> what were the long odds please do tell These were the calculable factors for this area, in mid 2021. Each rental listing had ~400 unique applicants per day.

> what were the long odds please do tell These were the calculable factors for this area, in mid 2021. Each rental listing had ~400 unique applicants per day. For total number of rentals, a generous est is ~100 new listings per month in the 3 counties we searched. In our 4 mo of searching (of a 6mo window) I found 2 good fits but 1 was at the extreme end of affordability. For a decade of complex reasons (inc. extreme poverty, responsible spending and unforeseen changes in the rental market) I had a ~0 credit rating. That rules out most/all software managed rentals - over 95% from what I can glean. The ad for the rental we scored inc a crayon layout on lined paper. It was posted for 2 hrs and received >50 applicants. We scored it by offering 6mos up front plus a 2x sec dep. Having that much money on hand followed another set of timely and unlikely circumstances. The long odds, they are whatever all the above maths out to.