In the space of just 48 hours, Jenny experienced two of this town's greatest vices: the instability of its property market, and the eccentric whimsy of its residents.
The twenty-something project manager had decided to leave her 20 sq metre bedsit in a south Tel Aviv Bauhaus building. Aware of the market's boiling temperature - the average rent for a two-room flat jumped five per cent from NIS 3,215 (£500) in July to NIS 3,369 (£530) in August - she expected a quick response.
In fact, the first two people who came that very afternoon to view the flat wanted to rent it. So keen were they that they started to fight - although, being true Tel Avivians, they did not get physical. Instead, they launched a battle of neuroses and misery, a who-came/saw/rang-first wrangle in which no emotional manipulation was spared. And all over one room, bathroom and minute balcony overlooking the noisy junction of Yehuda Ha'Levy and Nachlat Binyamin.
With the Beijing Olympics over, flat-chasing has again become the hottest sport in town. Desperation, frustration and a few days of extensive practice enable a dedicated flat-chaser to score highly, or even win the gold medal: a tiny, over-priced apartment on the edge of the city centre.
"In the past 18 months," says estate agent Amit Goldman, "rent rose to unbelievable heights, and so have landlords' terms. I'm often asked to show flats only to tenants whose parents are of academic background and have properties of their own. It's painful and unfair." As a result, says the 29-year-old, many end up leaving Tel Aviv, "including myself: for what my girlfriend and I pay for a three-room apartment in Ramat Gan, I'd get a tiny two-room place in Tel Aviv. "
And who is to blame for this drastic state? "The French!" exclaims Amit. "They enjoy a strong currency and easy loans. Around 30 per cent of the town's flats were bought to be used as summer condos. So the residential supply has dramatically narrowed."
But Shomrat Banit, another estate agent, sees the end of the craze approaching. "The centre, the heart of Tel Aviv, is still the most desired area," she says, "but in the past weeks, even before the global crisis, the market slowed. People are not willing to submit to the constant increase in rates. They simply won't pay more than NIS 2,500 (£400) for a bedsit."
It seems that she might be right. Hours after the dramatic showdown, Jenny got a call from the winner: she'd had second thoughts, she said, and since the other candidate was so keen, she was sure it wouldn't be a problem. But her opponent failed to answer Jenny's calls. Maybe the trauma had been too much for her.