I would say my bookings are 60/40 for housesitting and drop-ins, but when I get housesitting requests they're usually for a week or so at a time. So even though it's near the same amount of bookings, housesitting definitely takes up more time. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate it!

I have prior petsitting experience, but have officially been a Rover sitter for a year now. I started with low rates and have raised them a few times by a few dollars each time. I'm now one of the sitters with the most reviews and repeat clients in my area, and recently raised my housesitting rate to be on the high end of my area. (My drop-in rates are average.)

I decided to raise my housesitting rate because I feel my reviews reflect the quality of care I offer over others, and also due to the time and energy commitment I've discovered that housesitting requires. I feel my housesitting price is fair, but am worried that because other sitters are priced lower, it will appear that I'm overcharging.

I've also looked at local boarding places and I am charging a little more than those as well -- reason being is because I'm offering the additional benefit that pets can stay in their own homes, I bring in mail, water plants, take care of trash, etc. and provide that sense of security of looking after their house.

I know this is a personal decision, but I am curious to hear if there are other sitters that have charged on the high end for their area and been successful. Maybe it's one of those things I'll just have to wait and see. I appreciate any thoughts!!

Thank you!

Thank you, Kay!

Thank you so much, I appreciate you taking a look!

I currently share business cards, and post on my personal Facebook page and local community Facebook pages, and lately I've been considering starting an instagram profile for my business. Partially for fun, just to share with friends and family what I'm up to, but ultimately for promotional purposes. Of course everyone loves dog photos, but I don't want to pour effort into keeping up an instagram account if it's not going to lead to as many clients as maybe another promotional method would.

Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks!

I joined Rover last October, got my first booking in December, and business has been great ever since. However, I'm always looking for ways to improve, so are there any suggestions you have for me based on my current profile?

One thing to note -- I started with rates lower than others in my area in order to attract my first clients. After building my client base and receiving positive reviews, I raised my rates by $3-5 this past month and have continued receiving requests. Do they seem fair based on my competition and the reviews my clients have given me?

Thanks in advance!

I was booked to housesit with five dogs from a Saturday morning-Wednesday evening. On the Thursday before, the owners told me they may take one of their dogs on the trip with them but they hadn't decided yet. I arrived today and they had taken the one dog with them, so I am only watching four of the dogs when I was booked for five. My cancellation policy for housesitting is "strict," and they didn't request or mention a refund, but this is my first time booking with them and I thought it could be polite to offer. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's helpful to know how other sitters handle these situations, and it's definitely given me some confidence to charge for these visits and avoid losing time and money!

Thanks for your response! I agree it felt a bit off too. The booking didn't end up happening, which I think saved me some trouble in the long run. It was definitely a learning experience so I'm planning on charging "get to know you" visits after the initial meet and greet as drop-in visits.

I had a meet and greet with a dog owner a few weeks ago and it went well. He booked the housesitting stay and said he'd like me to come over again to get more familiar with the dogs, and I agreed. I reached out to him today to set something up, and he's asking me to come over for an hour one evening early next week, and maybe again later in the week. He lives out of my typical area so I'm already upcharging him for the booking, and I'm considering if I should charge him since he's asking me now to come for two hour-long visits before the actual booking instead of just once. I understand sometimes it takes a few visits for everyone to get comfortable with each other, but I'm not sure if I should lose money on another two hours, plus mileage, in one week if the booking is already confirmed. Should I charge as drop-in visits or consider them additional free meet and greets?