Too many good applications is its own kind of problem, it turns out. You start looking for reasons to say no instead of reasons to say yes, and that's a different muscle than the one I built during the years when I was grateful for anyone reasonable.
I had six genuinely qualified applicants for one property last week. Stable income, clean rental history, references that checked out. In a normal market maybe two of those would have applied at all.
I picked based on move-in date alignment, mostly, and a gut read from the inspection. Not a science. Felt slightly uncomfortable, choosing between people who all deserved the place.
Worth remembering, when the market eventually loosens again, that this version of tenant selection, abundance instead of scarcity, isn't the default. It's a symptom of how tight things got.