How to find good roommates

Being a 20 something trying to become financially independent, I have realized that I will probably be living with roommates for the next 5 years. This is because I am trying to maximize and save at least 50% of my income. The ideal goal would be to save 70% of my income. To be able to save 70% of my income, I need to radically change my spending habits. This is something that I am currently working on, and will have a list of things to cut that helps with increasing my savings rate.

Having roommates through out this process will help cushion my living expenses, mainly housing. Housing is the biggest expense most people have. But how do I pick a good roommate. Where does anyone find roommates. How do we avoid terrible roommate situations. I recently got asked this question by a friend of mine that is going through the  process. This has inspired me to share my system on picking roommates. I do not have a lot of years of experience, so I am going to share what I have learned up to now.

My main source of roommate advertising is Craigslist and Facebook. There is usually groups like Atlanta house search or Apartment/ room for rent, make sure to look for something similar in your area. This is a great source because people go there looking for a roommate or room, and you can check out their profile to see who this person is. I know Craiglist is not known for being safe. You have to know how to use it in a safe manner. There is a ton of people that look for a place to live on Craiglist. It is a great place to advertise. Here are the steps I follow to choose a good roommate and stay safe.

1. Ask questions before meeting up

When you get contacted by someone that is interested in renting the room, you have to make sure to ask the following questions.

• When do you need to move and why?
• How long do you plan on staying?
• Do you smoke?
• Have you lived with roommates in the past?
• Tell me about yourself

This is something that I ask everyone I talk to. This tell me if the person is serious, has experience living with people, has rental credibility, and I usually don’t want smokers in the house because its hard to get that smell out. Once they answer this questions and I feel like they are a serious candidate. I usually move to phase 2. Meeting in person.

2. Meet in a public place.

This is really important. I always make sure we meet in a public place that is full of people because of safety. Not only mine but also the potential roommates. If someone doesn’t agree to meeting in a public place first, I usually stop the process. That doesn’t give me a good vibe. I usually like to meet at a Starbucks in a busy intersection, that place is always busy. I only meet when there is daylight, try not to meet at night. Once we are face to face, I have another set of questions to ask. I usually ask them after having a conversation with the person. That conversation usually starts with me asking about the person first.

• Where do you work?
• How long have you been there?
• What is your schedule like during the week?
• what is your schedule like during the weekend?
• how often do you cook?
• how often do you clean?
• Do you usually go out or bring people over?
• What are your hobbies?

This questions are meant to give you an insight on the person and see if their schedule works with yours. This is important if your sharing a bathroom. Getting ready in the mornings can become stressful is someone takes hours in the bathroom. I try to ask this questions in conversation format, it should flow. I have noticed if the conversation flows, we are getting along. If they ask questions that’s also good. Once I feel comfortable and notice that we are getting along and we are both interested then we move to phase 3. Going to show the room.

3. Show house

This step is usually really short. Mostly go in, show them the house, the room and answer questions they might have. We talk about the kitchen and how everything is separate, how the TV works, the parking situation and then you wait. Usually a few days, most people are trying to make a decision soon, if someone else is interested I usually let them know. Once I get a confirmation then we move forward to phase 4.

4. Sign contact/Receive deposit

In this step it’s important to discuss in detail what is expected of both roommates. This should have already been discussed in the face to face conversation. This is just to remind everyone what is expected. Make sure everyone understands how the house works and what the contract states. I usually like to do 6 month contracts. This allows for some freedom in case it turns out its not a good match. If everything goes well for both parties we extend the contract. Once the contract has been sign, I get the one month deposit they get the keys and we move on to setting up payment. I like direct deposit, so we test that out with the first months rent. There you go, this is what I do with every potential roommate. I found that it has worked for me hopefully it works for someone else as well.