<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!-- generator="WordPress/2.9.2" -->
<rss version="0.92">
<channel>
	<title>Sharing Housing: Finding and Keeping Good Housemates</title>
	<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com</link>
	<description>Tips and encouragement for combating housing costs and social isolation.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:32:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	
	<item>
		<title>Turning Down the Heat on Housemate Conflicts</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Your housemate works in air conditioning and drives in an air-conditioned car. When he comes home he finds the house unbearably hot.  You work outside in the hot sun and love to have the windows open. So what if the house is 80 degrees &#8211; it&#8217;s summer!
Ooops! You have a disagreement.  What do you do? [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/turning-down-the-heat-on-housemate-conflicts/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Single Mother Success Stories</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
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.   
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/single-mother-success-stories/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Penalties for Sharing Housing?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Pity the government official coping with budget crises and all the demands on shrinking resources.  Their decisions can have ripple effects with unintended consequences.  For instance, a decision to reduce benefits when individuals are sharing housing.  Of course, from one perspective the beneficiary may not need as much money as when they weren&#8217;t sharing housing.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/penalties-for-sharing-housing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Housemate Advisor-Video</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
I&#8217;ve just posted a short video of me on The Housemate Advisor page. The idea, of course, is to give prospective clients a sense of me.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/new-video/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Doubling up is Bad?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
The Center for American Progress just published an article, The New Housing Normal for Low-Income Families,  that cogently makes the case for why it&#8217;s not okay for families to &#8220;double up.&#8221; The article has also been posted here. Read it for the typical social policy response to sharing housing.
According to the author the problems with [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/doubling-up-is-bad/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Uh-oh, Severe Housing Burden</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
I&#8217;ve learned a new phrase, &#8220;severe housing burden,&#8221; an academic term for those who spend more than half their income on housing. Moderate housing burden is between 30% to 50% of income.  Spending 30% or less for housing is considered unburdened or reasonable.
According the State of the Nation&#8217;s Housing 2010 report published by the Joint [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/uh-oh-severe-housing-burden/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Idea: Pay no taxes</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Well actually, I don&#8217;t mean no taxes ever. But I have been thinking about a change in our tax code. What if the tax code were modified so that those who rent a room in their own residences are not subject to tax on that income?
It would be an incentive to cash-strapped homeowners to try [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/idea-pay-no-taxes/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Collaborative Ownership &#8211; Not Consuming</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Is the electronic revolution making ownership a thing of the past?  This is an argument of Simon Smith in his most interesting article on &#8220;transumers&#8221; .
He argues that renting, rather than owning, is a trend that is growing, made possible because of the Internet.  Zip cars  and Netflix are excellent examples. I&#8217;ve noticed this too. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/collaborative-ownership-not-consuming/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>You Need Doors!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Which do you prefer? The modern condo with an open floor plan and cathedral ceilings? Or the pre-war rambling house with multiple rooms with doors, nooks and crannies.  If you are sharing housing with unrelated people, you should prefer the latter.
These spaces allow individuals to have privacy even when others are home. Think about it  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/you-need-doors/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>What to Do When You Have an Issue</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
There&#8217;s a good blog post on &#8220;When Sharing Hits the Fan&#8221; written by  Emily Doskow, (author of The Sharing Solution: How to Save Money, Simplify Your Life &#38; 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 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/what-to-do-when-you-have-an-issue/</link>
			</item>
</channel>
</rss>
