I would say a host has great confidence in a sitter if they can do handovers «cold».
I think it is nice to meet the host, and particularly for dogs it can sometimes feel as an advantage - especially for dogs with a somewhat nervous disposition I feel it is nice to meet the dog together with the host. I might be reading to much in it, but still. For medicine and such it can be useful to see how the host does it, although it could also be shown in video-chat or a small film.
I have done «cold» handovers just getting a key at arrival, but more often a «cold» departure. It is quite practical in my opinion - often both the host and I need to or want to start travelling early in the day in order to arrive at destination before evening. So then it makes sense. I find it rather peaceful to be able to pack up and clean and do the last tasks, send an update to host and start my travel - without having to wait, meetup or something.
@Highfive not a red flag at all. Not everyone wants or needs an extended, night before handover. It makes sense if the HOs have an extremely early departure time, or if there are a lot of quirks to the home that they want to show you, or for dogs so they can show you the walk routes, etc. But in many cases there really isn’t a need for a night before arrival. I’ve done about 55 sits now. About half have been day of sit arrival with them asking me to arrive anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours before they leave. If it’s a cat and a small home or flat, it doesn’t take long to go over everything. About 1/4 of my sits have been night before arrivals, typically for early morning departures. And the final 1/4 have been blind handovers where they’ve provided a detailed welcome guide and left me a key. All of those scenarios have been absolutely fine. I’ve not experienced any correlation between handover type and whether it’s a great sit or not.
The owner has clearly let you know of her feelings of nervousness and stress when meeting new people @Highfive so I would respect that. It’s not a red flag to me. If her listing and photos were clear and it really appealed to you, not that it was just convenient for you, plus she has a comprehensive WG which she can send to you beforehand, then it sounds as though it would be fine to do without an in-person handover at both ends. It is a cat which makes it easier than a dog.
We are all different, so if you do want a handover for all your sits then this sit is not for you.