Zillow: The Farting Around App
When endless daydreaming is made even easier.
It’s Saturday morning and I’ve got a fresh cup of coffee in one hand, phone in the other. My dog is snuggled up on the couch next to me and all I have is time…non productive time. This is a feeling to chase after.
I often quote Kurt Vonnegut when I say. “We are here on Earth to fart around, and don’t let anybody tell you any different.” And that’s exactly what I like to do on Saturdays though the irony does not escape me. Kurt Vonnegut would undoubtedly disagree with some of my methods. He was, practically speaking, more of an old school type of guy with a keen sense of technology’s negative future impact on society. But I appreciate a mix of old and new. That’s why I like to fart around on Zillow.
By now you’ve probably seen the SNL Zillow skit I love so much because it strikes a chord with how I use the app (though not with respect to romance thankfully). Obviously, I am not the only one using the app for things other than simply buying a house.
What I love so much about Zillow is that I can basically use it as a form of entertainment. To me, it’s much less about finding a home to buy (for which I have used it) as it is to daydream, to virtually fart around. Sometimes I daydream about a fixer-upper, or wonder what a Minneapolis home would cost in NYC or Seattle — hint: A LOT more. I like to peruse historic mansions in Duluth, MN because I’ve driven by them but haven’t had the opportunity to look inside. Zillow lets me do all of this. The Zillow app makes this seem even more informal, relaxed. If you’ve ever worked with real estate agents, relaxed is not the first way I’d describe working with them — No offense. They’ve got a job to do too. I’d even venture to say it’s possible Zillow weeds out “Looky Loos” from their side so it might actually be mutually beneficial.
But this is not to say Zillow only provides personal satisfaction, there is definitely a social aspect to it. At least for me. You can add a shopping partner or just message homes to friends and family which I do all the time. I have 3 sisters and we all like farting around on Zillow.
I guess, to sum things up, what makes Zillow so great is that yes, you can use it to seriously buy a home, but it’s also personally and socially satisfying in totally different ways. I think this is what separates a good product from a great one.
What are your favorite products for farting around that can also “get things done?
