> Is hunting for an apartment doomed to be this messy forever? It seems like an area that is ripe for disruption or a better option, but what would it take to actually solve this?
I hesitate to say it, but there is already a solution to this, and it has been the one that New York has had for years: you hire an agent. A good agent will sort through all of that for you, and streamline the process to the point where you can go from search to signing in under a week (if not quicker). Of course, there's the problem of bad agents, but that's true of anything. As you note, online services are often bad, as well.
In other words, I don't see this as a problem without a solution; I see it as a problem without a software automated solution, which is true for a lot of problems in life, particularly ones that involve huge numbers of messy, opinionated people with different motivations and interests.
I hesitate to say it, but there is already a solution to this, and it has been the one that New York has had for years: you hire an agent. A good agent will sort through all of that for you, and streamline the process to the point where you can go from search to signing in under a week (if not quicker). Of course, there's the problem of bad agents, but that's true of anything. As you note, online services are often bad, as well.
In other words, I don't see this as a problem without a solution; I see it as a problem without a software automated solution, which is true for a lot of problems in life, particularly ones that involve huge numbers of messy, opinionated people with different motivations and interests.