Roomate newspaper ads

[introspective1]

Have you ever answered a "roomate wanted" ad in a newspaper or online? Why do so many people post these ads and obviously, end up with roomates they don't know? I have thought about answering one of these ads because I want to live in a bigger apartment but save money. Not sure how good of an idea it is to live with a stranger or if it is even possible. If anyone has lived with a roomate they met through one of these ads, I would definitely like to know your experience.

[Adrienne]

I used roommates.com I did not like the service at all. I did manage to find a roommate who i did not know.

For me, it has worked well. He pays me on time. He has a couple habits that bother me, and i am sure i have a couple that bother him, but we are both tolerant.

I am glad i did it. I am glad it was a stranger too because there is no emotional attachtment. He is free to do what he wants, come and go as he wants, and i do the same. I will say that having my own bathroom definitely helps the situation.

Adrienne

[introspective1]

what did you not like about roomates.com if you found a good roomate? Just curious...

[Adrienne]

i did not like it for a bunch of reasons. Here is a short list:

• 30 bucks a month and (for me) it took 3 or 4 months
• Lots of spam messages. They try to clean them up, but you get an email as soon as a message arives, then you look at it, then it disappears.
• Dont have good questions. What i mean is they have questions like do you have to have your own bathroom? but very little about who you are. For me, what is most important is how well i get along with someone and they dont have the questions and stuff listed so you can figure it out if they would be a good match.
• I had a couple questions i needed to speak with custom service about, and it was worse then talking to microsoft.

Yes i found my roommate there, but what i did was find someone who wanted to look for a new place together. We have a 3rd room (with its own bathroom etc) and i kept looking on there for a few months and finally stopped. The place is filled with owners of places and not nearly as many looking for a place. So if you are looking for a place, you may have better luck.

in retrospect, i would put fryers up at a college campus, or post it on craigslist or just spread the word. I think that would be more effective, cost less, and find people who better suit what i am looking for.

hope that helps...

Adrienne