Oh I’m so with you. And what is worse than toilets with lid up, is one with that as a cover photo. Hopefully it was an untech savvy person!
I’ll add one more (minor) consideration in case it has been listed yet. I think it would be useful for HOs to update their photos to show the change of seasons when applicable. For example, it’s odd to be viewing photos of the home and surroundings taken during the winter for dates which are outside of winter. As well, winter pics tend to look bleak and don’t “sell” the place as well, beautiful snow-covered pics notwithstanding.
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Homeowners: Please turn on all the lights when taking a photo of a room. It will make a world of difference. This is the way it is done in real estate photos. Also, please put the toilet seats down in the bathroom photos. Maybe some of you like seats up, but I personally do not. Any other suggestions from our experienced HO’s and Sitters?
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Make your bed!
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Don’t take the pictures standing up. Sit down on a chair or go down on one knee. Actually a little higher than kitchen counter height is perfect.
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Such a beautiful kitchen @anon39388349 - wonderful image!
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If you are choosing to use an outdoor photo as the first in your listing - the one that’s shown as a thumbnail in the new listings (although not my preference) - make sure it’s applicable to the season. I’ve seen lovely swimming pools for winter sits in Canada, and this week a lovely winter scene for a hot-weather sit. Although lovely, they’re not a good fit for your current listing. Also, ‘Christmas in July’, where rooms are difficult to see because of the seasonal decorations, are not ideal. However, one recent photo showing a range of wine bottles and two glasses did look inviting, although not really essential. 
Someone recently posted that photos of dogs should show them standing, which I think is a great idea. I’ll add perhaps taken next to a person, rather than on a beach or in a field, to allow sitters to better gauge their size, which is relevant to many sitters.
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Great comment about seasonal photos. Be willing to update your photos as needed. You can go in and change up your photos easily. This all goes towards attracting the right sitter for your pets and property.
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I’ll disagree about making the bed here. The reason is this tells me a fair amount about what the HO considers presentable. That’s valuable information to me. Posting (what to me is) a messy house, unmade bed, cluttered kitchen and bathroom counters on a platform where you’re hoping someone will want to come and stay speaks volumes to me. I prefer to know this than see photos of a tidy house and arrive to the contrary.
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Totally agree with you @carpediem16
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I have those same thoughts about seasonal photos. I’ve seen listings for sits in winter - when it is cold - showing a beautiful swimming pool, and vise versa, a house surrounded by snow for a summer sit.
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Hi @AliG… Do you mean a picture of each of the rooms in the house you will be using or all the rooms in the house?
It is very interesting to read each persons idea of the important photos to see. The opinions change quite a bit. But then this does reflect peoples choices of sits.
This is what I would assume for a sitter - I was replying to ALiG’s comment on asking for photos of all the rooms.
I would suggest all the rooms but specify the bedroom/bathroom being used by the sitter.
It’s vital for us to see the condition and scope of the home before accepting.
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It says that she would suggest all the rooms but specify the bedroom and bathroom used by the sitter?
I re read and looked at the message before posting your reply.
I replied to her post out of interest as to what some sitters prefer and some do not. It was a general enquiry, not really related to my property. I find the comments very interesting and certainly have used some of the advice given. This is when it relates but it is good to see all points of views.
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Hello. The reason we’d like to see all the rooms is because it is a visual confirmation of the owner’s care of their home. We’re particular but it may not be important to others.
Everyone: Please keep in mind not to discuss individual homeowner listings or sitter profiles publicly on the forum. The exception is when someone is asking for constructive feedback, but again we can frame our feedback in a courteous way. We need to respect that every THS member has their own reasons for what they find important in screening sitters and/or listings. Let’s just celebrate and enjoy the wide range of listings and diversity of our sitters and owners.
Thank you,
Francine,
Volunteer Forum Moderator
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Funny that you mention the Boxer pic selling a listing to you. My weakness is for Goldens/Labs and Corgies. I’ve seen some locations that are wildly unsuitable for us (too remote etc.) and I’ve considered how we could make it work, just so we could hang out with those cute dogs. And I’ve lately seen some interesting breeds of dog and cat that I’m not familiar with. So now Scottish Folds are on my list of oh-so-cute.
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I can’t tell you the number of Boxer sits I’ve tried to make work! It’s ridiculous… 
“Honey, can we hire a car at great expense for a month so we can look after a Boxer in the middle of nowhere?” Oh wait - we did that…
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@Myhnabird You pose a great question that has me thinking about this idea.
What if THS has HOs upload 3 types of photos:
(1) close up shot of pet/s
(2) group shot of them with pet/s
(3) home & area photos
Then THS can have their developers code the site to give Sitters a preference if they want a:
- “Pet View” or
- “HO + Pet View” or
- the default “Home View”.
This gives Sitters of all varieties a choice of view for what’s most important to them.
What do you think?
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