Hi there community! I’ve read a lot of posts about saved listings but didn’t see one addressing my concern. As I understand it, sitters save listings for multiple reasons: checking their schedules, to get notified of future sits because dates don’t currently work out at all, deciding between other sits, etc. I posted a listing for the end of December which I thought wasn’t too far in advance but now I’m wondering if it is because I’ve gotten over 20 saves (from 1-40 reviews) but only 5 applications (with 1 that was a possibility). I’m wondering if I’m missing those who will be on sits nearby but my dates overlap by just a little and in which case, I can flex. My start date can be moved by 2+ days which I put in the listing but I’m unsure if sitters would know/want to apply in order to try and work out a date. It seems like the only way to do that is for them to submit an application, but I don’t know if sitters are limited in how many they are permitted to apply for…
My second thought is that maybe I should delete my dates and repost the listing. Someone recently said that other sitters were not seeing the posting but when they did that, it showed up again. I don’t know how true that is but I do know that THS glitches a lot on me, so it seems probable.
And third thought - I am very willing to send an “invite” to those who saved my listing but figured they didn’t apply for a reason so the likelihood seems low (and per many posts confirming that thought).
I’m willing to wait on a great applicant, so maybe I just do that? If anyone has experience doing that, it would give me great assurance to follow suit!
Extra Info:
-the sit is a few days before and after Christmas and New Years, respectively.
-because you kind folks might ask, I am not looking for feedback on my listing at the moment. You have all given me a lot of great feedback when I first joined and I have also incorporated many ideas from other posts.
Hello, welcome! Being a HO on THS does have its own learning curve.
but only 5 applications
Dates are limited to 5 applications at a time before they lock up and go into a “Reviewing” status and block anyone else from applying (there are some corner cases where you could get more, but for simplicity’s sake we’ll call it 5). It is best to quickly decline applicants who you know will not be a good fit, then manually un-pause your dates, so more sitters can apply.
It seems like the only way to do that is for them to submit an application, but I don’t know if sitters are limited in how many they are permitted to apply for…
Sitters are not allowed to apply for sits if the dates overlap their current booked dates, so yes you may be getting “favorites” from sitters who would love to apply if only you adjusted your dates! Sitter calendars on THS are not great but they do definitely show dates where a sitter has a confirmed THS booking. If someone has favorited your sit and their calendar has crossed out dates that overlap your sit days, it’s entirely possible they wanted to apply but were unable to do so in the THS system. Worth reaching out to those who have favorited you!
maybe I should delete my dates and repost the listing
There was a recent bug where newly posted dates were showing up as “low applications” instead of “new”, and it was a visibility issue because many sitters are looking specifically for “new” sits. You can see the tag for yourself when you view your listing. Deleting and reposting the dates should give you the “new” tag now, but my bet is that your true limitation is the 5 applicants you currently have.
I am very willing to send an “invite” to those who saved my listing but figured they didn’t apply for a reason so the likelihood seems low
Maybe the probability is low, but if you would like people to sit for you there is no reason at all not to reach out. Even if they can’t do these specific dates, it opens up the line of communication with them and they won’t be locked out in the future by not being within the first 5 applicants.
Hope this helps!!
6 Likes
As a long time sitter, I will heart a listing for a few reasons.
- it looks great but I can’t do it this time…
- I really like it but I’m waiting to show/ discuss it with my husband
- I’m really not sure what I’m doing during those dates, and I’m either trying to build up other sits around it or decide where I’m going to be.
Christmas sits are like Christmas morning to me. So many people travel, so it’s so exciting to see what my options are. So, I tend to hold out for something amazing/ not usually seen otherwise. But personally it means I probably wait too long to decide 
I can’t think of a single time a homeowner has reached out to me and that made me choose a sit.
4 Likes
Very helpful! I really appreciate your detailed feedback and will look into the calendar idea. Would you mind clarifying this statement:
If this is the case, should a HO wait to decline applications so their listing looks “popular”? I don’t like making people wait so plan to let them know within 24 hours that I’m reviewing applications but don’t want them waiting a week (because it might take that long to gather 5) to hear a final decision. Basically, I’d like to know good etiquette as a HO.
I appreciate that analogy about Christmas morning! It gives me a better idea of the thought process behind choosing some sits. Thank you!
When I said "new" sits I meant listings with the “new” badge. It appears on listings that have had new dates published within the last couple days. Many sitters skim listings daily, so when they see a sit with the “low applications” badge or no badge at all, they don’t click into it because they assume they had already seen it when it was marked as “new”. That’s all that I mean about some sitters filtering for “new” sits!
As far as making your listing appear popular by quickly rejecting sitters or not… that depends! My location is not super popular so I am of the opinion that when a good fit applies, I try to lock them down quickly and don’t bother with any of that 
You could always reject an applicant in writing without “officially” declining them in the app, if you wanted to keep the numbers high, but on the flip side there might be someone who won’t apply because it looks like there’s lots of competition. In any case, none of it has any bearing on whether or not your sit has the “new” badge.
This platform is all about connecting individuals, so there’s no centralized etiquette and everyone’s doing things their own way. So it’s entirely up to you whether you want to tell an applicant “no” outright or tell them you need a few days to think, and they can decide to wait or withdraw from there. One thing to bear in mind is that sitters are often applying to multiple sits at the same time so you don’t want to leave them in limbo for too long lest they accept a different sit, but it sounds like you already are inclined to respond quickly!
1 Like
We sit full time and we save places that are in the area we want (as we typically focus on two main areas) but where we aren’t able to do their exact dates this time around because we are already booked. So we save them just so that we get an update if any future dates are posted by the pet owner. Because remember a pet is for life… not just 2024.
Hope that helps you.
2 Likes
Maybe I misunderstood what you meant, but in general:
One really only needs one sitter. If you get a good applicant there is really no need to wait. Schedule a videocall and if you find you meet each others criteria there is no real reason to not confirm the sit and move forward. The only reason I can think of is FOMO - Fear of missing out. Very common on dating-sites. No one is really good enough. One can always find a flaw. Surely something better will come up. And the result is that no one finds somebody ever. 
If you have five applicants why do you need «more»? Aren’t any of them a fit? Then decline them and you can get five others.
The FOMO will prevent you from finding a sitter. Not only for not being able to go forward but because in the meantime the sitters - also sitters who have applied for your sit - confirm a sit with somebody else they have also applied for, a host that does move forward and the sitter withdraw their application. Or like I and many others do - if a host can’t make decisions in a timely manner we consider it a red flag and withdraw. My timeframe is a reaction within 48 hours, hosts that don’t doesn’t have a communication-style that is a good match for me.
When I search D.C. there are several sits offered over Christmas and the most of them seems to have 0/1 applicants. So it seems you are lucky if you have five.
Take a look at your five applicants, move forward to secure a sitter. If you know four are not for you, just decline now. The one that is possible may be applying for another sit and disappear as an option.
3 Likes
Thanks for taking the time to respond! Actually, the question I had was more to do with how to engage with saved listings rather than choosing applicants. Every HO has their criteria, and I think mine are reasonable which are having external references if they don’t have THS reviews and pet sitting experience. So, I definitely agree with choosing the first one who fits (which I’ve done previously and it worked out amazing).
I really don’t get why a sitter would be more interested in a listing that has many applicants. A HO needs to find just one good sitter who will give them peace of mind and who will care for their home and pets, that sitter needs to be interested in that particular sit at the specific time listed and I don’t think it “looking popular” will make it any more attractive. Not for me, anyway. This could even be bad for you because some sitter may not consider a listing with too many applicants, feeling they have fewer chances or being stressed by getting their application on time before the 5 application limit is reached.
As other have said, sitters apply for multiple sits and will withdraw their application if they get another sit before you even answer.
If you know some of the applicants are not a good fit, just decline their application and try to talk ASAP with the one/ones that seem to work for you. Ask relevant questions to find out if they fulfill your needs, if so, secure the sit ASAP.
Regarding the flexibility of dates, you can list faked dates quite ahead of time, say for May 2026. Explain the real listing is the other one but your dates are flexible. The faked dates will give sitters interested in your Christmas sit but with overlapping date, the opportunity to get in touch with you and negotiate new dates. Also, sitters who have favourited your listing will get a notification of the “new” dates and may contact you.
Good luck
1 Like
That’s actually a perspective I hadn’t thought of —where too many applications could look like too much competition so maybe not worth trying. Also, thanks for the extra ideas regarding the listing!
1 Like
My other post below your’s was meant to reply to you but I didn’t hit the right button. I wanted to also say that the applicants you see might be reflecting what I’m doing which is declining applicants as they roll in versus waiting for a batch of 5.
1 Like
That is good.
Hope you will get a good match soon! Best of luck!
2 Likes
One more regarding invitations to members that have favorited your listing:
If I get invitations it has so far been mostly from sits I have not favorited. They are usually rural/ in need of car and with a lot of animals (often full time work by the sound of it). So I rarely reflect over invitations at all. I’m sure if differs for instance if one is invited to re-sit if one enjoyed it the last time or otherwise tempting offers.
For invitations I would feel more enthusiastic if it showed that the host had read my profile and were interested to have me as a sitter. So I would do that screening before I sent an invitation. And preferably point out why that would be somewhere I would like to spend my holidays. For some destinations I guess that could be obvious for Christmas - beach and sun or skiing - a cabin with snow and starry nights - or it could be the decorations in a city, some Christmas event/ exhibition/ show - or an offer to decorate the home for Christmas for the sitter should one wish to.
I would think a main target group for a D.C. Christmas sit could be someone that have family/ friends in D.C. and would like to get to the area during the holidays. It could also be some local that would like to sit so that for instance their inbound guests can use the rooms in their own home. Just suggestions to spin some ideas.
1 Like
These are really great points! I do appreciate you sharing. We actually plan to leave decorations up for Christmas unless sitters prefers not to have them - I’ll see if I can work the holiday spirit into the listing. And you’re accurate - there’s quite a few locals who have saved the listing so I’m guessing that is the case (& I also see similar requests on my neighborhood sites). I did find a check box for “rough dates” last night but based on recent posts, that feature doesn’t seem to show up for the public to see so not sure how it works 
And again, I seemed to not have replied to you but thought I did (response above).
1 Like