I started this blog when I did not only because I wanted to write about the entire process of moving and changing jobs, but because I thought doing some regular writing would be beneficial for me. My intention was to write a post every week and publish it on Sunday.
Things ticked along like that the first few weeks, but then for a variety of reasons, I found my posting times getting farther apart. And now, I'm kind of in a dead spot as far as this moving process goes. So, as the title of this posts asks, "What do you write when you have nothing to say?" Not much, it seems.
I am going to Charlotte in just under two weeks, so I continue to keep a list of possible rental homes on my Zillow account. There are a couple of things about Zillow that I find particularly irritating. These things are really the fault of realtors and property managers, not Zillow. If the things I want to know were included in the listing, it would make my life a lot easier by helping me narrow down possible rentals. I would think it would make the life of the property managers easier too because it might save them time from having to talk to me on the phone. I've concluded, though, that there may be a conspiracy afoot on Zillow. I believe that the property managers want to force you to call because they really want to rent something to you. What better way to make that initial contact than by forcing you to call them?
The first thing that bugs me is many listings have no other pictures except a shot of the house from the street out front. Really people? It's the 21st century for cryin' out loud!!! You can take pictures with your phone and even upload them from there. It isn't like this is an overwhelming task that is going to take up a huge chunk of your time. That being said, if you are going to take pictures, you should try to take some that are useful. When you take a picture of a darkened room with sunlight streaming in through one window, you need to try to make some adjustments for light. Otherwise, all I get is a picture of a darkened room with sunlight streaming in through a window. This doesn't help me get an idea of what the room actually looks like. And speaking of darkness, I'm sorry the weather wasn't great the day you took that outside shot, but that ominous-looking sky is not doing anything to enhance my opinion of the property. In fact, I'm kind of waiting for winged monkeys to appear. Go back and take a shot on a nice day. The sunny sky in that picture will make me and anyone else who sees it feel warm and happy, and we will want to rent that property!
The other thing that annoys me is the often complete lack of information about the listing. Can I bring my pets to live in the house? If not, I'll take that property right off my list and save us both some time. What kind of heating and cooling does the house have? If it doesn't have central A/C, I'm not livin' there. Are the appliances already there, or do we have to provide our own? Is there a washer/dryer or hook-ups for some? These are some non-negotiable items for me, so if you could provide that information up front, it would facilitate my decision of whether or not to call you to set up an appointment to see the property. Again, I might be able to save both of us some time, and in today's world, time is a hot commodity!
Well, I guess I've answered the question of what to write when you don't have anything to write about. You just complain about something! Ha!
