Tuesday RAGE is back

Dear Leasing Agents and Landlords of Atlanta,

After spending the last two weeks visiting 17 apartment complexes and scouring Craigslist ads, I feel the need to enlighten you:

1.  If there is a freight train that passes within 20 feet of your apartment complex that blows an airhorn all night, disclosure is key.  I appreciate you hiding things like mold or bed bugs from me as I may or may not be affected but a freight train that blows an air horn once an hour?  Not so easily hidden, my friends.

2.  If Google reviews and apartmentratings.com both say that you have a bug problem, then maybe you should at least make sure your model apartment has been sprayed.  Moreover if I say "hey there's a cockroach on the wall back there", please don't respond with "are you sure that's a cockroach?"

3.  No pictures of your property?  Or worse yet, pictures of your property in winter?  Hey friends, it did not snow in Atlanta this past winter.  You do the math on the age of THAT picture.

4.  First and last month's rent?!  Are you serious?  No one's doing that anymore.  Either you're trying to make a large profit or support a drug problem.

5.  Be prepared for questions about crime and demographics.  You may think that "it backs up against a wooded state park" sounds great but all I hear is "and then the serial killers can attack you and retreat back into the woods of the state park."

6.  If I comment to you about things I don't like about the property, don't try to give me a workaround.  For instance --- "hey I can see right onto that neighbor's balcony from mine.  I could basically spit on him."  An appropriate response to this is not "yeah you can just put up a bamboo curtain."  For what?  So we can play peek-a-boo?

7.  Don't play car salesman on me.  I want to know the bottom line of what I have to give you in a check each month.  Don't tell me that the rent is "really low" and then tack on fees for trash and sewer and water and the key fob and your latest raise.  Tell me what how much I need to write a check for at the end of each month.  Period.

8.  I know that your little sales training probably told you that it's easier to make a close face-to-face.  However if I email you asking about a specific apartment that is available on your website, it's because I want to know  if it's actually available and in my price range.  If you're going to tell me to "come in and sit down" then why bother having an email address at all?

9.  Offering me a Diet Coke?  Nice touch.

Until next time,

Friday Favorites

Internet, I hate to say it but I was actually pretty boring this week.  Does boring mean that I'm becoming a real grown-up?  I hope not --- maybe I need to introduce some binge drinking into my life just to ensure that doesn't happen.  My days were busy and filled with work and my evenings were filled with the continuing search for apartments.  Whenever I needed a laugh, this VT-themed website served its purpose:

On Saturday I have the great privilege of presenting to the local Systers Meetup about IT Audit and why it's important, how I got into it (minus the compensation part), and how it affects what you do (do you like online banking, for instance?).  Systers is such a great email community of women in computing sponsored by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.  I've been a member since 2007 when I attended the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Computing as part of the Association for Women in Computing at Virginia Tech.  In my Computer Science graduating class of 99 students, I was one of 4 women.  I was the only woman in many of my classes and I expected the workforce to look like that too.  I can't describe how shocked I was at GHC to see thousands of women and the great things they were accomplishing.  The conference's namesake, Grace Hopper, was a brilliant woman with a hilarious personality:

Callie has been quite vocal lately...maybe she is angry that she's not getting enough attention on my blog?  Actually it's probably because I'm not paying enough attention to her in real life.  Like a true parent, I decided just to buy her affection.  She is enjoying this contraption that I purchased for almost half off and is as tall as me!  It's been keeping her quiet and also from sleeping on my furniture so I'm enjoying it too!

Beating the Homesick Blues: Thanks!

I am overwhelmed by the amount of support I have gotten in the last few days from friends, family, and people that I didn't even know read my blog!  I have a bit of a hard time reaching out for help sometimes and I can't express my gratitude to those of you that texted, Facebook messaged, called, emailed, and gave me hugs!  I just hope that I meet someone struggling with homesickness some day and can pay it forward.

Beating the Homesickness Blues: First Holiday

If you've spent any time talking to me, texting me, emailing me, or even looking at my Facebook status, then you would know that I've been struggling with the big H.  That's homesickness, not hemorrhoids, Internet.  I'm aware that pretty much everyone from my life (DC Metro and Atlanta) is tired of listening to me complain about it and one brave soul today challenged me asking what exactly it was that I was so homesick over.  (Note if this isn't funny enough for you, don't click the line break and read on.  I'll post a regularly scheduled rage entry tomorrow for your entertainment.)