Looking for your next beau or flat? Well, turns out there's an app for that.
This past summer, I'd often sit back on my morning train ride into the city and mindlessly swipe through Craigslist's options for studio apartments on my iPhone. As I scrolled and skimmed one early AM, swiping this way and that for whatever details I could find - whilst praying for something decent-looking within my target price range - a realization and comparison both dawned on me:
In moments of impatience, I might even begin swiping left furiously due to small-screen after small-screen of disappointing results (i.e. not my "type," not big&tall enough, etc). This has happened many a time, both on the Craigslist app and it's dating-counterparts (Tinder and Hinge included).
Having recently moved to a new city and, thus, having graced a naive phase of welcoming almost any and all offers of dates [and apartment-viewings] that came my way, I've naturally had a variety of first meetings: from super awkward all the way to instantly knee-weakening. They're ALL similar:
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Both when meeting a Tinder date and greeting a hopefully-future building manager for the first time, we eagerly introduce ourselves. The goal is obviously to make an instantaneous good impression. At the same time, the date-initiator and resident-hopeful also try to play it cool (No one likes an eager beaver). Besides, the one with all the power probably has two handfuls of other prospects waiting just a room [or a swipe] away - be them applicants or Tinder matches.
Though we've either seen, spoken with or stalked this person via every social media channel possible, it's natural to first skim for aesthetic details. Face, body, that smile... to foyer, bedroom and crown molding. Think: Mmm... nice pecs through that shirt. Ooh, in-unit laundry!!
Next, we examine for the more materialistic traits. Dressed to impress, or in serious need of a stylist? Rundown, or recently renovated? I'm not a stickler for brands, but I am a sucker for snug sweaters. Next question: Have these appliances been updated recently?!
Step aside from the living quarters for a moment: The landlord-resident relationship is much like a budding romance, too. It's all about compatibility! We crack and joke and ask ourselves: Do this person and I have similar senses of humor? Employment, education and credit are considered even before the inevitable background check. Finally, there's no telling how many other inquirers there are in question (that day alone). At the start of the "date" -- or open house -- we knowingly step into a form of audition.
As you approach the prospect, physical location is taken into major consideration. Is it convenient and in a good neighborhood? Where does this mystery-hottie live, work and come from? I, for one, know that I need walkability (and a Trader Joe's within 1 square mile); I also know that the last type of man I need is another who is "geographically undesirable"...
Finally, we have the entirety of this so-famously-called "first meeting" to check for good ol' fashioned
CHEMISTRY. Read for signs, butterflies, and the quantity of laughs throughout. It often becomes a matter of whether or not I can see him fitting into my group of friends -- or see myself fitting into his arms (before physically testing it out, of course). Even more importantly, do I see my queen bed AND love seat fitting into the master bedroom?!
P.S. Is it (and he) cat-friendly? Simba-compatibility is my final test.
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At the end of the day (and during our bus/BART rides home), we'll swipe and swipe at the risk of acquiring early-onset carpel tunnel. At times -- we'll feel desperate. But we'll keep searching. I'm optimistic that the right ONE might arrive - right in front of our eyes - particularly thanks to the help of smart phones delivering a multitude of options daily. The days of pounding the pavement are over, right?
Unless we choose otherwise. Some of the nicest people I've ever met came along entirely organically -- as did my new apartment and roommate in Lower Pacific Heights, San Francisco. Let's not neglect the power of a human connection, millennials... the next time we find ourselves fatigued from too much swiping right!
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The apartment hunt - in today's world of smart phones, infinite apps AND an insane housing market - felt a little like the online/social dating scene these days.
Imagine the same scene I described above -- but replace the Craigslist app with Tinder in your imagination (I mean, it's not like that's ever been an actual reality. Nope, never). I'd swipe and scroll, digging for the tiniest tell-tale sign that the guy (or apartment) in question was attractive, seemingly "structurally" sound, and in a convenient location to both work and fun.
In moments of impatience, I might even begin swiping left furiously due to small-screen after small-screen of disappointing results (i.e. not my "type," not big&tall enough, etc). This has happened many a time, both on the Craigslist app and it's dating-counterparts (Tinder and Hinge included).
Having recently moved to a new city and, thus, having graced a naive phase of welcoming almost any and all offers of dates [and apartment-viewings] that came my way, I've naturally had a variety of first meetings: from super awkward all the way to instantly knee-weakening. They're ALL similar:
----
Both when meeting a Tinder date and greeting a hopefully-future building manager for the first time, we eagerly introduce ourselves. The goal is obviously to make an instantaneous good impression. At the same time, the date-initiator and resident-hopeful also try to play it cool (No one likes an eager beaver). Besides, the one with all the power probably has two handfuls of other prospects waiting just a room [or a swipe] away - be them applicants or Tinder matches.
Though we've either seen, spoken with or stalked this person via every social media channel possible, it's natural to first skim for aesthetic details. Face, body, that smile... to foyer, bedroom and crown molding. Think: Mmm... nice pecs through that shirt. Ooh, in-unit laundry!!
Next, we examine for the more materialistic traits. Dressed to impress, or in serious need of a stylist? Rundown, or recently renovated? I'm not a stickler for brands, but I am a sucker for snug sweaters. Next question: Have these appliances been updated recently?!
Step aside from the living quarters for a moment: The landlord-resident relationship is much like a budding romance, too. It's all about compatibility! We crack and joke and ask ourselves: Do this person and I have similar senses of humor? Employment, education and credit are considered even before the inevitable background check. Finally, there's no telling how many other inquirers there are in question (that day alone). At the start of the "date" -- or open house -- we knowingly step into a form of audition.
As you approach the prospect, physical location is taken into major consideration. Is it convenient and in a good neighborhood? Where does this mystery-hottie live, work and come from? I, for one, know that I need walkability (and a Trader Joe's within 1 square mile); I also know that the last type of man I need is another who is "geographically undesirable"...
Finally, we have the entirety of this so-famously-called "first meeting" to check for good ol' fashioned
CHEMISTRY. Read for signs, butterflies, and the quantity of laughs throughout. It often becomes a matter of whether or not I can see him fitting into my group of friends -- or see myself fitting into his arms (before physically testing it out, of course). Even more importantly, do I see my queen bed AND love seat fitting into the master bedroom?!
P.S. Is it (and he) cat-friendly? Simba-compatibility is my final test.
----
At the end of the day (and during our bus/BART rides home), we'll swipe and swipe at the risk of acquiring early-onset carpel tunnel. At times -- we'll feel desperate. But we'll keep searching. I'm optimistic that the right ONE might arrive - right in front of our eyes - particularly thanks to the help of smart phones delivering a multitude of options daily. The days of pounding the pavement are over, right?
Unless we choose otherwise. Some of the nicest people I've ever met came along entirely organically -- as did my new apartment and roommate in Lower Pacific Heights, San Francisco. Let's not neglect the power of a human connection, millennials... the next time we find ourselves fatigued from too much swiping right!
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