About

Why Share Housing?

Sharing housing just makes sense.  Here are resources help you find and keep good housemates.  You could be a middle-aged divorced person, a senior citizen, a graduate student, and/or single parent.

For those who have never  tried sharing housing, it is very scary to think of moving in with a stranger or opening up your house to a stranger. This blog is to help you consider it and support you in doing it.

Two Reasons: Money and Social Contact

Supporting a home alone is expensive.  Sharing can cut housing costs by as much as 50% or by whatever makes sense in your location.  Many people start sharing housing for the monetary benefit alone. Then they discover the social contact benefit. When there is someone home, there is someone with whom to say good morning, have a casual conversation, and maybe, perchance, share a meal.

Founder: Annamarie Pluhar

Annamarie believes that through sharing housing, individuals of any age can have a better quality of life than by living alone.

I have lived in shared housing for over twenty years. The positive experiences have greatly outnumbered the negative ones, though the negative ones have taught me important lessons.  Sometimes I have been the person looking for housing, more often I’ve been the householder looking for housemates. I’ve lived with a single mother and her pre-school son, an elderly friend of the family, couples, singles, people in transition, people in school or internships, and foreigners in the country for work or study. Through these experiences I have developed a process for finding and keeping good housemates.

One day, a friend told me she hadn’t any idea how to rent a room in her house.  ‘I do,’ I said, and we agreed I would guide her through the process. When I looked for a book that could help her, I found none.  So I decided to write one.  (Awaiting publication.)”

My professional resume includes organizational development consulting, Total Quality management, management skills training, and instructional design. (See www.pluharconsulting.com for a more complete resume.) In addition, I have a master’s in Divinity and am a volunteer with my  local hospice. I am  a founding member of the local Toastmaster’s Club.

This blog is designed to offer readers tips and encouragement for finding and keeping housemates.  In addition to this blog, I offer presentations and workshops for groups. For individuals, I offer personal coaching as The Housemate Advisor.