@M-and-I0
I have to agree with the others, no profile photo on your part is a worry! It hasn't happened to me yet but if I did receive a request from someone I can't actually see, and furthermore could not find the fortitude to actually put their name on their profile, and restrict it to an initial, I would probably hit the decline button without wanting to find out any more. You may have a lot of reviews and you may be Superhosts but, you tell others nothing about you! Why not put Mark and Ivy out there and be proud of how good you are!
What you are saying about locals is relevant....people who want to party or have some sort of clandestine encounter do not stray far from home to do it!
But contrary to your first point, last minute or 'Instant books' I like because in all instances they just want to pull their credit card out and book! They don't have a heap of questions, they like what they see and want to commit. Of the 45 Instant Bookings I have had since last November all have turned out to be wonderful guests. I was not a fan of IB but I have become a convert!
The ones you really have to be wary of are the 'hagglers'....and you can pick them by the way they come to you!
If someone sends me a message...."We have seen your lovely listing and want a couple of days away from the kids and would like to book"....Bingo, I can't hit that accept tab fast enough! They have come to me in a passive complimentary way, and I know they will be good guests to host, they just want to book and stay!
If someone sends me a message....We are in Mt Barker for xxxxxxxx, is there offstreet parking? What cooking facilities does your listing have, is there free Wifi and what is the download limit? When I see a message like that I want to do a lot more digging! I want to see their past guest history and I want to know what other hosts have thought of them before I proceed. They have come to me in an aggresive fashion which indicates there is going to be some haggling involved in satisfying this guest.
They have done it all their lives and it is a form of powerplay to them....Nine times out of ten their questions are covered in the listing description anyway but, the more they require or demand the more they strengthen their position and weaken yours. And hagglers are not like a fine bottle of wine they do not improve as they go along!
So @M-and-I0, I base my decision to accept or decline by my senses...what does this person, first of all, visually look like, and what is the manner in which they have approached me! In most instances I have made a decision before I have done any checking, and in over 110+ hostings the only time I have has cause to regret a hosting decision was the one time I agreed to a special price and the addition of a pet to the hosting. I tried to help, deviated from my gut senses and ended up regreting it....
It won't happen again.
But thanks for your comments, every day teaches us something and it is because of well thought out posts like your Mark, or Ivy, that we all learn.
Cheers.....Rob