Once again I see another listing that I didn’t get notified about that has already been filled, this is 3 in 2 weeks. Barcelona. If I can’t get sits because I am not notified of sits, then there is no reason for me to pay for this service. I do get notifications so that is not the issue. The issue is I am not getting the notifications when they become available. When I do get them, they show no sits available. Then I look up and there is another one that I would of applied for that is already reviewing and I didn’t even get to see it.
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Hi @thedarksyde
Are you using SAVED SEARCHES?
Using the website: 
you’ll receive the emails
Using your 
it’s important to turn ON the PUSH NOTIFICATIONS
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Again I am getting the notifications but they are late. I get it and I log in as soon as it goes off, I have a custom audio tone for them. When I load it shows, no sits available.
If I recall correctly from past conversations, the notifications get sent out only once a day, they’re not immediate.
Some sitters are extremely quick in applying to the very coveted sits, so they reach the 5 applications limit very fast.
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Also use favorites. If you want a sit in Spain, browse through all the sit listings in Spain and favorite a bunch of them. When your favorites post new sit dates, you will get notified. These work well for me. If I click on the notification immediately, I can usually apply if I desire.
For me, the app does not work well unless I am on Wifi, so when I am away from Wifi, I am frustrated when I cannot view a new listing quickly.
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as PVGemini says above, favourite some sits in the country or areas you would like to sit in. This has worked well for me so far. I spend a lot of time doing groundwork, looking at sits that would interest me, but are for dates which currently don’t suit. I favourite them. This has led to a lot of owners contacting me direct in the future.
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It’s unfortunate you are getting these delayed notifications. Sounds like you have everything set up properly, but it could be something else entirely. Another issue that occurs sometimes with notifications, is that the homeowner has posted the sit, with the intention of a prior sitter applying and confirming. As others have suggested, it’s good to favorite as many sits in a particular area, even if the posting doesn’t have any current open requests. Best of luck!
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It’s the same for sits in London. The notifications aren’t quick enough for the 5 application rule.
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@thedarksyde, housesits in continental Europe face excess demand … few listing and many sitters. Given reluctance of international housesitters to visit US then imbalance may well get worse.
From experience, we’ve found that time zone may play an important aspect. If a Europe listing goes live while you are snoozing then it may well be filled by the time that you wake up.
No solution to this other than to be acutely responsive to THS Searches during hours when you + pet parent are awake.
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Popular locations and sits can have 10 000+ sitters that have favorited them. In addition to this, many sitters are actively searching (could be several times a day) if they have a particular interest. That means that some interested sitters might see the listing as the dates are published and open the application tab before the published dates go through to notifications. With a (very) large number of possible applicants it might well be so that five people do just that in the minutes it takes before you get a notification on your phone.
I have done just that - scrolled listings, saw new dates, applied within minutes - and then the notification popped up on my phone. While I had already applied to that sit. 
That being said - experienced sitters will open the application tab before they read the listing. That means that some that open the tab - and thereby fill a place - will lose interest after reading the listing for various reasons, OR the host will decline applications and thereby a slot will be open again. So sometimes there can be opportunities also for a «full» sit if one follow up and check regularly after.
This time of year I’m sure the interest in Barcelona is high. Cities like Barcelona, Paris, London, NYC get a lot of interest and competition is fierce. I have several listings favorited in such cities, and get notifications I’ve been able to apply for (but have passed for most for various reasons.) So it may be hard but not impossible. I’m currently on such a sit so I know it is possible both to apply and get a match. I don’t even have loads of reviews, it was «merely» a good match.
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Garfield, Apologies for my being dense, but what do you mean about opening a tab before even reading a listing. What tab, and does this count in the system as one of thec5 applications even though no application has been submitted yet? 
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Thanks for asking so I can clarify @danandstacy !
If you open the application tab of the listing - by pressing the apply to sit-button so the tab for an application opens, you have some time (some say 10 min - I’m not sure exactly how long) to read the listing.
You will get a View listing-button you can use in upper right corner (in app). As long as you don’t close tabs you will be able to go back and forth between listing and application. I know some would view listing on another device to not close by accident, I haven’t done that myself.
This will save you a spot and make it possible to a few minutes reviewing the listing before you decide whether to apply, and within approx 10 minutes (they say) be able to send the application. As far as I’ve heard this can lead to hosts getting 6-7 applications. Not sure, I’m a sitter.
(This also means that some might read the listing with an application-tab open and decide it isn’t for them and discard their application.)
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I have kind of same problem, but also the areas that I saved don’t show when a sit comes up!. Lets say I saved Paris,- then click on it and it shows no sits. Then if I go on search and put Paris, some sits come up!!. - I tried both with region and city, but nothing helps and I “lost” a lot of sits!
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My approach is to send something like this initially, ‘I’ll apply in a short while but just wanted to let you know so that you can check out my profile in the meantime to see if we might be ‘your people’…..it opens your messages connection then the next message I send is my application once I’ve given it some thought. Seems to work for me.
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Do that all the time. It’s a no brainier.
Thank you so much for explaining this trick!