Sorry but I continue to be disappointed with THS. Still no Sitters. I reached out a few weeks ago for help, received plenty of criticism, took on board and happily ‘tweaked’ my post followed by positive messages from members… Now 7 weeks before I go on holiday, the anxiety is apparent! 2 x applicants- 1 has not responded to my message and the other applicant declined for reasons of the logistics, getting around the area we live. Having to be told to be patient, someone will confirm one week before I fly is not ideal way of looking forward to a well deserved break!! I’m regretting the automatic renewal fee! Sorry to the happy and contented members who may think I am being unreasonable!!
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Your tweaks are great, you’re in an idyllic spot, however you have two main stumbling blocks. An image of the exterior property as a whole as the main photo is much more likely to get filled quicker in comparison to a one that doesn’t include an external image. That’s just a fact, you will statistically have less applicants in comparison to others that show the exterior of the house.
It’s very hard for a sitter to choose to travel somewhere when they have no idea what the property even looks like from the outside, it’s just harder to imagine yourself there, because in most owners profiles, there’s an external image. We’ve always had an external image in 100% of our sits, not because it’s our preference, but just because owners typically include it.
Also, if you click on ‘Find A House Sit’, and take a look at the big list of sits in Chichester on a laptop, yours says ‘Cottage at the foot of the South Downs, Walks’ and then the title cuts off. It’s different again on a mobile. So ‘Cottage at the foot of the South Downs, Walks’ doesn’t sell your place in the best way, because your place is lovely, but those words aren’t enticing at all. Perhaps something like the below would be best, because we can see your basic location anyway.
Beautiful Cottage, Pretty Village & Good Pubs
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Would you be willing to allow a family to apply? Folks like me would not see your sit under our saved searches.
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When you say, “Squid will go wherever you want to go” and don’t mention how long he can be left at home, it sounds like you expect a sitter to be with him 24/7, which might be keeping some sitters from applying.
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If I were to change one bit of text, it would be the first sentence of the second paragraph of your introduction. You write, “We pride ourselves living in such a warm, friendly village.” I suggest saying “We feel very lucky to be living in such a warm, friendly village.” Feeling proud to be living in such a place sounds a bit odd..
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I am surprised you’re having difficulty on this occasion as clearly have had no problem finding sitters before. You still have a long time to go.
As @HappyDeb says, it would be a good idea to have a picture of the front of the house and as @Maggie8K says please do mention how long Squid can be left alone at home once he’s been walked.
I can certainly vouch for the beautiful area you live in and only recently visited the wonderful Weald and Downland Living Museum for the first time. As you know it is where The Repair Shop is filmed, so why don’t you mention that?
BTW, there is no point being disappointed with THS as, you must know, there is no guarantee you will find a suitable sitter/sitters. You appear not to have had a problem before but you must have a plan b in place. Remember, we sitters are not paid as this is a mutual exchange.
I love Chichester, its Festival Theatre and surrounding area. @Colin will eat his hat if you don’t find a sitter!
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Your place and squid look lovely, I am surprised you have not had more applications. Although I understand your date of travel is getting close, As @Smiley says - I will eat my 
if you do not eventually attract a great sitter.
The only suggestions I can offer are.
1 - As @HappyDeb says, your title is doing you no favours - there is a limit to the amount of characters that will show, when I look on my laptop, it says " Cottage at the foot of the South Downs. Walks on the doorstep and…" -
2 - Are there any amenities in walking distance. is there a shop I could use without having to drive or catch the bus?
3 - To this - “Train station is situated in Chichester, easy to get to using the bus.” I would also add “or we are happy to give you a lift from and to the station”
Good Luck
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That’s the first thing I thought when I read her profile. I am the type who would just apply and then ask how much time can (name of dog) be left alone if I want to explore non dog friendly places. Some people would just pass on the profile as it sounds like the dog should go everywhere with you. I would definitely change that.
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Yes, and I’ve actually done several sits where the dogs have gone everywhere with me, but I still wouldn’t pursue a listing where the host expects (or seems to expect) 24/7 accompaniment. That’s because I look for signs on whether a host is reasonable (or not) and whether they believe in an equitable exchange.
Sitters are comparing sits nonstop when looking at listings. It often takes only one seemingly negative sign for them to pass up a listing, because there are so many to choose from, especially in the U.K., where there’s a glut of sits vs. too few sitters.
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It looks great to me, just the sort of sit I look for. Unfortunately one of the weekends clashes with something for me, or I’d have applied.
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