The Daunting Task of Finding an Apartment

Until I actually started looking for an apartment in Sydney, I had no idea how competitive the rental market was:

1. When you're checking places out online the first thing you notice is that rent is quoted by the week, not the month. And it's expensive - $500 a week is average.

2. I was focused on Paddington and its surrounding areas (Surry Hills, Wooloomooloo, Edgecliff).

* Edgecliff didn't have any character.

* I thought it'd be funny to "live in the 'loo" but two words say it all: Cabrini Green. This surprised me because Russell Crowe lives in Wooloomooloo. It was only later that I learned there's a big difference between living near the water like Russell Crowe and being more "inland".

* Surry Hills really impressed me because it had this wonderful, "happening" vibe and had many more pubs, restaurants and cafes than Paddington which had more boutiques. To me, Paddington seemed more like Central Park West and Surry Hills more like SoHo.

3. The open houses were a beast of their own! Unbelievably they are only scheduled for 15 minutes - which makes you wonder if they're trying to hide something. I'd try to hit 4-6 each Saturday. And without a car, I was reliant on cabs, trains, speed walking and at one point running between open houses. I was exhausted by the end of the day!

4. When you arrived at the open house, you were typically in the company of 15-30 other people. And I quickly learned, there are apartment hunting tactics. For example, couples would split up. One would attend the open house, while the other was at the realtor's office ready to put down a deposit (if you place a deposit, realtors look at your application first and if your references check out you get the apartment and no other applications are looked at - even if your offer is higher).

So how did I finally land my Surry Hills apartment? I treated the whole experience like I was looking for a job. I called the realtor the day before to communicate my strong interest, I created a portfolio that showed why I was an ideal tenant and I was willing to close the deal right on the spot.

Phew, what an experience! And not one that I'm in a hurry to do anytime again soon.