2. RECRUIT CANDIDATES THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY

Gathering recruits to share your room shouldn't be too difficult. The problem usually comes when you're looking for someone who's compatible with your lifestyle and won't chainsaw your face off. But first thing's first: find some candidates.

Friends, relatives, and co-workers
Newspaper and bulletin board ads

Friends, relatives, and co-workers

The simplest way of finding a "safe" roommate is just to live with a friend, relative, or co-worker. Naturally, this is rather dependent on timing -- if no one is looking to move, you're out of luck. That's when it's time to network. Maybe your friend doesn't want to move, but he knows someone who's looking (that he can vouch for). Hey, it's better than a total stranger.

Newspaper and bulletin board ads

A tried and true method of finding a roommate is to peruse your local paper along with bulletin boards in your area. You can be passive and look for people who need a roommate and contact them, or actively place an ad looking for a roommate. If you decide upon the former, read the ads carefully and don't be taken for a sucker. It's easy to write "single, clean, quiet, and expert sock-knitter," but you soon find that those are code words for "psychotic goat killer." So your game plan should be to milk as much information out of the ad as possible and then call (or email) the person. Any time that it doesn't feel "right," abandon ship immediately and keep searching.

Generally, the best tactic is to take the active path and put an ad out saying that you're looking for a roommate. Here are some things to remember, you go-getter:

  • Newspaper ads generally run about $10 to $50 per week, but the range is wide. If you do place one, make sure it's precise, and put it in a paper that has a large subscription base (e.g., don't bother with The Daily Shoe Cobbler).

  • Be honest. Don't write "quiet and neat" if you're not. It'll just cause problems later.

  • If you make fliers, make them eye-catching, clear, informative, and make those cool little "tear-off" slips at the bottom so people can contact you. Also, put it in an appropriate place. If you're pretty wholesome, it's probably best skip the local strip joint and stick to grocery stores, malls, township buildings, etc.

  • College students - use those bulletin boards and kiosks on campus.

  • Information you should include in any advertisement: First name, phone number, email, location of domicile (you don't have to give the exact address), monthly rent, utilities, other costs, age, pets, smoking status, if you have any children, and gender.