How to Find a Roommate Free
When you're moving to a new city, one of the first things you need is a place to live. Often, the most economical option is finding a roommate with whom you can share rent and utility costs. But if you don't already know someone in town, roommate-hunting can be tough. Worse, many sites offer to connect you to potential roommates but want you to pay them for their services. Fortunately, free sites can do the job just as well.
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Instructions
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Open your web browser and go to Craigslist.org. Find the city or area where you'll be living and go to its main page.
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Find the "Housing" heading and click "Rooms/Shared" underneath.
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Narrow your options by areas you want to live in, if this is available for your city or area. You can also search for a specific keyword or price range.
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Select three or four options that look good to you and contact your potential new roommates. Set up a time to view each apartment.
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Visit each apartment, making sure to ask any pertinent questions, such as pet and guest policies, utility costs, safety and commuting times. When you find an apartment (and roommate) you like, put down a deposit and move in.
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Tips & Warnings
Pay special attention to how well you get along with your potential roommates. If you don't like them at first, you probably won't like them better once you find out about all of their annoying habits.
Put safety first, particularly if you're new in a large city. If a listing doesn't sound quite right, don't contact that person. Schedule viewing times during the day and take a friend with you if possible.
Watch out for apartment placement scams. If the price seems too low for the apartment pictured in the listing, don't respond to the listing. If someone offers to find you an apartment if you'll just pay them up front, politely refuse and look for a legitimate option.
