Allison Ziefert Homes February 13, 2025
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I am updating and sharing an article that I wrote a few years back about what online dating and New Jersey real estate have in common. I can’t say I have had that much dating success since. I think I am a better realtor than an online dater:) Here is what I wrote:
I recently decided to test the waters with online dating. Being a naturally shy person, I did this with some trepidation.
Not knowing where to begin, I enlisted the assistance of a much more outgoing and experienced friend to help me. Which is best? Match, EHarmony, J Date, Bumble, Plenty of Fish, Tinder, OKCupid – so many choices. How do the sites work differently? Does the woman make the first move, or is she waiting to be contacted by men? My expert friend also helped me with my online profile- friendly but not too friendly, pictures with different looks and settings, honest but not honest to the point of seeming weird. It’s a balance!
I loaded up my profile, and it was off to the races. Once I started, it became fun–even relaxing. Every night I would get in bed and, instead of reading the New York Times on my iPad, I would check my inbox and start reading through profiles. I took my time reading through each one carefully. It was honestly fascinating to see how different guys presented themselves. Then I would swipe after viewing each one–left for “no” and right for “yes”.
It’s amazing how many profiles there are to look at. Eventually, I worked my way up to swiping faster and faster through profile after profile, having developed some basic criteria to quickly weed through tons of potential matches. It’s crazy to think of making a split-second judgment on a human being, but that’s what online dating is.
For example, if a guy attended the “school of hard knocks”, posed shirtless and was not at the beach, prominently displayed himself in front of any red vehicle or had excessive tattooing, stated an age and then in small print disclaimed that age (ie, my profile says I am 52 but I am 63) or did not take the time to write a description of themselves, I swiped left right away. Next!
Then it dawned on me. This is exactly what buyers do when they look at homes online. They may start carefully reading through online descriptions and looking at photos, but then they will progress to speed swiping. Think of buyers as potential dates. How do you make sure that your property gets a right swipe rather than a left swipe? How do you ensure that you are “matched” with as many potential “suitors” as possible so that you end up with the most qualified and best match?
Here are my top tips for success in the world of real estate matchmaking:
We’d love to hear more about your NJ real estate journey- and your dating adventures, too. We can advise you expertly on real estate. Dating – not so much.
The Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group is a top-producing real estate team based at Compass in Short Hills, New Jersey. We are local market experts, specializing in real estate and homes in Maplewood, South Orange, Millburn/Short Hills, Montclair/Glen Ridge, West Orange, Morristown, and the surrounding New Jersey towns. We’ve also got you covered coast to coast with the best connections to top agents around the country in any market you are exploring. We are driven by earning great testimonials and referral business from happy clients.
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I decided to test the waters with online dating. Being a naturally shy person, I did this with some trepidation.
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