Category: lifehack

How I Outsourced my Apartment Hunting

Some of you know that last year for fun I spent most of it sleeping on peoples’ couches. Why? Because my friends are awesome. So after returning from the great country of Argentina I figured it was time to get my own place and share the couch.

Problem? It takes a LOT of time to get a place in San Francisco. Plus, you have to do many interviews, resumes, credit checks, full body searches, etc…

Solution? I found a person in Bulgaria using elance.com to help me on Craigslist:

a) take my criteria for places I want to live in: Potrero Hill, Inner/Outer Richmond, Cole valley

b) contact them with a template I created below:

your place sounds chill. hopefully i am flexible enough as a male to qualify for your place.

about me:
- i run a small start-up based in san francisco making online games. we are funded & profitable, ie. i can pay rent:)
- i am originally from san jose, went to uc berkeley and have been working at start-ups since 2004 (intel, facebook, mint.com, kickflip (present).
- i like cooking, running, biking, chess, watching movies,wine and pretty much anything else fun.
- i will likely be working from home a fair amount of the time and/or not home at all as i do a fair amount of traveling.
- i am 26 and enjoy fun, nice people, no drama and good times.

preferences:
- i do like to cook so i will be using the kitchen albeit if there is one:)

cheers, noah 510 866 6624

c) I had him create a gmail account, email people with semi-customized emails and schedule appointments around the times I am free.

Result? I got a place! …but then this morning the guy backed out of it so I am on the hunt again. If anyone knows a place in Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay or San Francisco I am looking for a room around $800.

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13 Responses to “How I Outsourced my Apartment Hunting”

  • rishi
    April 29th, 2008
    8:43 am

    Noah you are welcome to come live with me and my mom anytime

  • Rob Schultz
    April 29th, 2008
    12:19 pm

    This sounds like a chapter right out of Tim Ferriss’ “Four Hour Workweek” book. If you don’t mind me asking, how much did the outsourced apartment hunting set you back. I’ve got a few tasks that I just don’t want to do anymore!

  • Rob
    April 29th, 2008
    3:01 pm

    Cool…I’m even closer to being convinced to giving this a try. I’d also like to know about costs here (order of magnitude is cool with me).

  • Noah Kagan
    April 29th, 2008
    3:10 pm

    Rob,

    It definitely sounds like 4 hour work week. Tim needs to stop copying my ideas:)

    Cost wise.

    he can respond to about 1 place a minute and i wanted him to do 10 places per area. so about 40 minutes total and i pay him $4 / hour. plus some time in coordinating the appointments. total time = 2 hours = $8+($2 bonus)

  • Atish
    April 29th, 2008
    5:11 pm

    I think I’m going to try this

  • Derek
    April 29th, 2008
    7:34 pm

    That is pretty damn smart. Looking for an apartment is definitely time consuming – especially all of the correspondences back and forth concerning gritty details. So did you pay a flat fee to help you get through the Craigslist ads? Or, was it based on the number of potentials?

  • Noah Kagan
    April 29th, 2008
    7:36 pm

    Atish,

    I can recommend my guy if you want him.

    Derek,

    I paid him hourly. But you can easily just pay him per email sent (if he was sending a lot) and a bonus based if you get a place.

  • Joe Suh
    April 30th, 2008
    12:01 am

    This isn’t my guy I referred to you was it? :)

  • Dimitry
    April 30th, 2008
    7:27 am

    Neat.. Im thinking of outsourcing job search. No time myself

  • kadavy
    April 30th, 2008
    3:11 pm

    Very impressive, Noah!

    So many ways this could backfire: but I wonder if your response rate would improve if you could put something truly specific in your e-mails (i.e. You have a Pug? I love Pugs!). Your assistant could put listings into a cue, you could write a short statement for each one, and then he could insert it into the template. Like this:

    “[specific statement] your place sounds chill. hopefully i am flexible enough as a male to qualify for your place….”

    If you’re anything like me, finding the right people to live with is the top priority when looking for a place, so grabbing potential candidates with specific, relatable details is key.

  • Nicole Price
    May 1st, 2008
    8:54 am

    Amazing! Finding a place in the US using the services of someone in Bulgaria! How the internet has revolutionized the way we live and work!

  • not so lazy
    May 1st, 2008
    7:31 pm

    Noah,
    what is the difference between this and being lazy?

  • Raina Gustafson
    May 4th, 2008
    1:56 am

    Hi Noah,

    I’m looking for a place in SF, too. I have a friend who is involved in real estate that I am meeting with on Monday. He is going to help me find a place, and knows the market well.

    I had been planning on trying to find a studio or one-bedroom, but am open to finding a two-bedroom with the right roommate. You seem like a pretty chill guy. I’m currently staying with a friend in San Mateo who I love to pieces. She works in San Mateo, and doesn’t want to relocate to SF.

    I went surfing for the first time in Half Moon Bay last week and enjoyed it, but I’m not considering it or Santa Cruz as places to move to.

    I also like to cook when I have time. I’m clean and organized, but not OCD about it. I work from home as a freelancer.

    Give me a shout if you’re interested in this possibility. I’d be happy to talk on the phone or meet up with you somewhere to discuss options further.

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