I have a two week trip starting September 20, and have had only few applicants (none a match yet), but 90 sitters have saved my listing. I composed an invitation to send to some of those who’ve saved my listing, asking if they are open to taking a portion of of my trip, assuming they are not available for the whole thing. My idea is that each sitter could hand off the sit to the next one.
Is this the best way to split up a sit, by inviting potential sitters and asking for availability first, or should I start by editing the 2-week sit into two 1-week sits and see if I get more applicants?
Not many sitters we could be keen on handing over to another. What if something is broken when the 2nd sitter arrives or left untidy and dirty. Some people may do it but it’s not for me. You need a back up plan for a paid sitter if you don’t find anyone. Lots of us are booked up months ahead and people save sits because they may like to apply if advertised again but can’t do the dates at the moment so invites rarely work. International sitters travelling to the USA are reduced due to border issues so you will probably get someone from closer to home. Maybe add your sit to your profile on here so you can get advice on the content from sitters although you have said you have had applications so it may not be that.
@BLR, welcome to THS Forum. A two-week housesit is not an atypically long duration. Most of our housesits (~50) have been longer than two week duration (up to three months). It is our impression that shorter duration housesits appeal to housesitters that are local to your pet parent. Longer duration housesits may appeal to non-local housesitters.
Suggest that you add your THS listing to your THS Forum profile. Should you do this then Forum members may provide helpful comments.
We suspect that any lack of applicants may be due to factors other than housesit duration. Without reviewing the listing then it is guesswork. Similar Forum posts have identified poor listings (ensure great photos of key areas; complete info on pet(s) including exercise needs, other responsibilities, sleep location, duration left; info on local travel/transit; perhaps any local attractions). Suggest review listings of other Pet Parents in your area - they are your competition. Consider any aspects that may make your listing more appealing to housesitters. THS is a matchmaking platform - if your listing is appealing then it will likely attract housesitters.
I found your sit. You have a lot of animals in a (relatively) remote location, so I would say it’s a very niche sit that won’t appeal to as many sitters. You mention that you are willing to discuss use of your car and transportation from the airport, which is great.
Your photos seem fine to me and the sit looks lovely. I think, combined with the above, it’s just a little too last minute and an awkward time of year, with kids just back in school. If the two applicants you have aren’t suitable you should decline them so that you can delete your dates and repost them. The sit will show up as new and ping anyone who has saved it. If they’re interested and available, they’ll contact you.
I’ve done 50+ sits and would never consider splitting a sit. Also, I don’t really think shortening your particular sit would make it more appealing. Given the logistics of getting to your sit, I would think most sitters would want a longer sit, not a shorter one, to make it worthwhile. Have you tried contacting any of your previous sitters to see if they are interested in returning?
2 weeks is almost always better than 1 week, in my opinion.
The main problem is that you did not post your dates earlier. For 2 weeks in September, I would recommend posting your dates in May or June.
If 90 sitters have saved your listing, it must be an attractive listing. Sitters need more time to plan their lives in order to be at your home for 2 weeks.
I love Santa Ynez and have your listing saved as a favorite (and wish I were available!), but for folks not familiar with the area, your post might seem like they would need to drive to Solvang or SB for entertainment. Perhaps if you include pics or details highlighting the charm of Santa Ynez and Los Olivos, it may appeal to a broader audience. Also, you include responsibilities for your goat and horse, but don’t mention if the sitter needs to have specific experience. I would most likely include my limited experience with horses in my application and let you decide if I were a good fit. But others may not apply, assuming you require more experience.
it is difficult to help you without seeing your sit. if you are uncomfortable posting the link here you can screen shot it and post those pics here. I don’t think the length is the issue. Longer sits are rare these days so quite sort after IMO.
All sits/hosts essentially compete for sitters, because there are more sits than sitters, especially good ones. A few elements that might be working against you:
• Your location is not among the most popular.
• You have a number of pets and many sitters will sit only so many. Plus, many folks tend to sit dogs and/or cats.
• Your sit requires a car. Many people won’t rent, because of costs.
Given the above, you’d be better served by posting your sits with more lead time, so relevant sitters have more opportunity to see your listing before they’re booked up.
Most sitters don’t consider two weeks a long sit. And many sitters won’t do split sits, handing off or taking a handoff from another sitter.
There are risks involved when it comes to a split sit, including pet care, home care and such. I did it once early on in my THS membership and belatedly realized that I couldn’t trust the other sitter, who took iffy care of the pets. And what if they had damaged or stolen stuff? I wouldn’t want to be dragged into another sitter’s drama.
I haven’t seen the listing, so based on the snippets of info. in this topic.
Consider whether the responsibilities rescribed are clear. If it is unclear, I will «assume the worst».
Consider whether the tasks are in line with an equal match for a voluntary sitter. If it is too much for a voluntary match, many sitters would avoid and apply for another sit.
Many animals are not necessarily «too much» as time spent on care vary widely. A host would surely lose all the sitters that prefer one cat/ dog ofc - but some groups of sitters might find it fun. Consider for instance to be Family friendly. This could well be teens or young adults - you choose regardless (and ofc can ask for everyone involved taking part in a videocall before you decide).
I think care for a horse could make many decide they can’t take it on. Consider if this can be optional, and that someone local can care for the horse if the sitter is not comfortable with it.
Personally, I would never take on a split sit. There’s too many risks involved - who is responsible for what, cleaning, if something goes wrong who is responsible, how will it influence reviews. I think two weeks is a very normal sit. Shorter sits are often offputting to more sitters, I would think, as the settling in and then the end cleaning and such would leave little time to enjoy oneself.
So - based on the thread here and not actually seeing your listing. Don’t do anything you are not comfortable with. Best of luck!
@BLR, re 90 favourites then this may not be representative of current interest. Some, maybe many, of these housesitters may have favourited your property prior to 2025, at which time many international housesitters were visiting the US. That said, while THS does not publish data on members then there are presumably many housesitters that reside in the US so, subject to an attractive listing, there should be ample housesitter applicants.
Having done 3 split sits I would not recommend it as a solution. The first 2 went very well but the third time was a disaster. The previous sitter did not clean up for us and was blasé about it when we complained e g he had not cleaned the bathroom at all in 2 weeks! It was yucky And he had not vacuumed for us (with 4 cats!) We were pretty disappointed and informed the hosts about the handover. We never actually met them, but they had met the first sitter and obviously liked him. They perhaps took offense to our complaint of him, as he ended up with a much better review than us despite us doing a great job throughout and leaving their home pristine. Never again.
Very good suggestions about highlighting the area, thank you! And someone doesn’t need experience with the horse and goat, they just need to know what illness looks like, but I can explain, leave notes. I’ll add that to my listing as well. Thanks for the specific advice.
It is not against rules to attach her sit link to her profile which is what I meant. And no posting photos of her profile so long as it doesn’t reveal personal info I believe is fine.
First, thanks to everyone for the advice and support. Second, I found a sitter last night! (Sigh of relief.)
In case it helps anyone, here’s what I did: While I was waiting for my original post to be approved (first time on the forum), I reached out to several local-ish sitters who had favorited my listing, asking them if they would be willing to take on a portion of my dates. One responded, saying she could do all but three days. We had a lovely chat last night, I invited and they accepted. I’m going to have a friend who knows the routine stop by to feed the critters for the three days the sitter is unavailable. Making the car available was a great idea I learned from another thread on this forum, the sitter will use my car during the stay (covered by my insurance).
What I learned from all of you here for the next time: 1.) Post earlier, 2.) Be more specific about animal needs, so people without horse and goat experience will be better informed, 3.) Highlight the positives of the area-it really is a popular tourist town 4.) Don’t ask sitters to split a listing. I got lucky this time, but good points were made here about why that wouldn’t be attractive to a potential sitter.
Once again, thanks to all for time you took to advise and support! Cheers!
Great advice, @mdarden1x, both about highlighting the area, and talking about the specific experience someone would need, which is not much, actually. Maybe we will cross paths someday.
Yay! I am a HO not a sitter but can definitely say Santa Ynez is gorgeous! It does need a car so glad you were able to offer that, and glad you found a sitter!
