Hi everyone,
I wish I would have known about this forum when I first joined! I think maybe I did, but didn’t know how valuable it is and then forgot about it! I have a sit coming up next month and was hoping that you would help me out with a couple of things.
Will you review my posting and give me any feedback on making it better? This sort of thing is not my strength, so I would love your help.
For all my other sits, I have had sitters confirmed way in advance. When should I get nervous about this one not getting filled and need to move on to possibly hiring someone locally?
Thank you all in advance for your help. I do want to update some photos, but my house is a wreck at the moment as some work is being done with the water pipes. But please let me know how to improve those as well and I will as soon as the house is picked back up! Also, I’m not comfortable posting a photo of the front of my house for security reasons.
@Jayne834 Looks like you do have one person that has applied already.
From the photos I can’t make out where the sitter would be sleeping ? There’s a photo that might be a bed but looks like cat beds are on it ?? A better photo that shows the set up would be clearer .
Some sitters would be put off by needing to separate the cats because of a previous history of fighting . Pets with a history of attacking other pets aren’t permitted on THS.
5.2.4. ensure that no pets to be left under the care of a Sitter have ever caused a person or animal any physical harm (no matter how minor the injury);
5.2.11. not have…… any animal with a history of attacks on pets or people;
Hi @Jayne834,
Welcome to the forum.
I see you already have one application and there’s still over a month before the sit dates so I think there’s nothing to worry about.
If I were you, I would check the application you have already received and see if it is a good match. At least, acknowledge that you have received the message and say that you will get back shortly or something like that. Some sitters apply to multiple overlapping sits and withdraw the application when there’s no answer in a few days.
Regarding the listing, I am not an expert but it looks quite good to me. I think you have most of the essential information.
I would perhaps change the picture of the bedroom. I guess that’s the bedroom where sitters will sleep. I would take a different angle. Show if there’s clothes storage space and perhaps mention it in the home/location section. This is highly appreciated by most sitters. I would also make it look a bit more cosy. I can’t see clearly but it looks as though there’s cats food or water in the corner. I would not show that in the picture. You say it’s optional to let one cat sleep with the sitter, perhaps the possibility of having a private space free from cats, at least before the sitter can assess if they are going to mess around with their stuff or interfere with their sleep, would be more inviting.
If you don’t need to hire well in advance, I would wait until just a few days before but I think you will find someone suitable before that. You can post your listing here as a last minute sit a week before the starting date. Some new sitters apply for last minute sits to get started.
As a sitter, the first thing I wondered was where is Flower Mound? Then as I scrolled further, I read that’s just outside Dallas. I think I would put Dallas as the location in the listing and explain where Flower Mound is under your “home and location” information. One thing I didn’t see in your pictures is a T.V. so I scrolled through your amenities and didn’t see one listed. That would be a definite dealbreaker for us as my husband likes to watch T.V. at night. I also like to know a bit about the homeowners - hobbies, etc. just to get a feel for who I’m sitting for. Very cute pics of the kitties!
I actually think it is more accurate to say “Flower Mound” than Dallas, because it is quite a distance from Dallas proper. Yes, it is considered a suburb, but is 30 miles away. I would be more specific in the headline - maybe “Quiet Dallas-Fort Worth suburb…”
I would add that you are equidistant to Fort Worth and Dallas, and show distance to Arlington for the sports fans. Also mention activities at Lake Grapevile, and even the local wineries in the area.
Your mention “DFW” but non-locals might not know what that means.
I agree on needing better photos. The current ones are low-res and blurry.
Good luck. I live in Dallas and always find a sitter, so hopefully you will get someone soon.
I’m going to be blunt, I hope you don’t mind. We wouldn’t have clicked beyond your images to read more.
It looks like we’re sleeping in a huge cat bed, now I don’t mind sleeping with the odd cat, but I DO mind seeing multiple cat beds on the bed we are supposed to be sleeping in… if it’s even the bed, I’m not sure.
Because of that image we then look deeper at the other images, and see the chair on the patio that you didn’t straighten up before you took the image, and a tissue on the patio table, along with a dirty towel on the shower rail instead of simply folding it in half so it looked ‘clean-er’.
So put everything together we then see it as an unclean place. When in reality, it looks like you have a really nice home, and it doesn’t look unclean… that’s just what your images are saying about you at first glance, that’s the first impression. You just didn’t consider how things looked when you took the photos.
Plus all of your images are blurred.
Also, Brian your sitter, didn’t leave any written text in his review, which ordinarily that wouldn’t be a problem because he rated you 5* anyway, but it becomes a problem in someones mind when teamed with un-clean looking images, because it makes to question why he didn’t say anything.
Hope that helps. But honestly, it seems like you have a really nice place… I just needed to be honest about the first impression, because we don’t read any further after that.
Those sitters are ex members and I think their reviews disappear.
I’m sure your home is lovely in reality but the photos aren’t doing you any favours.
I would be very put off by the bed - cat beds on top and it looks like no sheet on the mattress and it doesn’t look clean, comfortable and welcoming overall.
No photo of the bathroom other than a close up of a rumpled towel?
I interpret THS’s language to mean that if the OP’s cat(s) caused harm or injury to other pet(s), then her cat(s) would not be permitted on THS. If one of the OP’s cats injures one of her other cats, then that is considered in-house and does not violate THS’s policy.
However, if the OP’s cat injures another pet / cat / dog outside of the home, then I would agree that her pets should not be allowed on THS. And if the cats have a propensity of biting or nipping humans, (as sitters would be at risk) then I would also say that the pets not be allowed on THS.
The OP has been transparent in her listing by stating:
“Switching the kitties as the girls are separate from the boy due to a fight they had a while ago.”
If these are strictly indoor cats and the cats only fight amongst themselves, would this be considered against THS policy?
Thanks everyone. I know the photos need changing and I will as soon as I am able to so I’m good there. If there are any more ideas about the content, that would be more helpful. I’ll add in more from the suggestions about local area.
As far as the TV goes, I haven’t owned one in 20 years so I understand some people will move on and that’s okay.
But thank you everyone.
Personally, I don’t care if there’s a TV on any sit. But some folks do. And if you want to widen your pool of applicants, you might consider buying a used one or putting out word that you’re looking for a free one — they can be hard to get rid of and someone might be happy to give one or sell at low cost.
Yeah, we wouldn’t care either since we bring our laptops and can easily watch something on there if necessary. Some people might love no tv. I didn’t own one for almost 10 years.
I’m not sure how to address this but the lack of reviews - 3 sitters didn’t post reviews and the one who did didn’t write anything. You did write a nice review for your last sitter, which was helpful and would make me feel better. However, blank reviews do give many sitters pause. I’d then look at the profile in more detail and your cats needing to be separated might make me wonder about the situation and then the master bedroom doesn’t look comfortable.
In the future, I’d request a review via the app as soon as you’ve posted yours.
For content, maybe give a little more detail on how volatile (or not) the cats are and where you separate them to.
And the very first sentence, “doesn’t mind getting on the floor and playing with them” under Responsibilities could be written better. Maybe say, “and someone who loves playing with cats” instead? Mention that you try to give some playtime to the cats at least x/day. We who love cats and housesit for them know that some cats really need playtime to be happy. You don’t have to get into ton of details in the listing but be sure to mention on the call with the sitters and in the Welcome Guide if your cats need playtime daily.
Thanks again everyone. I have what I need. I’ll work on the updates soon. I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to review my post and comments. I don’t think I need any further help at this time. Have a great day!
I would suggest you clean up and retake pictures. The pics should show how it’ll be when sitter arrives with clean folded towels and counters cleared. Do all those cat beds stay on bed while you sleep there? A sitter might prefer more room for the human. Wishing you good luck.
Also, I’m not comfortable posting a photo of the front of my house for security reasons.