Real Estate / How to find a flat in Warsaw [9]

Longtime lurker, first time poster, and I need some PolishForum help: What's the best approach to finding a flat in Warsaw?

I just spent the weekend in Warsaw trying to find a flat and it was a nightmare -- I looked at eight pretty impressive shitholes, so I think I need to reorganize my approach. Should I be using an agency? Am I not using the right websites (I used en.otodom.pl/ and bezposrednie.com/) when searching on my own? What has worked for people on here? Any advice you can offer would be huge!