How To Find A Roommate:

WThe first thing to do is get the word out you are looking for a roommate. To increase the chance that those who respond will be compatible with you, post flyers or ads in places that are of interest to you. For example, if you are a Student, you can advertise on a school bulletin board. It is likely that those who respond will have similar interests and values.

You should also decide when advertising for a roommate whether you have preferences for gender, smoking, drinking, pets, and so on. State these preferences in your ad or flyer. You could say ‘only female roommate desired; smoke free, dog ok’. Also state the amount of money that you expect for your roommate’s share of the rent. Making these statements early will prevent having to eliminate roommates that may be unwanted to you.

Once you have advertised that you are looking for a roommate, you need to interview the respondents. First, try to make sure the potential roommate is a responsible and will be able to pay rent consistently and on time. Ask questions about the person’s employment, how long they have been working for their employer and whether or not they enjoy working for their employer. You can also perform a background check and or credit check. With the background check utilize friends, family previous employers and previous landlords.

Finding someone you get along with is easy; finding someone you can live with can be an entirely different struggle. Creating the right roommate dynamic is a hard thing to do for college students and apartment-renters alike. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to be informed and find a roommate situation that works for you.

Just because your friend needs somewhere to live doesn’t automatically mean he or she will make a good roommate. Friendships are often destroyed because of misunderstandings or misconceptions in roommate situations. Meeting someone once and going by your first impression may not tell you what you really need to know about someone. It can be important that you know them well, or at least well enough to know that you will get along. Sometimes meeting a potential roommate several times in a non-living situation (such as getting coffee, meeting with mutual friends, or going to a local public place together) can tell you if they are a good roommate candidate or not.

Being honest about what you want in a roommate is an important part of the relationship. It’s better to be up front with how often you clean or how late you usually stay up than to wait until there’s a problem. Addressing what you’re each looking for right away will keep you from wasting time deciding on a roommate where this is not discussed. It’s also good to establish an open form of communication. By talking about your expectations, each person gets an idea of their responsibilities and if the living situation is one they would be comfortable with. This idea is also an example on how to possibly prevent problems that could arise if there is no communication between people sharing a living space. If each person is clear on what they’re looking for and what they will do, there should be a positive relationship as they live together.

There are many ways to find the right person to move in with. After getting through these steps it can be apparent if a living situation is going to work for both people are not. Check back next week when we'll talk more about what happens once you're in a roommate situation and problems do arise.

Finally, when you are choosing a roommate, it is good to trust your instincts. First impressions say a lot about how you and another person will get along. If you are not a good judge of character, as some people are not, you can have a close friend or family member who knows you well help make the decision.

It is a good idea to interview many people rather than make a decision hastily. If you choose the first or second person you interview, you might miss out on someone who would be most compatible to your lifestyle. When choosing a roommate, it is important that you and the person share similar interests, schedules and values. The saying that ‘opposites attract’ is really not correct for two people sharing a living space.
Use these tools and you should have much more success in finding a great roommate and maybe a great friend.