I figure he just likes a chat 
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I agree with the withdrawal of app after 48 Hours if no acknowledgment… I’ve been waiting 72 hours and today I wrote to the HO saying I was withdrawing due to lack of timely response. This is what I’ve learned from reading this forum, espically Maggie88 and from personal experience. Today I applied to another sit, was contacted within minutes, and we have a phone date Monday. I’ll likely take it… much more satisfying. And I won’t be looking to sit again till after my only other scheduled sit in June cuz I’m missing my home life…not to mention it’s ski season here! I feel fine with the snooze/lose aspects. I’m worth snapping up!!
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I applied for a sit yesterday and the host followed up within 24 hours. 
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There is no benefit to withdrawing within 48 hours. Not seeing the point of chastising the host for not replying fast enough especially given they still had another day as per the THS recommendations. If I got a message like that, the sitter would be placed on my blocked list.
What is lost is the opportunity to sit at a highly desirable location with great hosts who are busy analyzing numerous competing applications and perhaps waiting for a sitter to schedule a video chat.
You miss the point that sitters do not wish to be left hanging and will simply move on if a host does not at least acknowledge their application promptly. A proper reply can come later but no response at all, especially to a message showing as ‘read’ is a red flag to many sitters for all sorts of reasons. However desirable a sit is, or how busy a host might be “analysing other applications”, sitters too are busy people and there are plenty more sits with other hosts who are better communicators!
In our case we do not set a time limit on withdrawing an application. If we have no other options at the time, or its one we’d particularly like, we just leave the application open until either we secure another sit (then we’ll formally withdraw) or until we get a decline. Sometimes we just leave it and the sit dates expires and it seems the host forgot to cancel it. Etc but the longer it goes without a response the more our interest wanes anyway.
Sitters like to be consciously and promptly chosen.
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This makes perfect sense. Leaving the application active costs you nothing, and keeps you in the queue where you might be the next one to get the call. Seems to me that some sitters take a “no reply” too personally, as if they’re being slighted by a host who is simply working their way down a list in the most efficient manner possible.
Even if a host does reach out, at that early stage the best they could do is tell the sitter what they already know. They’ve seen the application and they’ll get back to them. At least one sitter says they’d rather hear nothing than that.
They’re not always going to be first. Especially if a more qualified applicant or someone who submitted an application before them is already being considered.
This is what a lack of contact implies for sitters- that they are not first choice anyway so why hang around waiting? A ‘great host’ is one who promptly acknowledges a sitters application so the sitter knows where they stand. E g ‘thanks so much for your application. We are going through all apps we will get back to you shortly’. That shows respect. And if we are really keen on the sit we will wait a bit. However it also indicates our app did not leap out and convince you we’re the best choice for your sit so we might just withdraw anyway! But no response or acknowledgement at all is even worse..
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Our posts above crossed so to add here..
I’m talking about respectful and prompt acknowledgement of an application. No sitter will be first choice every time- that is clear and it is also not expected. But you may lose a great sitter if you keep them hanging on too long.
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This comes across as the host being the one in charge. We leave our application open sometimes for the reasons mentioned above but certainly don’t see it as staying in a Queue waiting for a call!!! Sitters consciously choose hosts too- it works both ways.
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Because oftentimes hosts first choice doesn’t work out. For next months pending sit I went through at least 3 applicants before confirming with the 4th.
Sometimes a sitter seems more promising and after communicating with them it’s determined not to be a good fit. Or a host is talking to one or more sitters who applied sooner.
I can’t wrap my head around this whole “If I’m not picked first I don’t want it” mentality.
Whoever has least need is typically in charge and makes the call. It can be a host with numerous applicants or a sitter with lots of choices due to hosts not getting many applicants especially with an impending trip.
And yet several sitters have stated if they’re not first choice then they’re out. I thought you had said as much in an earlier post but apparently I misread.
No side should be ‘in charge’ This is a mutual exchange. Sitters and hosts are equals. Both need each other for this to work.
Yes sitters do want to be first choice. But I was speaking about respectful acknowledgement of an application. Whether you choose the sitter or not just don’t keep anyone waiting. Acknowledge them right away.
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Maybe it “should” be that way but in reality it becomes a matter of supply and demand, among other factors including anything that would put off a host or a sitter no matter how great their needs might be.
Mate you are digging your own grave here. Why not just accept different people have different ways of doing things?
We applied for a sit when we only had one review, HO made it clear he was a “desirable sit” I thought mmm we are desirable sitters too, you just don’t know that yet 
. His first choice clearly had more reviews than us but they missed the boat responding to him and we got the sit. We were all happy.
Another sit I applied for I was really keen, HO didn’t respond for about 4 days, I messaged again said “I’m prioritising your sit and not applying for anything else let me know if you are interested “ still no response so I moved on. Secured a better sit and left application open. Eventually she contacted me and I did have a little bit of joy letting her know she had missed out.
It’s all about finding your match, just like dating, the more you learn the more you know.
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Very good question, it makes life a lot easier if you are able to do that!
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I was applying for short sits, the first week of Dec, just as filler from eastcoast Thanksgiving before a sit in Pasadena starts 2nd week of Dec. People were taking a long time to get back to me and sits kept popping up so I was just withdrawing applications a few days after submitting them. Then HO got back to me, one bedroom apartment – which I posted about recently, he wanted me to show up at 4 am. I withdrew. I am an early riser, and could do it. But I would have just arrived the night of the 3rd, after driving cross country and then get up at 3 to accomodate a 4 am departure? For a 3 day sit? Someone else can have it.
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I am new to THS, and would love to ask - I have several trips planned up to a year out…is it most appropriate to confirm early? I did this with one, but have not heard any reply from the applicant. So I was wondering if it was too far out? And was wondering if people would prefer to confirm as far out as possible, and would this be expected to confirm both ways? Would love to have the input of experienced THS !
Exactly why sitters who withdraw their applications after a mere 2 days are potentially missing out on a great sit. I don’t know if you were contacted after 48 hours but if so, that punctuates the point I’ve been trying to make here. Even if it was less than 48 hours, it’s easy to see where this can happen, because if a host has another sitter in mind and they’re looking to set up a video chat it can easily be more than 48 hours before they move to the next sitter on their list.
Sure, people do things different ways but that doesn’t mean they’re all equally effective. Withdrawing from a sit doesn’t give any tangible benefit but can definitely have a downside. As far as being unable to accept that people do things differently, that certainly applies to a sitter who feels the need to notify a host that they’re withdrawing because they were too slow. It accomplishes nothing other than to alienate the host who is unlikely to ever consider that sitter for a future sit.
Yes, confirmation must happen both ways. As for how far ahead to commit, there’s no standard, because sitters and hosts vary.