As a brand new HO I had my first sitter just last weekend. As I needed someone within 2 weeks of joining I did a local search and messaged a number of local sitters which is how I secured the fabulous Tina. Several replied saying they weren’t available but would be happy to sit in the future if the dates worked so it was definitely a worthwhile exercise. Good luck with your search.
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Our very first sit was a local one, and ironically happened to also be our first request-to-sit by a homeowner. It was so close to home, Roger could go to work each day. It was a perfect introduction to the world of THS!!!
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I’m currently on a house sit just ten minutes from I live. It’s an area of the city where I grew up. I plan to do some fitness classes in the community centre next door to my high school. It’s been 52 years since I used to go swimming and skating at that community centre - it will be a trip down memory lane. The condo I’m sitting in is like a luxury hotel complete with gym and swimming pool and the loveliest little dog. I’m really enjoying myself in my own city!
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I’m both a sitter and homeowner. I tend to not accept sitters that live too close as I fear they will be too tempted to spend more time at their home than mine. But I like ones that can travel by car. So like if they are about 2-4 hours away. My community actually refuses to give guest passes to those living in the three neighboring counties. Most coming to The Villages want to use all the amenities.
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While I searching out this option, I wondered if there’s a way to look for sitters from other areas? When I click on sitters in the app, it only shows me sitters within my town. Because we have visitors from all over the US, and many, many from around our state and surrounding states, I wanted to look at my options for sitters that are a little farther out. Can I do that? I would assume so… just can’t figure out how to do it. Thanks so much!
There should be a search box for you to type in a specific location to look for sitters.
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Well, that’s what I though too. When I click on sitters, however, the only thing that comes up is a filter button that allows you to enter dates. There’s not any other options?
Are you on the app or the website? This is what I see on the website. I click on Find a Sitter, and then type in an area. Then all the sitters in that region show up.
Hi @SunshineNCoastlines as @Kelownagurl has said you should see the option to type in a location when searching for sitters on the App.
You will see a bar at the top that says “Search sitter by location”, click on this to enter the location you wish to look for sitters. I have added a screenshot below with an arrow to show where I mean.
Hopefully this helps but if this is not what you can see, please let me know and I will send you an email to help further.
All the best
Lucy
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Well, don’t I feel dumb! How in the world did I miss that one??? 
Thanks so much, y’all!
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Another reason for sits close to home that I don’t think anybody else has mentioned is a roof over your head when your own house is being renovated. My renovations began in February 2020 when I was still working full time. I had local sits arranged right through until the June to give the builders ample time to finish the work. But we all know what happened in the March! Of course, all the sits fell through and I was left homeless for 9 months but thankfully friends helped out with accommodation. I am still sleeping on the sofa in my own house - long story involving the first builder abandoning me and going bankrupt, and the new builder having way too much work. It’s good to do a local sit in a proper home while still being able to pop back to supervise what’s being done on the house.
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I was so sorry to read in another thread that some homeowners are having trouble finding sitters. There was much good advice about making the profile more attractive, and posting with plenty of lead time. I travel as a sitter about 3 months out of the year. I receive invitations to sit a few times per week. They all are from homeowners in Northern California where I live and for dates that are fairly soon. I always reply that I am not available. The truth is, that when I am home, I am home and don’t need/want to go elsewhere. However, with a little lead time I would consider a sit somewhere else – a US city I’ve always wanted to visit or another country altogether. This may not work, but I thought I would mention it as there might be other sitters like me who don’t care for local sits. What do others think?
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Like you, I don’t want to sit locally but there are a limited amount of places that i want to visit. The list is long, but not unlimited. My guess is that HOs don’t want to waste time inviting sitters who might not be interested in their area.
Sitters can list the country they want to visit, but not a specific city or region. We could list favored areas in the text at the start of the sitter profile, and specify that we are not interested in local sits.
My first sit was local, but that was to get a review under my belt. If inviting a local sitter, one with very few reviews might be more likely to agree than a more experienced sitter. Some local sitters also like to take a break from their family and be alone for a weekend or longer!
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I’ve recently added a few lines at the top of our profile stating our travel plans for fall and noting when and where we will be looking for sits.
That being said, I think it’s unlikely that a home owner from another country would invite us to a sit unless we had favourited their posting at some point.
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When you first select “find a petsitter” it will ask you where. You can put in County or State names as well as city names. That will help you identify sitters that have proximity to you. You can then personally invite them. Don’t get too concerned about their Calendar schedule (unless the dates are crossed out), as many people don’t keep their calendar availability updated.
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