We are homeowners and newish to this platform. We extended an offer to sit for us and it was accepted by the sitter.
What are the next steps? Do we have a video chat? Do we send the handbook?
She lives not to far from us which is a good thing for us right now.
Generally itâs a good idea to chat with the person BEFORE you confirm the sit. This way if there are any issues at all you are both aware of them. If she already accepted your offer and the sit is CONFIRMED, please let the sitter know that you are new and would like to chat just to make sure everything is okay and you are on the same page with all the details. There is no chat feature on THS, so you will need to find a platform to chat that works for both of you such as WhatsApp, Facetime, Zoom, etc.
Make sure that everything will work out â arrival time, departure, questions she has about routines, questions you have for her etc.
Did you Invite a sitter you found by searching or did they âapplyâ and you accepted? Please explain further. When I did a Privtae Dates invitation to a past sitter, there was a FOUR step 
process that was confusing to get to the point where the sit is CONFIRMED. Until you have something that says CONFIRMED you have not secured your sitter yet. I HIGHLY recommend a video chat before you go any further no matter what âstageâ you are at to ensure a good fit for both you and sitter.
I reached out to the sitter and invited her to the job. She accepted. I have already sent her another message asking for a video chat as a sort of meet and greet.
Now what?
Ideally, speaking with all potential sitters should be done before making a choice.
While applications are a great first step, you will glean so much more info about the sitter much of which cannot be assessed from an application.
Since youâve already accepted her offer , asking to meet her at your home before your sit is a great way for her to get the lay of the land, meet your animals, etc. Further, it is a way to get to know her a bit better.
Ask her many questions : Why she wants to sit watch YOUR animals , in YOUR home at this time ? Ask about her experience with the types of animal(s) you have and, if applicable, experience with any specail needs they might have (giving meds, behavioural concerns, etc.). What does she do when not sitting (job, etc.) ? Ask about previous sits - why she enjoyed them why she didnât. Underline/emphasise your rules (e.g. if animals must be fed at a certain time, if trash must be out on a certain day, OK to eat âxâ but donât touch âyâ) to ensure that she both understands and is capable of following them. Be sure to let her know what you expect when you return home (Linens washed ?) and the amount and type of communication you want when youâre away (Text every day ? Pics ? "No need to contact me unless thereâs an emergency, ") etc.
The list of potential questions is endless. the bottom line is that you want/need to know enough about her to leave her responsible for your home & beloved pets.
Most important : Listen yo your gut. If something feels off, ask more qâs for clarification and know that you can ALWAYS rescind the offer if she doesnât seem ârightâ for youâŚin any way.
In all sits, communication and trust are the foundations !
I would say less than half the HOs on this forum do that. This has been raised in different threads and itâs a risky stance to take, you may lose a great sitter while trying to get an ideal one. But I am sitter and this would be better addressed by other HOs.
Thatâs true for both hosts and sitters.
Sounds like you are only part of the way there.
Step 1: You invited her to apply
Step 2. She accepted and applied to your dates
Now go ahead and do your chat. If all is good and you would like her do the sit, next steps are
Step 3. Invite her to sit
Step 4. She confirms her agreement to sit
Only then are you both locked into a confirmed sit.
@SharonV Your listing shows two open dates (June + Aug/Sept). If itâs one of those two date ranges, your sitter is not confirmed. If itâs different dates, go to the sitterâs listing and look for black lines on their calendar through the sit dates. If there arenât any black lines, then theyâre not confirmed. If theyâre not confirmed, I suggest the video chat before confirming, for the reasons other have mentioned.
As youâre new Iâll mention that most of us donât like the word âjobâ used for a sit. That word is more appropriate for paid situations.
I think if you like a profile from a potential candidate then quickly ask them for a FaceTime, zoom, or just a phone call. Some profiles look very good as many I learned are using AI. You want to make sure that in person they can put two sentences together without AI. Ask all the questions you want and be sure to tell candidate to ask any questions they may have.
If you have a good feeling after the call then ask if they are ready to confirm the sit. If they say yes, confirm quickly. If they say they want to think about it, move on. There is more than one person who is qualified even if you have to wait a few more days for them to find you. Your house is absolutely lovely! Good luck with your first sit.
I suggest If you did not offer days and time options that you are available, send an additional message with that information to expedite the schedule. You do not want to lose momentum going back-and-forth about when somebody is available. Make it clear when you are available with options.
Thank you!
I invited her to âsitâ for only one specific date.
Yes, we have done that in the past-met with the sitter via video first. Thatâs been when THEYâVE applied for the sit.
In this case we had a confirmed sitter who just backed out on us. So I did a search for a sitter. Loved what I read and the tons of reviews she had.
So..I invited her and she said yes. This was a different experience than a sitter applying for the sit. So the next screen that showed for us was slightly different.
And yes, if after the video call we feel she may not be a right fit we will withdraw or cancel and look for someone else.
Thank you.
I donât agree with speaking with all potential sitters. If you receive an application and have a video call with a sitter that you think would be great, why continue to chat with others? Because you think one of the of the others might be a teensy, tiny bit better in some way? That strikes me as a behaviour thatâs crossed over from dating apps, repeatedly swiping because the next one might be the one. As someone has already mentioned thereâs a risk in delaying decision making, you may lose a great sitter.
I think when TOREISHI suggests speaking with all potential sitters before confirming, they mean potential sitters as in the one newbie Sharon wants to make the offer to, and any future date sitters, as a habit, in continious tense, not literally all potential applicants in this instance. I could be wrong.
I should have clarified : I always meet LOCAL homeowners as , agreed, meeting with sits farther away is both superflouous and expensive !
Meeting with locals establishes further comfort for both parties and is always appreciated by the HO in my experience.
I want to add to this message that as a homeowner when searching for a sitter we initially see a screen that shows many sitters faces. When you click on a sitters image it takes you next to a screen where you can see their full profile and calendar of availability.
The next option is NOT for a video call (that only happens when the Sitter applies for the sit). In this/our case we clicked Invite Sitter and in the next screen wrote a message to the sitter we contacted to see if they were interested in the sit. To which she replied âyes.â
After she accepted we had the opportunity to send a message. We have agreed with the sitter to have a video call this week.
This is a problem with the THS system. Youâre lucky they accepted an invite as itâs very hit & miss. The fact theyâve said yes to a video call is great. The usual process is put up the listing, wait for applicants, message the ones you like and set up the call asap. Hopefully it will work out nicely. #justablip
Hi Sharon,
Welcome to TrustedHousesitters.
Thereâs some good advice in this forum discussion, but I also wanted to share a link to this short guide that includes some tips of what to do once youâve started to receive applications.
As well as our community of members, our Member Service teams are available to help you get started. 