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08.21.2000

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wanna talk house? don't be a wallflower! jump on over to the discussion boards.
 
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other recent LOUNGE articles:
o the Dining Chair Slipcover Debacle
o
Post-Posters: Better Ideas for Dressing Bare Walls
o 10 Tips for Furniture Foraging
o the Incredibly True Confessions of a First-time Homeowner

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the Great Roommate SEARCH  |  1 2 3
continued from page 1

Some popular resources to search for potential roommates include:
-- the classifieds, of course, and...
-- your favorite coffee shop, bookstore, or other hangout, which will likely have a bulletin board for you to check out or post on.  The plus side to this method is that you know you're meeting someone who likes the same places you do – there’s at least that you have in common, right? And lastly...

4 Network, network, network
Word of mouth can be a very handy tool when it comes to the roommate search.  I once was pontificating on the bus to a friend of mine about possibly moving out, when a girl in front of us whipped around, and inquired, "Are you looking for a roommate?!"  She then  proceeded to give me her name and number, just in case.  The truth of the matter is, there are tons of people out there seeking roommates or who have a place to rent.  You never know if a friend of a friend of a friend might be the perfect roommate.  So make sure to "casually" mention to all your friends that you're looking and if they hear anything, to let you know.

5 Be specific, but open-minded
Once you find some ads that look promising, or decide to place an ad yourself, you’ll need to determine what roommate qualities are most important to you.  But don't go overboard.  Case in point: One of the listings I saw when I was helping my boyfriend with his housing search mentioned a website in their ad, where the current tenants had laid out what they were looking for in potential roommates.  Cool idea … in principle.  However, their list of requisites specifically called for a guy who lacked a steady girlfriend, would adhere to a chores list, was straight, and oddly enough, liked South Park.  While it's good to state that you want a female, non-smoking, quiet person, it can get extreme if you'll only speak to people who understand the genius of Cartman.  Keep this in mind when you place an ad-- more qualifications equals fewer phone calls.  And besides, it's no fun having a roommate who's an exact replica of you.  Really.

6 Use your creativity
Although the South Park guys were a little off with their specifications list, they did have one thing right:  creativity.  By creating a website, they immediately drew more people to their place, by setting their ad apart from all the others... definitely a good thing.  So feel free to get a little wild.  Get out the magic markers and glitter, and make some pretty flyers to hang up around town.  Use your digital camera to take snapshots of your place and post them on the Internet.  Describe yourself in a fun, conversational way in your ads and you're likely to get more calls, and from people who are obviously drawn to your personality.

don't stop, more great tips this way!

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