I started looking through PadMapper (which is like a Craigslist/Googlemaps fusion).
But then I realized, perhaps it would be better for me to look for a roommate, perhaps then I could live in the neighborhood I wanted, have the amenities I wanted, all for a lower, more affordable price. Living in LA ain't cheap.
So I started religiously looking at Craigslist, the Rooms & Shares section for Central LA and Westside. Yes, I found a place, but that isn't what this is about. This is about all the bad advertisement I witnessed while scouring the ads on a daily basis.
If any of these people work for marketing or ad departments, they should be fired...unless of course they were actually looking for slobby roommates.
(All of these were found at the $500 - $900 price range for Central LA and Westside/Southbay...I did not go out of my way to find any of these)
THE MESSY BED
I am not the tidiest person in the world at all times, but my mama taught me to clean up my junk before I take a picture and post it on Craigslist.
I'm sure you'll would get at least one or two more replies if you sell this as a room for rent, not a chair that doubles for a clothes rack.
Are the rules to this house, "No laundry hamper allowed!"?
Putting a computer on top of the mess on your bed will not hide what's underneath. And the messy chair next to it won't distract me enough either.
I promise, it'll only take 2 min to make this picture look 536% better, but if you use this as advertisement you're bound to get a roommate that is 973% messier.
THE POORLY MADE BED
Full sized comforter on a queen sized bed? Just "cheat it" to the left for this ad.
Decide whether the pillows go under or over the comforter. And while you're at it, pull the blanket to the right.
Straighten the blanket, fluff the pillows, and take down that GHETTO sheet in front of the window!
JUST A TWO SECOND CLEANING...
...is all this needs! Who hasn't used a door as a towel rack before, but it's never a selling point...
...neither is the desk that acts as a hamper...
...or the floor that doubles as a display cabinet.
Okay, maybe this would take 25 seconds to move out and back in, but an empty room is way less lonely looking than this. This is just sad.
THE TOILET SEAT
You don't have to leave the toilet seat up instead of saying that you're looking for a male roommate.
Good to know that there's a slew of clean toilets in LA, good to know that you're a macho enough man that you can't shut the lid for this picture.
Here I wasn't even concerned about the toilet seat being up, but I was concerned about it being down. What's wrong with this picture?
THE CROWDED AND CONFUSING
It would be more effective to say "large walk in closet" than to show a crowded assortment of your garments that won't be included in the rental.
Sure a big TV can be a selling point, but not when you can't watch the TV while you're in the exact same room.
Again, a TV can be a selling point for some, but two TV's side by side with the same picture on them. This worries me.
Who is this rando? Does she come with the apartment?
And why do you think a cut-out picture of yourself would be the biggest selling point?
Craigslist never fails to entertain.
