[Hard to find a real Houseboy.]

No, it's perfectly reasonable for them to expect you to pay for them to get to you.  You're the employer, so you ought to be the one with the ability to provide transportation.  Now, that doesn't mean that you necessarily need to purchase a plane ticket.  It's also reasonable for you to travel to their current city and interview them, possibly providing other transportation back.

Put yourself in their shoes.  If you were looking at employment at a startup company (which is what you effectively are), you'd expect them to buy a round-trip ticket for you (or travel to you) if they wanted to conduct an in-person interview.  And it doesn't inspire much confidence that you'd be there for very long or that it's a worthwhile company to work for, if they're not willing to spend money to find and hire the right people.

As the employer, you have the financial upper hand.  You ought to demonstrate this by being willing to pay for their expenses.  But, as always, remember the forum warning:  NEVER send money directly to them.  Those requests are almost certainly scams.

[Serious employer]

I don't see anything wrong with your ad, though I'm admittedly also new.  It does seem, however, that a good number of houseboys on this site are looking to be cared for, rather than accepting a position of responsibility (as both your and my ads have in common).  That may account for some of the lack of response.

[New section: acceptable environments]

I'd propose an "Acceptable environments" section, to differentiate houseboys who would accept a working arrangement from those who are simply looking for a companion.  That is, if working for a gay couple would not be acceptable, the section should indicate that the houseboy is NOT interested in such an arrangement.  This might work simply as a set of checkboxes, e.g.

• Gay couple, companion
• Gay couple, employee only
• Single man, companion
• Single man, employee only

It might also help for the Compensation section to indicate MINIMUM requirements, instead of everything the houseboy would accept, if offered.

[Profile not found]

I can see your profile fine by typing your username into the search box at the top.

If you describe what parameters you're using in your search, we may be able to figure out why you cannot see your own.

[Average time to response / match]

I've had my profile up for a few days, and I've sent a few messages.  I've noticed that a number of houseboys read messages and do not respond.  What's been the experience of other employers?  How quickly do you typically get responses and what's normal (average?) until you find a houseboy who is willing to come work?

A few other details:  I'm one half of a couple, not a single man, and we're seeking a houseboy primarily for housework, not for sexual exploitation.