There’s a good blog post on “When Sharing Hits the Fan” written by Emily Doskow, (author of The Sharing Solution: How to Save Money, Simplify Your Life & Build Community) in which Emily describes the how managing expectations, anticipating obstacles, and agreeing on how to resolve problems are essential for a good sharing relationship. While [...]
Posts under ‘Interviewing’
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. [...]
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.
Reference Checking
Guidelines for how to check references for possible housemates. Includes down loadable form.
Don’t Make This Mistake!
As I interview people for the book I’m writing, I’m hearing stories about the nightmare housing situations.
What is a nightmare situation? It’s when the comfortable feeling between housemates breaks down because of conflict that is unresolved, and communication stops. It is really awful. Home becomes a battleground. If you have lived a nightmare situation, it’s [...]
Interviewing Long Distance
Moving long distance presents a challenge. How do you find a place to live when you aren’t there to see the place and to interview potential housemates? Some people make the trip for a weekend ahead of time and try to jam it all in and maybe they get lucky. I’m sure some do get [...]
Avoiding nightmare housemates
I’ve just read an article on Helium about nightmare housemates. It’s enough to make one think that sharing housing is a bad idea. It isn’t. There are plenty of wonderful people out there who are great housemates.
What makes a housemate a nightmare? Self-centeredness. Plain and simple. The nightmare housemate breaks agreements and/or refuses to modify [...]
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 [...]