it was homeowners that offered to stock the kitchen with whatever I wanted; homeowners that made room for me in their fridge and pantry; homeowners that were fine with every other day photos; homeowners that I had a lovely connection with on the video chat; homeowners that I had a two hour meet and greet that was lovely… All those homeowners ended up being different varieties of difficult.

I do like the points of getting a video tour and having the homeowners be flexible about their animals schedule to make it easier on the sitter and having the homeowners show interest and want to help in the sitter’s plans and travel.

But I think for me, it more comes down to seeing what I can see about the character of the homeowner and their personality. Because most of those things that you bring up, I have experienced and then had great difficulty with those homeowners.

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63

Which is why I’m upping my game.

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64

That is not true. Certainly not “all the folks”. Probably not even most. My impression is that many of the reports of bad sits are by relatively inexperienced sitters.

One can also reason the other way. If one has the option to leave (go home or stay in paid accommodation), one can take the risk of accepting a sit with a few red flags.

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65

Here are some things I have found that this works for me in making wise choices to choose a good sit

(a) I like to get a warm caring human feeling form the post people write I like to get a sense that poeple love their animals and want the best quality care for them (which of course is me :innocent: )

(b) I will often just respond intutively respond to a pic of a particular pet and will feel a spark in my heart as if that pet is reaching out through the photo and saying come and a stay and play with us which has often been my chief criterion in applying for a sit

(c) People going on about how many bedrooms they have in their home and how many supermarkets they are close to etc can be a bit of a turn off if thats all they talk about and barely mention the pets they are asking someone to care for. my eyes glaze over and I tend to scroll on by

(d) Posts where there are no pics and no pics esp of the home where you will be staying in are a bit of a turn off Sitters like to know upfront the quality and cleanliness of a home they will be staying in

(e) I generally dont do meet and greets before hand but find a phone call or zoom call can adequately give me the insights and impressions I need to make a discerning about whether the owners and I gel and a sit will work for me
(f) I really kind of go with the flow Good communication with a homeowner throughout the sit is paramount .I try to get clear about what sort of contact the homeowner anticipates we will engage in while they are away .I dont do daily updates with photos but happy to do updates with photos every few days

(g) Its really important to me a homeowner will be happy to maintain regular contact from their end if required and get back to me reasonably quickly with info re any queries I may have .

( h ) hate it when people approach me about a sit without addressing me by name if they chosen to ask me in particular becuase they like the sound of my profile then it creates a much nicer first impression if the homeowner addresses you by name when initiating contact
Once on a sit I also appreciate it if homeowners can extend the courtesy of prefacing their new incoming messages with a friendly salutation which includes my name EG Hi Wendy will suffice We area afterall as sitters not just the hired help but are exchanging our precious time energy and loving care without financial cost to the homeowner in an equal exchange and small courtesies keep the wheels of respect and good feeling turning which is so important in creating a win win situation for both parties

(I ) I love it when home owners offer to buy groceries, ask me what I eat and do a shop to make sure there are a few groceries in the pantry and fridge for me when I arrive .I really appreciate it and I always take care to make sure there are some groceries left for them similarly for them when they get home

(j) I aways usually leave a nice long note as a bit of an update with info about the pets behaviours during the sit in more detail …any insights I’ve had re the pets diet that might help and stuff not covered in the brief text messages exchanged throughout the sit

(k) I will often leave a card and flowers or some little inexpensive gift I feel enhances their home

(l) It means the world to me to receive a text from the owners once they have reached home thanking me and letting me know my efforts to take very good care of some of their most precious possessions have been valued and appreciated .Followed up of course with a promptly posted glowing 5 star review :star_struck: I l love getting reviews without having to remind owners

I am very happy to post a lovely review for the homeowner and esp give the pets a star rave and say nice things about the owner and their home if the sit goes well .

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66

Very good post Marion and sound advice though I dont mind washing sheets . On my current sit the owner glossed over the fact the pet an elderly little dog pees twice a day throughout the house The owner didnt really mention it or make a point that it would be part of the ongoing care for her pet but I did luckily find a big pile of neatly folded towel squares in the laundry clearly designed for mopping up wees .I would have appreciated a heads up from the owner about this wee problem at the start of the sit

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67

Good professional approach to the business :star_struck:

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68

I absolutely agree with what you’re saying about ‘not even most’ and I just want to add one little thing. I am super experienced. I’ve done over 70 sits.

I think in the beginning, I was just so excited to be doing this. And I just had trust in people. And then over time and bad experiences, I realized the things that I originally wrote about.

But I appreciate you!

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69

i do the same too i and k. even made soup or offer to stock their fridge if i know the owners are travelling a long way and arrive late at night.
it’s just me where i put myself in their shoes and ask what i’d like if i was coming home.

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70

yes this resonates with me; clarity about what’s important for me and what isn’t. works for me and what doesn’t; and sticking to it.

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71

“Abso fecking lutely” ?

I don’t understand, and google translation is not helpful

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72

“Option to leave”. During the sit ? Have you done that ? Abandoning animals ?

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73

Absolutely. Broken with disguised swear word in the middle.

74

It’s probably referencing a line from the ‘S*x And The City’ TV series. Unable to include a certain word.

75

Hi Wendy! - what a lovely post - you are my sort of person! I totally concur on your points, very well put! :grinning_face:

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76

Thanks so much Ellie :heart: :smiley:

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77

If everyone did that you’d end up with a bad sitter who leaves your house in a mess

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78

Will you please include this in the review?

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79

Many people do that. Which is why I did get a bad sitter who left the place a mess.

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80

Defeats the object of reviews

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