Seeking advice for first time listing

Hi All -

This site has been highly recommended ot me, but I’m not sure of the best way to create interest/visibility for my listing. I need a sitter in Philadelphia next month while I will be on a cruise. This is my first listing and while a few members have saved it, I haven’t received any applications yet. Since it is my first listing and I don’t have any reviews on this site yet, I did inlude a link to my AirBNB profile where there are reviews for both me and my beloved dog, Trixe. My home is in a wonderful location in a great city, and my dog is pretty easy to care for. The link to my listing can be found below and any feed back is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

(Removed listing and added to profile as per forum guidelines)

Hi @ladieedi. I had a look at your listing. Trixie and your home are lovely. I would add more soecific info on how many walks and lengths of walks for Trixie and how long she can be left alone. Because July 4th occurs during your sit, would Trixie be affected by fireworks noise? I am certain you have wifi but it isn’t listed. I would consider applying but I am not currently planning USA travel. Best wishes for getting a wonderful sitter.

3 Likes

You’ve already got a good profile, just a couple of small tweaks.

  1. You’ve say “care for my home and dog when I’m away.” - squeeze a descriptive word in for your dog, like adorable, gorgeous, easy-going, lovable etc - not only because you love her and that’s what you think of her, but MAINLY because you as a person ‘look’ nicer, friendlier, easy-going, kind etc, because we sit for people we naturally like, so it’s a way of looking friendly, without actually saying it.

  2. Don’t abbreviate BR & BA, spell them out, there’s loads of different nationalities on here, including those within the USA.

You have a good listing

3 Likes

It may be too late now but I think PP should list a few months out. Many sitters are booked with only a month notice. Some like me do it very part time as I am busy with my life outside of TH and like to book months out in most cases. Now I am looking to sit in a particular region for either September or October and they only show sits for this month and the next. I think others here have good suggestions how to improve your profile. Good luck and hope a good sitter finds you.

3 Likes

Welcome to forum @ladieedi !

When I try to search your listing it says that the listing is unavailable, but you have good advice here. Wifi is a specific search button for sitters, so it would be important to include that if you have wifi. I would think many would include wifi in their search criteria for a sit.

Your listing looks great; I particularly enjoyed the line about the “sketchy looking squirrels”! And the photos are excellent; many listings suffer from poor photography but yours are bright and clear and everything looks clean and comfortable.

The biggest drawback was having waited so long to post - for a two week sit, most sitters would have booked this several months in advance. In general if someone saves your listing it means they would like to sit there at some point but aren’t available for the listed dates (if they were available, they would have just applied)

To answer your question about increasing visibility, remember that you can promote it to your friends, neighbors, and colleagues via all the ways you might share links (text / social media / etc), and ask them to share it with people they might know and trust who would like a visit to Philadelphia. You only need one sitter, and the more people that see it, the better!

3 Likes

In this case I would reach out to all who have saved your listing. You have indicated being able to cover a few days if needed. Sitters can only contact you by applying to your sit. However if they are booked for even one day of your sit, they cannot apply. The only way to send you a clue, is to save your listing. It is quite possible one of the sitters who has saved your sit may be available for the majority of the sit, since you indicated flexibility. They cannot contact you, weird system, but that’s how it works :smirking_face:.

2 Likes

Hmm, curious why you couldn’t see the listing

Thank you for your thoughtful reply!

Thank you!

1 Like

Yes, I understand. I had a sitter lined up and unfortunatel,y the circumstances have changed as have some of my travel plans. I am exploring options outside of this site too, but still hopeful something could work out here!

1 Like

This is helpful. Thank you!

It might have been down for your alterations or something else. I can see it now.

Re. the availability for a few days - if you search split sits here on forum you will se that there are some pitfalls when it comes to splitting up a sit. It would be a risk as to who is responsible for the cleaning, if something happens, and in terms of review (if one doesn’t really know who is responsible for the state of the home - be it clean or filthy). For that reason many experienced sitters would avoid a split sit.

I would encourage to make the vague descriptions on pets walks and how long pet can be left more precise. If it is 10 min, 20 min walk, be left for 4+ hours (minimum for many sitters) 6+ (most dog sitters would be happy) or 7 or 8.

You mention pets bed. Is this also sleeping spot at night? Does the dog sleep with sitters? Many sitters look for that info. (Many would avoid sleeping with pets).

1 Like

The listing is fine and someone looking in Philly or who just had a homeowner cancel or something will apply. The only thing that caught my eye was the medicine. What is the medicine for? Agree with others that an exact amount of time that Trixie could be left is helpful.

1 Like