Here's how to find a roommate who can share the rent without making you nuts ... so you won't dread coming home. Or fear going to sleep. https://www.realtor.com/advice/rent/how-to-find-a-roommate/

1. RENT
How to Find a Roommate Who Won't Drive You Nuts
By Jamie Wiebe | Nov 1, 2016
Izabela Habur/iStock
Here's how to find a roommate who can share the rent without making you nuts ... so you won't dread coming home. Or fear going
to sleep.
If you live in a pricey area or are on a tight budget, having roommates can make a whole lot of financial sense—that is, as long as
they don't drive you bananas. Which brings us to the question of how to find a roommate—and not just any roommate, but one you
like or at least can tolerate and live with peacefully.
Rooming with friends: Bad idea?
Sure, in an ideal world, you'd love to live with a fellow vegan who digs "Veep" as much as you, but being too picky can
backfire. Remember, you aren't searching for a new BFF, you are trying to find a roommate. In fact, a word of caution goes out to
anyone who's pondering living with close friends. If said bosom buddy turns out to be perpetually strapped for cash, that long-term
relationship might not be so long-term going forward. Yes, it's totally fine to be pals with your roomie, but just understand that if it
goes south you could ruin your friendship and finances at the same time. The worst kind of two-fer.
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Given the perils of personality conflicts, make sure to scrutinize any prospects to weigh whether their values and lifestyle will mesh
with your own. Here are some questions to ask yourself and your roommate:
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Are you a morning person or a night person? Loud late-night TV watchers can annoy early birds, no matter how wryly
amusing Seth Meyers was this week.
What do your weekends look like? If you enjoy hosting game night and dinner parties, rooming with a die-hard homebody

2. Jamie Wiebe writes about home design and real estate for realtor.com. She has previously written for House Beautiful, Elle Decor,
Real Simple, Veranda, and more. Follow @jamie__wiebe
Related topics: apartment renting roommate
might cause problems.
Do you smoke? Whether you're puffing cigarettes or pot (no judgments), roommates need clear expectations of clear air.
Are you a pet person? Hate dogs? (Still no judgments!) Allergic to cats? Well, this might seem obvious, but here goes: If furry
animals underfoot ain't your thing, don't consider living with a roommate who has one.
Where do you work? Office dwellers might skip this one, but working from home can be a big strain on the roommate
relationship.
Are you dating? If you don't want a secret third roommate, make sure to set clear expectations about how often romantic
partners can sleep over.
Find a roommate or apartment first? How to decide
Another big question to ask is whether you plan to find a place first then search for a roommate, or find a roommate first then
home hunt together. There are pros and cons to each scenario.
Prioritize finding an apartment, and you boost the odds that you can score a sun-drenched downtown two-bedroom that suits your
tastes—yet you'll be limited to roommates who share your aesthetic. Prioritize finding a roommate, on the other hand, and you
boost the odds that you'll find the perfect person, but then you may have to compromise and take that person's ideal apartment into
account—and that could prolong the home search.
In the best-case scenario, you'll find someone who wants the same type of living quarters, which also ups the odds that this
roommate will remain happy and stay put.
How to find a roommate
Here are some ways to find roommates.
1. Your social network: Start asking around on the safest and most effective social network there is: a little thing we like to call
real life. Friends and friends of friends are great resources to find trustworthy potential roommates. Go beyond your closest
pals and check with co-workers and classmatesyou never know who else is hunting for a place. A high recommendation from
someone you already trust is a strong vote of approval for a future housemate.
2. Alumni groups: Does your school have an alumni network in your city? Send an email to the Listserv or get in touch with
the area coordinator. Alumni networks have much broader reach than just asking friends of friends. They can help you hunt
down eligible roommates in the areaand as a bonus, you'll automatically share something in common via your college.
3. The internet: Craigslist might seem like a scary way to find someone to live with, but the internet is full of roommate success
stories (and, to be fair, a few nightmares). When searching, one question to keep front and center is whether the roommate
candidates seem responsible. With strangers, reliabilityand the ability to pay the rent on timeare the biggest disqualifiers. If
your gut instinct says they can't be trusted, don't feel bad about giving them a pass.
Do your background research
Don't feel guilty about doing some basic cybersleuthing once you have found a roommate. This, for better or worse, is what modern
life is about. Read the potential roommates' Facebook profiles (or at least what you can see of them) and dive into their Google
results. Don't judge them too harshly—writing bad "Harry Potter" fan fiction at 13 isn't reason enough to reject someone—but keep
an eye out for any troubling blogs or angry, vindictive Reddit comments. That could be a red flag that your roommate relationship
could turn to the dark side and maybe you're better off steering clear.
Should you both sign the lease?
You will also want to decide if you alone will sign the lease (and keep your roommate as a sublessor) or whether you will both sign
this contract. Holding the lease by yourself might keep you in the driver's seat on important decisions about the apartment (like
whether to sign a one- or two-year contract), but it can leave you on the hook if a roommate bails on the apartment (i.e., you'll have
to pony up all the rent or find a new roommate pronto).
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