Craigslist
My temporary accommodation is drawing to an end next week. I need to find new temporary accommodation. Cheapest option is through Craigslist. And if you are to search through the site, you would find some pretty good deals.
Thing is, good deals are snapped up pretty fast - too many people moving into the city. That's fine on its own. With a situation like this comes the dubious folks.
Sometimes you'd get a post (there's usually more than one) where the person leaves a contact number behind. If you SMS the number, you'd get a reply to register on a web site. The web site redirects you to a site called roomster.com. Smells fishy?
The other red herring is that all the SMSes give the same, exact message. Complete with the same grammar mistake. A reply back to the number will get the same push to the web site.
Craigslist isn't all that bad. I have contacted people who are genuinely offering their place for rent. You'd know because these people write proper emails.
So how does one tell the difference? Rule of thumb: skip the ones who leave a number. Send email. Wait for a reply. Remember that it's crowded in Seattle. Lots of people looking for a room here. If you're not shortlisted you won't get a reply. It's not that the people are not friendly. There's just too many to reply to. Remember my last post? Get the hint. Move on.
airbnb
This site is the answer to Craigslist. Renters are verified. People review the renter. I hear that if there's a dispute they may even intercede. I just booked my stay next month. Let's see how that goes.
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