Finding affordable housing in competitive markets can already be a difficult task without the added strain of a global pandemic. This fact is especially true for those living in larger cities, such as Berlin. However, one man recently demonstrated a creative way to optimize his search process, using the latest chatbot technology.
Daniel Dippold, a 28-year-old coder from Berlin, Germany, found that the search for a new home can be a brutal and demoralizing slog. After trying to find an appropriate apartment for four months without success, Dippold became desperate and began to explore more innovative approaches. This is when he decided to combine his knowledge of coding with the help of ChatGPT, a chatbot program designed to help users with keyword phrases and tasks.
By using the ChatGPT program, Dippold was able to narrow down a shortlist of potential apartments in a much more efficient manner than he used to. He requested various suggestions from the chatbot and then proceeded to generate code for a web scraper specifically designed to collect the contact information of both private and public property managers. By the end of his search, he had a database of more than 100 property management firms from which to choose.
The coder then emailed each contact in German and asked ChatGPT to generate code that sent out an automated response for each request, further accelerating his process and even including some personal documents like their passports and pay stubs. This process proved successful as Dippold and his girlfriend eventually found two suitable apartments, both of which accepted their applications.
Though the use of the chatbot technology significantly expedited this process for the German couple, it is worth noting that the chatbot had its limitations. It was not able to handle longer phrases or generate error-free code, and gave some impractical suggestions. Nevertheless, it served as an excellent example of how technology can be applied in non-traditional settings with positive outcomes.
