What photos do you like to see?

When a sit is advertised what would you like to see photos of? Sometimes there is only photos of the owners and scenary, I know I personally want to see a photo of the pets and maybe the bedroom to be used by the sitters.

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Great question @Vsnedden … thank you!

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We don’t apply if there are no photos of the pets. We also like to see pictures of the house, just so we know what we are getting into. Not particular bothered about photos of the local area, can normally just look those up on google.

The amount of listings with just one photo is staggering, can’t imagine they get many applicants.

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I agree with you @Vsnedden I want to see the pets, first and foremost, (it amazes me that some owners don’t include photos of their pets), the room I’d be sleeping in, bathroom, kitchen and lounge. Photos of the garden would be nice too.

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If you like the sound of the sit you could always ask to see photos of the pets, and advise the owners to upload photos for future housesitters

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I also want to see the furry friend as there are some I do not feel comfortable with ( ex: pitbull) but also if the home is clean. Do not need to be a castle but I want to sit in an organized and clean place.

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I’ve often been amazed at the photos that owners will choose, or not choose. Frankly, a cat, is a cat. I’m not terribly concerned about cat color. I really don’t need to see ONE picture much less +20 pictures of the same cat or dog.

I’m interested to see where I will be living; Lots of interior and exterior pictures. Nothing that gives away secure information, but enough that lets me know I’m not signing up to spend a week in a barn, or in some hoarders haven. I don’t need The Ritz, but when I see a living space with no furniture, or cobwebs, or chalk out-lines of bodies on the floors, it is concerning.

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When looking for a potential sit, I do want to see interior photos of all relevant rooms and perhaps one of the exterior of the house. I don’t need lots of pictures of the same pet. If there are only photos of the pet or the interior looks untidy or unkempt then I don’t apply. If owners can’t be bothered to present their home nicely (or update their details) then I hear warning bells!

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We look for photos of the house and relevant internal rooms plus one or two of the pets. Don’t need pictures of the owners or the local scenery really.

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A few photos of their pets, photo from the garden/terrace or view from the window, and a picture of at least the living room/kitchen. I also read the description carefully and see if the photos match the description :slight_smile:
Funny enough though, the most amazing housesits we have done were the ones without a photo of the interior. They had detailed descriptions though of the house and their pets routines and habits.

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There must be photo limit but it seems very generous judging by a few listings I have seen with 10+
If I assume there are 10, then:

  • At least 1 photo of each animal*
  • The sitters’ bedroom
  • The living area and/or the kitchen
  • Outside space if there is one
    In that order of preference, would be my ideal as a sitter.
    Having said that, we applied for (and got) a sit where the animals were the only pictures, none of the house at all. It didn’t happen though :microbe::rage:
    Photos of the area are a definite put-off for me. Who needs them? And why waste valuable space on what the Eiffel Tower or local beach looks like? Seems to me that HOs who do that have something to hide :joy: And duplicates annoy me a good deal too.
    Frankly though, in today’s climate, one photo of an out-of-focus cat next to a rubbish bin is all owners need, the ratio imbalance is so huge.

*I draw the line at individual chickens though!

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As sitters, the homeowners see pictures of us on our profile but I think only once have we seen photos of the homeowners. We’ve arrived at airports not knowing who to look for or on occasion I’ve asked the homeowners to describe themselves. So in addition to seeing pictures of the pets and the home, I’d like to see one pic of the homeowners.

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Oh, you got somethin’ against poultry?!!!

Clearly some sensitivity training may be in order!!!

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:joy::joy: (I so wish there were Facebook type reactions here).

Au contraire, I AD :heart_eyes: RE chickens. Ducks etc too; I just prefer to get to know them individually at a sit :wink:

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Multiple photos of the same animal is, for me, a warning sign of an over-indulged animal and a high maintenance owner.

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Your observation is an astute psychological conclusion that I’ll need to ponder…so far, I have not encountered the psychotically obsessive owner.

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That’s a very good point!

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Photos of the pets are important and also the interior of the house and maybe one of the exterior. I need to feel right in the house as well as with the animals. I wish the profile photo of the owner was bigger so I could get a sense of them too.

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Unfortunately you can’t tell the nature of a pet by its photos but pictures of the inside of the home where you will need to live can provide a good indication of whether it’s likely to be a comfortable sit or not.

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Always like to see a photo of the outside of the house too.

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