[alexwyser]

I am a non-US freelancer web designer and developer.

Personally, for $1000 I would provide a custom design and develop a database-driven website (using HTML/CSS/Javacript/PHP/MySQL) with a decent backend. This means you can get almost any kind of website that does not involve advanced things like automatic personalization based on user's activities (except maybe basic recommendations). So you could start a website like HN or Reddit (but not Digg which produces a different homepage for each user based on their preferences).

$1000 is not much for a skilled developer in any country, but its worth more to someone from outside US.

About the process of outsourcing, I would recommend not going with anyone using sites like rentacoder or odesk. Instead ask for references from people you know (offline or online), a lot of people on HN have worked with a freelancer, and would probably be able to suggest someone more reliable.

If all else fails, find someone on the HN Contractors spreadsheet.

PS. Since I am a designer/developer myself, you can email me at [e-mail] if you need any help.