Yesterday it was not possible for me to get one of the outside doors locked. And I did not want to leave the house like that. Luckily, I travel with some tools for my bicycle, so I got the screwdriver out and I loosened a few screws, and then it worked.
And I told the HO. They were very happy that I had solved that problem that they had had for quite some time!
Same here @temba as our Aussie showers are pretty simple to operate.
We also like to know how to operate the TV & any odd/difficult locks.
I think the more you can engage with the home owner the better. Because, although our main resposiblity is to the pets, i ferl like we also need to have happy homeowners who feel comfortable with us that we are going to do the best we can do to take care of their pets and home.
The tour might be tedious but you can always interject that youāve used that brand or type of washer, duswasher, etc. before. Usually HOs try to explain to my huspand how the TV remote works but he always points to me because TV remotes are my area of expertise. You can have fun with the tour and make jokes. The tour gives you a chance to ask questions too. It should be a back and forth. It gives you a chance to create another good impression with the homeowner (like you obviously did with your application and voice/video call).
It may be awkward but im sure it is awkward fir the homeowners having strangers come and stay in their house too.
Then it is over and they are gone and you can relax.
This is absolutely right 
I do sits and have sitters but I guess Iām a HO more regularly, for me itās so nice to meet and have a back an fourth like you say, and Iāve even come out with some lovely friends from THS. Itās important to introduce the pet and the home, everyone feels better then, I certainly always feel a little nervous right before a sit if itās a new sitter, so the interaction is so important. Not every home is the same as well, when I moved in my apartment took me quite a while to figure out the heating, sticky locks and space ship cooker haha so I make sure I go over these quickly as itās probably useful, certainly would want people explaining these things to me when I sit as well. Maybe these sitters that find detailed house tours annoying should state this in their profile and they will get the kind of sits they are looking for.
Hello @Marion I also love videos. I love doing reinforcement training with dogs. On one sit, the HO went over hand signal commands with her dog and I recorded it on my phone. And during the sit, I made a video with the dog of going over those same hand signals commands. HO loved it!
And on another sit, I have also made a video of a HO putting on her dogās harnessāthe dog had hurt his back previously, so had a special harness. It was helpful to have the video to refer back to.
That is funny! 
Usually when I have husband / wife HOs, it is the wife who explains all the details of the homeāwhere everything is and the petsā routines. And then the wife turns over to the husband who has one job which takes a few seconds of explaining how the tv remote(s) work.
One of our sits in 2 weeks time has just sent mini videos via WhatsApp of all key events during 24 hours of the petsā life. Itās incredibly helpful.
So after posting here the next sitters came to pick up the keys, but hadnāt seen the videos or read the welcome guide, and wanted a demo as feeding 3 cats with 3 different dietary requirements sometimes gets confusing. I did the demo but I think it left them more confused than if theyād read stuff first. I was just doing what I normally do, but that included warming up some food from the fridge in the microwave which is just automatic for me, and something I mention (but donāt demand) in my written instructios.
Next time, before key pick up, I will politely suggest: Please watch the feeding video and look over the instructions before the key pick up so we can get through this quickly!
Thank you for bringing this topic on the forum. This helped me to reflect on how I experience this situation.
As a new house- and petsitter on TH (2 sits) and on this forum, I noticed that people are extremely well at using words and are considered and respectful.
Maybe it is good to be aware that not everyone is good with written words, and sometimes English is not their first language. One has to be precise to overcome the missing body language and tonality to maybe compensate directness. (As a direct Dutch person, I learned this over time 
)
A house tour might not even be about the house, but can also be a moment to assess the sitter and to assure themselves that it is safe to leave their house and pets in safe hands. For many people it is having a house sitter a big thing, maybe even so after years of experience.
A list of 5* reviews might be nice, but just as in other situations, it is good to be sure and check for yourself if the sitter is willing and able to be considered to their home.
As we all have different personal preferences - me too - I find it very special in this time were people face many challenges, there is a lot of uncertainty, that there are still people like you and others, that are brave enough to meet with people they have never met and are willing to help each other on something which is extremely precious for many people: their home and their pets.
Thanks again for inspiration to reflect and I wish you lots and lots of enjoyable house sits without any long house tours
Kind regards,
Christine
I will usually find something to complement them about the home or location. I will usually ask about cleaning materials, and if they woukd like me to strip the bed, wash the bedding or remake the bed for them.
Itās usually me asking questions about the history of the house that makes the tour go on a long time . We have stayed in some very historic (14th century)and interesting homes in the U.K. and I am genuinely interested to learn about the history of these homes.
We stayed on a 14th century farm that was at one time a dairy producing butter and the owner showed us a hidden trap door entrance in the floor under a carpet which led to the cellar where the butter stocks had been stored at the cool underground temperature . We have also stayed in a lovely home that originally was the stables and coach house at the entrance to the estate of a large country Manor House.