Craigslist

I was never looking forward to moving to New York. Let me explain, I was eager to live in New York for a time; its attractions and fame are such that I hardly need to elaborate. For me it also holds the appeal of being that many more miles closer to England, which is for me the Holy Grail; the place where I was destined to live out my days. So I was pleased about the prospect of being there; but not moving, the flying, the time change, the house hunt, and so on.

I used the Craigslist the most in the housing search, and it is ultimately how I found the place I'm living. I did try going to apartment buildings and seeking out their housing agents, and I contacted
realtors from various agencies. And while one of those worked out great for a close friend (so same age bracket, just starting out and so on) they were not so nice to me: didn't get back to me in a timely fashion for one thing.

The trouble with Craigslist, is keeping track of the whole thing. You click the email and send it. And then how the heck do you remember the specifics? Whatever personal info was included about the person, the actual rent price, the location of the place, did they include pictures. And of course when said person write you back, if they do, they know all that, and often seem to expect you to remember all that as well. Not always, but it is second nature to them.

Helpful hint:
(and I didn't come up with this, to give credit where its due, my mother did. Yes, Mommy.)
Do a screen grab so you have a record of the info regarding all your enquiries. For me at least, I was checking the list twice a day and sending out anywhere from 5 to 12 emails, so nearly thirty new things a day to keep track off. Not cosmic, but once I started to have everything saved I felt better; and I knew what was what when people did contact me too.