It has been a couple of weeks since I posted my sit. We leave for our trip in about 4 weeks. A couple of sitters have saved my listing but I’ve had no applicants. Is now a good time to invite them? I’m not sure when is the best time to boost my listing. I’m getting a little stressed! Any advice would be very much appreciated!
At the moment, there are many more sits than there are sitters, and many owners are having the same problem. Making your listing as attractive as possible and ensuring you clearly outline exactly what is on offer for sitters and why they should pick you over someone else is key. Looking at your profile though, it reads as though you have done exactly that and it sounds excellent - so I’m not sure what else to suggest besides boosting 
It sounds like a lovely sit
Your profile seems lovely, apart from one thing (probably the MOST important thing), sorry but it’s the bedroom photo, you really need a fresh photo. Take a look at it, at the moment you asking sitters to sleep in a less-than-desirable bedroom, uncomfortable pillows, a small pile of dirty sheets on top of the bed, dirty clothes on the floor, etc. I think that’s the reason you haven’t found anyone yet, because your place looks great apart from that.
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@Keller Your home looks so nice. However, many sitters do not like having dogs sleeping in bed with them, so that can be a turn-off for some. Thank you for mentioning it up front, though, so sitters can make informed decisions.
It would also help to clarify how long the dog can be left alone at home so the sitter(s) can go exploring. For example, you could write “Hooch can be left alone for up to six hours…”
Just a thought… Good luck. We are HOs and sitters so we understand what you’re going through. 
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Be more specific about location. “Near” and “close to” can mean anything. And then there are two different colleges there - which one is it? It is a destination that might attract a sitter. You might even want to mention it in the title. The “1 dog 2 cats” is already in symbols in the header.
That kind of thing I am not likely to send an application to for asking about it. I just hop over to the next HO who gives specifics.
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Hey, @Keller, and welcome!
So, you can’t do much about the dog wanting to sleep in bed with the sitter (actually in, or simply on? If it’s on, I’d change that wording, as having the dog under the covers is an even bigger concern for some) but there are other things you can do to make your sit more attractive.
I would consider making the house photos more attractive. You want the photos to be honest, but they also should show your home at its best. You want your photos to look exactly how the place will look when the sitter shows up – kitchen clean with dishes put away, bed made up as attractively as possible, rooms decluttered. Sitters want to see where they’ll be making food, eating, bathing, sleeping, relaxing, and possibly working. Get the rooms looking exactly how they’ll look when the sitter shows up, then turn on lamps and take photos about an hour after dawn or an hour before sunset – these two things help a space look more inviting in photos.
You call out your garden as a place to relax in, but the photo of the garden doesn’t look like a place to relax, it looks more like a place to work. Your second photo is confusing to me – I just see a glimpse through a doorway into a room where I assume is the place I’d be relaxing indoors, but I can barely see anything. You don’t show me the place I’d be working, eating, or relaxing indoors.
Can you offer the use of a car? Pick up at the airport? These are fairly major considerations for any sitter who won’t be driving in.
You do a pretty good job of calling out things to do in the area, but you could improve it – it looks like Danville has excellent restaurants, that’s important to some people so I might emphasize it more. Are there great museums? For trips that are in season and the Otterbots are playing at home, call them out, there are people who make a hobby of visiting minor league baseball. If you could offer tickets, that would be a nice touch and would make you look like a HO who is thinking about the sitters. Photos of the cute town area, the riverwalk, etc. could probably replace some of the pet photos – you only need maybe two of each pet, looking their most adorable.
I think you could improve your headline. We know you need a sitter for a dog and 2 cats, so don’t waste your headline on that. Maybe something like “Historic river town, car available” (if one is). Or in season, “Historic river town, Otterbots at home!”
Agree on mentioning how long the sitters can be gone. If they wanted to drive into Greeneville or Raleigh-Durham, for instance, would they have time?
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Welcome @Keller
Did you know that new members in addition to basic support, can get dedicated member support which is extra assistance to secure your first house and pet sitter quickly and easily.
Contact member support via live chat 
and ask to speak to a human.
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I am pretty confident that there is more support here
It is the same as with getting free pet care: the drawback is that help is given in public.
I agree @pietkuip but if a member is entitled to receive extra help as part of their membership then they should at least be made aware that that service is available to them.
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I agree. The house looked a tad cluttered and the bedroom says a lot. If you can’t even pick up your clothes off the floor or removed piled books off bedroom dresser before the profile pictures, what does the rest of the place look like. I’m not sure what you are doing in the backyard, but those photos were not inviting either.
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I took a new photo of the bedroom. You point out a few things I hadn’t thought of - the sheets on top of the bed are my dog’s blanket. I’ve got no excuse for my husband’s dirty clothes. I hate that the pillows look uncomfortable because they are the best ever! I hope the new photo makes a difference. My bedroom may not look luxurious but it really is super comfortable.
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@Keller Your listing is now so much clearer and informative. I wish we were headed to Danville! LOL!
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Thanks for the help & suggestions!
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Newbie here too. Reach out to those sitters who saved your listing. What I have found is that “saved” doesn’t mean they are available for your dates necessarily, but might be in the future. The “saved” it seems is just a placeholder in many cases I guess. I would go to the Find a Sitter and check out who is in your area and send a message to them to see if they are interested. Good luck.
Sending messages to sitters in your area to invite them to sit is usually a waste of time @Nonnie - the majority of THS sitters use the platform to travel & see places other than where they live. Best way to attract great sitters is an amazing listing with clear, bright pics, lots of them, a welcoming attitude, thorough info on your pets, good and regular comms and off you go. #listingalltheway
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As a sitter, I can “Favourite” a listing. That means that I should get a push notification when the HO posts new dates.
So there is no need for the HO to invite me (unless they want to offer to pick me up from home with their private jet).
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Although most sitters might not choose a local sit, it might be worth inviting new sitters local to you. Sitters with no reviews yet might welcome the opportunity to gain 5* ratings. As a newbie myself, I started off doing local sits for this reason.
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We’re having same problem, trip is month away and no applicants.will try to reach out to those that saved
Inviting sitters is often a long & painful process and not often successful @dempseykj If you add your listing to your forum profile then experienced members will help you with feedback so you can maximise its attractiveness and get some applicants! Here you go for how to do this How to add a listing or profile link to your FORUM profile
Sitters usually save your listing if they like the look of it for future dates and aren’t available now.
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@dempseykj There seems to be some glitches with notifications, so it may be worth a shot to take the listing down then repost, so it shows as new.
And @Cuttlefish is right on for feedback on the listing.
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