Continue Your Roommate Search By Signing Up For A Roommate Listing

Listing

You’ve asked your family and friends if they knew of anyone who needed a place to live. You put up fliers around your school or office. You even placed an ad in one of those small penny saver newspapers. Still…nothing. Well, if finding the perfect roommate is taking longer than expected, you might want to consider signing up for a roommate listing service.

Roommate Listing Services

Roommate listings can be very useful in your search for finding a roommate. There are many listings on the web and there are even listings where you can be specific in the type of roommate you are looking for. For example, there are listings services for Jewish, Christian, gay, lesbian, vegan and even eco roommates. With so many kinds of listings on the web, it’s easy to select the roommate listing that suits your needs.

Most roommate listings will let you create a profile for free where you can advertise you have a room available to rent. However, once people start contacting you through your profile, you will have to “upgrade” to a paid membership to reply to messages. Membership on some listings can go as high as $29.99 per month Room prices in Dubai. However, if you are not too keen on the idea of paying monthly for a roommate listing, search around for listings that are totally free or offer a free trial membership.

If you try a free membership and find you are getting quality responses from candidates who fit what you are looking for, it wouldn’t hurt to sign up for one paid month. Always read the FAQ section of any roommate listing before signing up. It’s important to know about cancellation policies in case you decide you want to deactivate or close your account/profile. Once you sign up for a paid membership, you will have the privilege to reply back to as many emails as you want.

As always, try to get as much information as you can from the other person before giving out your personal information. If you haven’t read my article about roommate scams, then what are you waiting for? Roommate listings are great to help you find a roommate because you can advertise to thousands of people, but it also subjects you to scam artists who are out there looking to steal your money and/or identity. Before signing up for any listing, whether it’s free or paid, be an expert on how to recognize a roommate scam. Unfortunately, you WILL receive your fair share of email scams to your post. However, don’t let this discourage you from signing up with a roommate listing because you can find honest and decent people who are looking for a place to live.

Your Roommate Profile

When putting together your profile, this is your chance to sell yourself and your place. If you don’t have an apartment that has crown moulding, hardwood floors, gated parking or a resort style pool, so what! When I was searching for my current roommate, I had a 1 bedroom apartment where I needed someone to be comfortable sleeping out in the living room. Was every female reading my ad comfortable with this idea? No, but I made sure to include that fact in my ad. That way, I only had to deal with potential candidates who understood and was comfortable with this type of living arrangement.

Although I was doubtful and even convinced I wouldn’t be able to find a female roommate who was comfortable with the idea of sleeping in my living room, I lucked out. At the time I was searching for a roommate, I was a student and I was fortunate enough to find a very nice girl through my school. Living situations with students are usually short term, so two people in a studio or 1 bedroom at my school was common. Besides, as students living in Los Angeles, the fact that the rent was going to be under $600 each also helped.

The point I want to make is no matter how big, small, fancy or cheap your place is, you can and will find your ideal roommate. The best way to do this is to write a profile that gives people an idea about your personality and includes facts and/or perks about your apartment. Yeah sure there could be nothing interesting to say about your place, but maybe your place is located close to the freeways, local transportation, a college or a shopping area. Or maybe the amenities at your complex offers a gym, washer and drier in every unit, a business center or storage space. Whatever it is, just make your profile and your apartment sound as interesting as possible.

That’s it really!

By signing up for a roommate listing, posting up fliers at your school or job and continuing to ask around your family and friends, you will find the right person in no time. Want more ways to find a roommate? Try getting the word out at your local gym, community center, church or club affiliation. Just maximize as many venues as possible and your roommate search will eventually pay off.