I would guess you are definitely not the norm as most are not able, nor want to, be on their phones all the time.
Edited to meet posting guidelines
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The sits I mentioned in my previous post are favorites. I get notifications and click on them immediately and they are already reviewing. There is definitely a delay in the notifications. I get notifications daily for sits I canât apply for even if Iâm on my phone constantly.
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It seems then, to me, that the 5 sit rule favors those with a greater amount of technically proficiency than most.
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I tried to look for your listing* but the link is just to your sitter profile.
*curious why a couple is necessary
@Silverfox We are homeowners and sitters and yes, we had to start somewhere, too.
And youâre right, most applicants are very nice, caring people.
HoweverâŚ
We have a lifetime of being homeowners and are experienced in dealing with issues that arise in homes.
And weâve owned pets all our lives, as well (dogs and cats) so are experienced in that manner.
So even though we were new to THS in 2021, we were not new to taking care of a home or taking loving care of pets.
We have given newbies a chance to sit for us if they have been homeowners, too. If not, we wonât consider them. Itâs not just pet sitting â this is HOME sitting, too.
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Silverfox,
I am sorry to hear that you are having difficulty finding a sitter. My wife and I have been members for 6 years and often get invites to sit from home owners. Out of the blue we were asked to sit in Tel Aviv, which we accepted.
You might try looking for what you think as a good match and reaching out to them.
Hope this helps
Keith
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When is the sit for? We have very specific needs for our dogs as well and we plan months ahead. Iâm also a sitter and have been notified of sits for some of my favourites recently and theyâre literally next month. A good sitter is booked up months in advance in my experience
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Hi @geoff.hom
I may have exaggerated slightly on the number of sitters with no reviews but it was definitely nearer 90% than 30%. To answer@Silversitters comment, the split between couples and solo sitters was almost exactly 50% (Even though we specified a preference for an experienced couple).
And yes, âPopularity is like a roseâ. As @Cuttlefish pointed out Sydney unfortunately, is a popular destination for backpacking youngsters, and like many cities around the world we have a rental crisis, so I can understand why the chance of âfree accomodationâ is appealing. Another challenge, as @andrealovesanimals pointed out, is that most experienced sitters plan well ahead which could be another reason why weâve had few responses from well reviewed sitters. (FYI weâve tried contacting some of our past sitters, but theyâre all unavailable).
Our preference for a couple @Katie, is not really about capability and experience, itâs simply the additional peace-of-mind that comes from having two people in our home. I also agree with @KenandMary1998 about preferring sitters who are(or have been) home owners and are experienced in dealing with all the issues that can arise in homes. Itâs not like youâre in a rental or an AirBnb and can just call the manger.
Thanks all for responding.
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I have most Sydney sits bookmarked but I donât think I saw your sit. Probably because were in the UK and it kept hitting the limit. Weâre fully booked until mid September but are heading home (to Aus) around October if you need a break around then. our dates are super flexible atm. (50+ 5-star sit couple 
)
As a solo sitter who is experienced, if I think I have the capability to do a house and pet sit, I will apply regardless. I didnât know about the 5 app limits. Often there are a lot of preferences that owners are looking for but donât absolutely require. Iâve reapplied for sits that were declined because the owner didnât say why it was rejected and the sit was still listed after several days. As a visitor to Australia, I looked and booked sits months in advance.
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Reminds me, I should make sure my status as a former homeownerâand director on the HOA boardâis in my profile.
And lived on the leafy NS of Sydney for 7 years (as a dual citizen). Alas, not part of a couple!
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Could not agree more! I donât belong to the demographic that has the luxury to be on THS all the time, such that I can apply for sits with lightning speed before they get locked/disappear due to the 5 application rule.
I DO belong to the demographic that has 8.5 years of experience on this platform and a long list of 5 star reviews. But the latter isnât the most important success factor anymore these days - more important is how fast you can apply before the sit has 5 applicationsâŚ
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@Silverfox I donât seem to be able to see your listing by clicking on your profile, but in general Iâd love to do a 1 month sit in Sydney again at some point. Maybe later this year but currently not available for long sits till at least October
Iâm a single sitter, so thatâs 1 strike out although Iâve looked after as many as 7 cats, large gardens and all that. I used to live & work in Sydney, but these days live back in the Netherlands - which means I wouldnât even pick up on this sit (due to the time difference) as it will have disappeared from the listings -5 application rule - before I would be able to apply.
Iâve been catsitting since early 2015, so certainly belong in the experienced sitter category, I love gardening!, and would like to head back to Sydney at some point and spend some time there, meet some old friends, join my beloved bushwalking clubs again, etc so that would mean at least a 1 month sit considering the cost of the flights etc
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@Silverfox we have added your listing to our favorite. We recently spent 3 months in Sydney and Brisbane and we loved it! Unfortunately we are busy during your dates, but we will definitely keep you in mind for future dates. We are an experienced couple with 30+ 5 stars reviews.
The topic you bring up highlights an interesting perspective on how some single sitters may ignore the homeownerâs preference for a pet-sitting couple and still apply for the sitting opportunity. In our personal experience with TrustedHousesitters (THS) over the past 5 years, we have never applied to a sit where the homeowner explicitly stated a preference for a single sitter. However, despite this, we have faced numerous rejections from homeowners who did not specify their preference in their listing but later used it as a reason to decline our application. It seems that approximately 80% of THS homeowners prefer single sitters, making it refreshing and greatly appreciated when homeowners show interest in inviting a couple for pet sitting. Thank you.
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I have never seen a listing citing a preference for a solo sitter. I have seen some sits (mainly cat) where the preference is for a woman, due to a pet reacting negatively to men.
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Ps. Iâd love to favorite your listing but canât see it in your forum profile. Only your sitter link.
Search sits by Sydney and 1 month minimum.
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Thx. Got it. Its in my favorites and in my âLong sitâ search. Unfortunately the dates donât match this time. Always a next time.
@BunnyCat Iâm very surprised your experience indicates that 80% want single sitters! Iâve experienced the opposite. I rarely see a sit asking for a single sitter, except occasionally those who want a woman only because their pets are afraid of men. Most listings I come across ask for a couple or for either single/couple. It could also be the type of sit my husband & I seek out- mainly rural or larger properties where 2 people are preferred.