What a great idea! There is an organization called CoAbode that is specifically for helping single mothers match up with other single mothers to share housing. On the web there is also has a full page of testimonials about how sharing housing has improved the lives of mothers and their children.
Posts under ‘Finding Good Housemates’
Housemate Wanted – Worksheets
Years ago, I spent an expensive hour with a consultant who helped me list out all my requirements for a house. As I left I was irritated. I thought I knew everything on the list! Why had I spent so much money? Then I went house shopping. The list was extraordinarily helpful. No waffling for [...]
Nightmare Housemates
A note of warning. Though this blog is dedicated to the idea that there is a good housemate for every person and that sharing housing is a great idea, there are people who are not good housemates. Those housemates I call “nightmare” housemates, because their behavior can make home far from the haven it should [...]
That Last Housemate -”Never Again”
As I have interviewed people for my book and talked to others about the whole world of sharing housing, I have noticed a pattern. People who had lived with housemates successfully, ended the experience because they had one nightmare housemate. And after that experience they said, “Never again.”
At this point I ask some probing questions. [...]
Housemate advice from “Down Under”
A rather short guide to sharing housing, from other side of the world, down under.
It’s a short version of what is in my book (waiting for publication). The problem with a short version is that it offers advice, but doesn’t say how. I’ve written down quite a lot of “how,” some of which can be [...]
Seniors
“We have better instincts.” That’s what my new friend Mary said to me when I was telling her about the idea that more senior citizens could be sharing housing.
That’s a hopeful idea. Seniors have spent a lifetime of living. Even if they haven’t shared their housing, they have certainly met many people through work and [...]
References Worksheet
Here is a References Worksheet. Use it as a guide when you call references for your (possible) future housemate.
Also here is longer discussion on how to check references.
Lifestyle Types
Housemate Heaven is a website that presents 16 “lifestyle types”. The reader is asked to pick the type that best describes themselves. The 16 types are based on four basic categories: how personal property is shared, cleanliness of the house, the level of sociability between housemates and the attitude towards guests. It’s an attempt to [...]
Interviewing – The “Must Haves” Simplify Things
Your goal in the initial phone call is to determine if there is enough of a match to spend time showing and looking at the space.
You should have a clear idea of what you MUST have in a housemate and living situation. What you must have is very different from what you would like to [...]
Money – What to Charge?
One of the first hurdles in deciding to share the home you live in is figuring out what to charge your future housemates.
Renting
When you are all renting the space, this is somewhat easy as generally people simply divide the rent by the number of persons. Occasionally a room will be significantly better or worse than [...]