Tips for Finding Roommates in Bradenton and Sarasota

Sharing your apartment with a roommate is a great way to manage bills, keep your apartment clean, and avoid lonely evenings (if you’re not a fan of living by yourself). However, finding the right roommate in Bradenton and Sarasota isn’t always easy, and a little unsettling if you don’t take the right steps to ensure a compatible person. To help, we’ve put together some tips that can lead to a “co-habitation” that is convenient —and conflict-free!

Ask The Right Questions

Moving in with someone is like starting a new relationship; you’ll inevitably be spending a lot of time together, sharing some of your belongings, and relying on each other for important things like rent money or utility payments. You need to make sure you’re a good match and share the same expectations of your living situation.

Interview more than one potential roommate so you can make a well-rounded comparison of the options. Develop a list of questions that will help you address the most important factors for living with someone. This may include:

• What are you awake/away/asleep hours? Learn as much as you can about what a typical day looks like – you don’t want to be surprised to find you’re sharing an apartment with a night owl!
• How important is a tidy apartment? This can be the biggest point of contention, so address it head-on
• Do you enjoy listening to music, playing video games, watching TV, or doing other activities that might make a lot of noise? This, too, can be a deal breaker, so encourage people to be completely honest with you
• Do you have friends over often, and do you let them spend the night? If you’re not cool with people using your apartment as a hang-out, let your interviewees know right away
• Do you have any pets? Springs Apartments are pet-friendly and we love having them around, but you might be allergic – or just not want the work that goes into having a pet in your apartment. Ask interviewees if they have any plans to “add to the family”

Avoiding a Bad Match

An interview will give you a decent first impression of someone, but you should dig a little deeper to make sure you haven’t been mislead. Ask for references from coworkers or former roommates, and check out your potential roommate’s Twitter or Facebook profile to get a better idea of how they spend their free time. Something as simple as a quick social media search can be very effective at helping you uncover things you didn’t discover in the interview.

And don’t forget that your interviewees might be doing the same searches of you, so if there are pictures or comments that could lead someone to the wrong impression, you might want to delete them.

Streamlining Your Search

Today’s technology makes it surprisingly easy to find roommate candidates. Try some of these options to simplify your efforts:

• Roomster: Roomster lets you post an ad for a roommate, including pictures of your apartment, information about the dwelling, and what you expect their share of expenses to be. You can connect through Facebook and receive messages and phone calls from applicants

• Craigslist: Craigslist has long been a go-to for people who need roommates and rentals. This is still one of the most popular sites to use, and one of your best options for reaching a wide pool of people. Be specific in your ad in terms of expectations (noise, payments, houseguests, cleanliness/chores, etc.) so that you’re not inundated with calls from people you know won’t be a good fit

• HomeSlice: HomeSlice won’t help you find a roommate, but it can help you manage your living situation once you have one. This is particularly useful if you have multiple roommates. Ask your potential roomies if they’d be willing to sign up for the app and commit to using it with you to keep things organized. HomeSlice helps you track home supplies, chores, and bills, a lifesaver if you’re not the most organized person (or if you hate the conflict that sometimes comes with these things)

Always take your time when you’re looking into roommates to make sure you’ve found a good fit —someone who’s demonstrated that they’re responsible and respectful. With a little research and careful consideration, you can find a great living situation that will suit everyone involved.