We are going away at the end of June for two and a half weeks, which I listed some time in March. I’m starting to worry that nobody seems to want to come and sit for us! We think we have a beautiful home in an idyllic rural location, so I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong?? I have tried contacting several potential sitters directly as it did look from their profile that they would be available, but actually they aren’t. I don’t want to get to the point of it being a Last Minute, Within 7 Days situation so any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Alison & Jem
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Posting in March might have been too early for a lot of sitters to apply. We almost never scroll down to sits older than 1-2 days (a lot of HOs simply forget to take down their listing). It might help to let the THS staff boost your listing. Forum members can also help you with your listing if you post a link to it.
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I wouldn’t worry too much you seem to have plenty of time, I have found great sitters a few weeks before leaving and many people don’t like to plan so far ahead. Personally I would wait until Mid May and then maybe change some wording and give the listing a boost. But I have had 5 sitters all wonderful and mostly all organised a few weeks before the sit. Good Luck and I hope you find some great people.
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Hi Timmy
Thanks for this. It’s very interesting that my husband and I look at these things differently - he thinks people like to plan well in advance, whereas I think some people like to keep their options open and make their arrangements late in the day!
A link to my posting is now in my forum profile.
Thanks for your help
Alison
VA - Post moderated - link moved to forum profile. Please see direct message. Thank you 
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Thanks Teresa, it’s reassuring to know that many sitters don’t like to plan things so far in advance. I won’t panic just yet, but am already thinking about some re-wording that I could do.
Many thanks
Alison
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It looks like a really nice sit with a nice dog! If I were you I would maybe just add some more info about Poppy (he/she looks sweet and a lot of people chose sits because of the animals) and perhaps clarify the situation regarding the poultry (there’s no mention of them in the text, if I’m not mistaken). Good luck!
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You have a lovely home and a cute pup. Adding internal photos, especially of the guest room, bath and kitchen would be really important. Is there public transit or would you consider letting the sitter use your car? How long can Poppy be left unattended? What is involved in poultry care? Any gardening duties? Good luck finding a great sitter.
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Hi Alison and Jem (@Tolleys) and welcome to the forum. I’ve looked at your listing and Poppy looks a lovely pup. I love the external photo of your home and its setting. However you have included no internal photos so sitters have no idea of what their accommodation would be like - bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living area. There is also nothing about the home in Home and Location either - how many bedrooms would be available, separate bathroom for sitter, any special features, suitable for families etc.
As Timmy mentioned, there is nothing included about the chickens so this needs addressing.
There is an imbalance in the owner/sitter ratio at present so making your listing as attractive as possible is important.
You have time to secure sitters so all the best.
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I must agree with your husband about sitters, we are planners, especially if we want more than one sit in a specific area. I think all sitters are different in their planning, which is a good thing.
Hi @Tolleys - Yours looks like a great sit but I think you have your photo ratio wrong - too many of the outside of your home and poppy - and no internal pics at all.
I would say two of Poppy, Two outside then six - eight internal pics is needed. Be sure to include all areas that sitters have access to - Bathroom/bedroom/kitchen/living area etc.
Good Luck!
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Neither of you are wrong 
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Hi, very new to this, well joined a couple of months ago, have only one sitter confirmed for next month and getting worried i wont have a sitter for my trip in 4 weeks time, what can i do to boost my listing (already did the boost thing!) have a few who have saved my listing but no applications for next months trip, thank you
I disagree Timmy that March was too early to post for a June sit
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How has everyone seen this sit? I can’t see a link
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It’s in the profile.
Hi @katehudson1966 and welcome to the forum. We’ve moved your post to this current thread on a similar theme.
If you haven’t already, have a read through some tips that we put together to help if you are struggling to fill your sit - you’ll find them at this topic link: Sitter/Owner Ratios - Helping to Redress the Balance
One tip for owners with multiple dates, is the suggestion to post them separately. Sometime sitters will assume that an owner wants the same person for all sits.
I see you’ve got your listing posted in your forum profile which which might also help but on checking it out I wonder if it’s that Winnie is so young that is deterring sitters, because it’s a beautiful property and location, and Winnie is adorable. Maybe a little bit more information about her daily routine, how long she can be left, is she toilet trained, and brief details about her training and socialization would reassure potential sitters. Just a thought.
I wish we were back in the UK… I love Border Terriers 
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And how do I find the profile?
Click on their forum name and it should pop up. Some people aren’t doing it quite right, so if it’s not clickable, you may have to cut and paste it into your browser.
Nope! Never mind…
OK, but I’ll post a screenshot in case any other new forum users are wondering how.
These are two of the home owners who have posted in this thread. When I click on their forum name, this information pops up.
For some people, the link will be “clickable” but for others, you have to highlight and copy the URL and then paste it into your browser.
Here is the other one.
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