That’s so bad, they’re sitter profile wreckers. I came cross a listing where the HO is a women who lives on her own, she benefits from being in a popular location, so never lack of applicants, I had a quick look at the listing and the reviews and applied, later when I dug more in details I noticed that she seems to prefer young lads and has given them all 5 stars, on the contrary a few solo female sisters or couple got docked one star either in one category or overall. I could tell she wasn’t interested in me, and yes a whole day after reading my message(I was just trying to observe and see what she would say or do), she replied saying if the other candidates don’t work out I will have my chance, I didn’t proceed
someone needs to write a murder mystery with that title
@anon52083843 
you are so bad 
Maybe. But, wouldn’t such a person have a different perspective to others, who might not get the same response to their listing?
Before I got 2 negative reviews I had lots of sit options and if I wasn’t chosen almost immediately I’d move to the next. Now I’d take anything I can get even if it means waiting in line.
Not a new one on me but one I haven’t heard for a very long time!
I just checked out the meaning of this word bampot. Oh how I wish I could have used it recently
you will be assimilated
.
.
I also googled “barmpot” just to be sure, having assumed it derived from “barmy”. 
If I wanted the sit, I would wait because I don’t generally apply for multiple overlapping sits. If I had, I would agree with @Marion : if you get another offer you like in the meantime, just take it.
EnglishFlaneur- you weren’t part of an English language forum in the past, were you?
I Just this minute canceled my application for a sit cuz the HO didn’t respond after 3 days. Haven’t had any problems finding sits and don’t think I want to meet someone who wasn’t impressed by wonderful me! Radio silence isn’t a positive indicator of a good communication pattern. Easy come, easy go!
Yesterday, I canceled an application to a sit I had favourited long ago. It’s on a small island where listings are few and far between.
We had a video chat that went well at the end of the chat they said I was great and that would make their decision making much easier. They said they had two more interviews and would reopen the listing because half the applicants were not suitable and they wanted to open their options. They would get back in 4 or 5 days.
This caught me completely off guard, so much that I even considered the possibility of having not heard properly. I received a lovely message right after hanging up confirming that the talk had been great and they soon would get back.
After a couple of days, I canceled the application, I said I would not want to be in someone’s home if they were not fully confident that I was a good fit.
I then received a lovely message, apologizing if something they have said had upset me, reassuring I was great and wishing me all the best. It’s worth mentioning that this last message was signed just by the wife, who was the one who had mentioned relisting. The husband had been more explicit praising my qualities and previous messages had been signed by both.
I guess they had different approaches to the selection process. I didn’t take it personally at all and I told her so but I don’t get the need of relisting. That, together with the lack of enthusiasm about booking flights under the current circumstances, made me withdraw.
So “we like you but we might like someone else better than you”?
Why would you reopen the listing and wait “4 or 5 more days” when you had one applicant you liked and still 2 more to talk to? 
I thought I was indecisive.
Guess I can’t blame you for pulling your application. I’d also like HOs to be a little more enthusiastic about picking me than that. Hope you find a much better one.
I just wanted to LOL.
Sorry for their loss
@Travelerthiswld, this topic has been raised a bunch in past. If curious, use magnifying glass search function for ‘wait’ or ‘slow’ or similar to access past threads.
There seems two topics here - employer mindset, and application protocol.
“Interview” language by pet parents is often a yellow flag. Not dealbreaker but in video calls we assess any unreasonable attitude or undesirable expectations. As proactive folks, that would rather withdraw than suffer, we also often expressly state in video call that housesitting is not a job, but rather requires a fair trade … then observe how pet parent reacts 
.
Application protocol varies across housesitters. No right answer. Number of past reviews, attractiveness of listing, newbie pet parents, other factors all play a part. We tend to give atypical grace for listings that we deem highly attractive and/or newbie pet parents. That said, we would concurrently explore alternative listings. More often than not, when we encounter slow pet parents then we end up withdrawing application after confirming alternative sit.
I’ll wait but at the same time, if another sit comes along while I’m waiting, I’ll accept it and withdraw. And a few times I’ve had several calls scheduled within a few days and I’ll let the HO know I’m looking at other sits. Just last week I had 2 interviews within 24 hours for overlapping dates. I explained to the first HO that I’d need 24 hours - accepted the sit from the second call and wrote to the other explaining that I’d be able to drive to the sit I accepted rather than spend several hundred $s to fly - she was fine with that and we agreed “maybe another time.”
I wonder if they felt safer with somebody ‘in country’ or closer to their location… just a thought.
I’m currently mentoring a new HO, they received 2 applicants ‘hoorah’ thought I. The HO let me know they planned to contact the applicants in a week, so I said no they needed to contact immediately and set up a video chat. Again they said ok but could the chat be in a week as they’re out of country atm, again I said no. These days with WhatsApp comms being so easy all HOs/sitters can find 20 minutes to do an initial chat. So that’s what’s happening and 2 sitters will have received an invite to chat this week 
If hosts were booking a paid sitter, they’d lock it in as soon as possible to avoid disrupting their own holiday plans. So it puzzles me why some hosts don’t realise it’s just as important—arguably even more so—for a sitter who isn’t being paid and is covering their own travel costs? Thankfully, they have you to coach them @BonnyinBrighton
That’s highly unlikely. As far as know there are no THS whose location is set on that small island. I’m did bring up the subject of uncertainty regarding flights in the current situation, they said they themselves were flying abroad and would be similarly affected. It would have been a great opportunity to say they would try to get someone local if that’s what they thought. They were quite upfront regarding some issues with the pets.
Yes it’s interesting to try to put myself in their shoes and try to work out their thinking process…. I think people are in their own work/life bubbles and find it hard to empathise or imagine being in other people’s shoes maybe. Also newbies have a very limited concept of the nuanced THS context in terms of processes/perceptions/availability. Fortunately I can draw on my memories of just how confusing it all was for me when I joined, I really was very puzzled by the THS World I’d stepped into.