Tedious

This word sums it all up. I would have thought the process would be straightforward and simple enough. Google for apartments for rent within your budget and voila--move in. I do not know when apartment hunting suddenly became as stress-inducing as appearing for your life-altering job interviews. But it has. It has become very much akin to job hunting that savvy apartment hunters advises neophytes like me to treat meetings with potential landlords as one would a job interview. You have to say the right things and make sure you hold your tongue on the wrong ones. My favorite tip for instance is to not dazzle the landlord with your interior decorating plans of the place especially if it involves drilling and their walls. It is considered as a deal breaker in their circle. The only comforting thought is that there are more available apartments for rent than there are available jobs.

The tediousness is a bit comical, especially in the present economic situation when I doubt anybody is even considering paying anything above $0. Previously gainfully employed professionals are getting the pink slip everyday and the trend seems only to suggest that such will be the case for a while. Gasoline prices seem perpetually to be on the verge of getting a woman's period--swinging erratically from one end of the pole to another--influencing a similar behavior in the markets.