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	<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>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:09:47 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	
	<item>
		<title>References Worksheet</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
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.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/checking-references/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Action News-Las Vegas Seniors seeking housemate</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Action News in Las Vegas did a short piece on a senior considering renting a room in her house to manage her difficult finances.  It describes Rita, who after her husband died lost his pension and veteran&#8217;s benefits (reducing her income by 70%) and can no longer afford her home. She really wants to stay [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/action-news-las-vegas-seniors-seeking-housemate/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Bluechips &#8211; Finance for people who share housing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
I recently posted about Housemate&#8217;s Companion, an out-of-the-box app for Windows users who simply use computers.
For those who program in Python, Bluechips offers a package designed for &#8220;small groups of people who share expenses.&#8221; I don&#8217;t know how good it is. But really how bad can it be when the developer(s) use the Stooges for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/bluechips-finance-for-people-who-share-housing/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Who makes the match?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
There are programs that take on responsibility for matching householders with home seekers. In general these programs are non profit social service programs focusing on people in need for reasons of age, disability or low-income.
The National Shared Housing Resource Center provides a directory of programs in states, updated in March of 2009. A casual count [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/who-makes-the-match/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Software to the Rescue-Housemate&#8217;s Companion</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Confused by the bills you need to track in your shared home? Tired of using an spreadsheet and working out the formulas? Housemate&#8217;s Companion by Slamdunk Software comes to your rescue.  It&#8217;s brand new and looks exactly like the basic tool that everyone needs. It not only offers easy management of the bills, it sends [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/software-to-the-rescue-housemates-companion/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Methods to divide chores</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Every home needs to be cleaned.  When people share housing the question arises about how the common areas that everyone uses are cleaned.  Here are three methods that work.
Hire a Pro
If you can afford it, the easiest, best way to get the house cleaned is to have someone else do it. Seriously &#8211; once every [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/methods-to-divide-chores/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Messy Housemates</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Sometimes I find myself grumbling about mess in the house, something along the lines of &#8220;Why doesn&#8217;t he EVER clean up after himself?&#8221;  Years of experience have taught me to look again. Oh, I say to myself, &#8220;That&#8217;s mine and that&#8217;s mine and that&#8217;s mine..&#8221; It is a very natural human tendency to look at [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/messy-housemates/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Reference Checking</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Guidelines for how to check references for possible housemates. Include downloadable form. 
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/reference-checking/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Avoiding Foreclosure</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Has your house become too expensive for you? If so, you are hardly alone. According to RealtyTrak, in 2010 between 3 million and 3.5 million foreclosure warnings will be issued. This is up from 2009&#8217;s record of 2.8 million. (USA Today, Feb. 11 2010) That&#8217;s a lot of houses, that&#8217;s a lot of unhappy people.
If [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/avoiding-foreclosure/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Four Degrees of Sharing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Authors and attorneys, Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow, have developed a model they call &#8220;four degrees of sharing&#8221;. The first degree requires minimal cooperation and no planning, while the fourth degree requires extensive cooperation and long-term planning. The whole model can be read here:
They assign sharing rental housing or a single family home to the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.sharinghousing.com/four-degrees-of-sharing/</link>
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