The Advantages of Having a Roommate

Need to have a Roommate

Maybe this is your first time or your 5th time getting a roommate. Regardless, I'm sure one of the main reasons why you may need a roommate is to cut the costs of your living expenses.  Still you are not exactly thrilled about sharing your space with some stranger or even your best friend because you like your privacy and your space.   But if you are in a position right now where you sort of need a roommate for a short period of time, take a look at these advantages that makes having a roommate a little more fun.  

Benefits to Having a Roommate

1. You can split the rent in half (and even if you can afford the rent by yourself, you can save the extra half to pay down bills, pay for a nicer car or save for a down payment on a house)
   
2. Split utilities in half
3. Have someone to talk to and keep you company (especially if you hate or afraid of being alone in the house)
4. You and your roommate can combine furniture, kitchenware and electronics
5. Make new friends with your roommate's friends and vice versa
6. If from different cultural backgrounds, you can learn new cooking recipes
7. Share items like DVD's, CD's, clothes (but only if you are really cool with one another of course)
8. If you don't have a car and your roommate does, you can get free rides to places like school, work, the supermarket and the mall.
9. You can list your roommate as an emergency contact if you don't have family living close by
10. You and your roommate can celebrate the holidays together if both of your families live far away and/or traveling is not your the budget.  
11. Feel like being a homebody on a Friday or Saturday night?  Have movie night with your roommate.
12. Need information from important paperwork you left at home?  Your roommate can read it over the phone to you.
13. If you guys share the cost of groceries, you can take turns food shopping.
14. Take turns cooking dinner and doing the dishes
15. You can get an honest opinion about how you look before leaving your house for a night out on the town

Honestly, having a roommate is not that bad; especially if you find a female roommate who is ideal for you.  For one you are saving money, but if you happen to find a roommate you get along great with, you can make a friend for life.  That alone is the best benefit of all!

T. Bo

Beware of Roommate Scams

Protect Yourself From Roommate Scams When Searching For A Roommate On The Internet

If you are looking for a roommate and you placed ads on the internet on roommate listings, you might not at first recognize this type of scam that's surfacing the web. The type of scam I'm referring to are known as roommate scams.

How to Recognize a Roommate Scam

After you placed an ad on a roommate listing and gotten some replies from potential roomies, you might come across a reply to your ad that looks like this:

Hi,

I saw your ad and i'm looking to rent room or seek a roommate who is nice and honest. My name is Denise and i'm 29 yr. old broker currently living in London with my uncle. I am honest, trustworthy and caring individual who enjoys making good friends and having good time.

i plan to come to the united states to work at a new brokerage firm on an 8 month contract. I just want to confirm the rent, utilities and if there is any deposit. What's the amount to move in altogether. I can pay you 3 months rent and would like to move in right away. I will have my associate in the united states send you a cashiers check for 3 months payment. Deduct your part for the rent and send the rest back to me so I can purchase a plane ticket and pay for moving expenses.

Please forward me your full details where you want payment to be mailed 

Name

Address

city,zip

email

phone

bank you will be using

Thanks and i will be waiting for your details so I can proceed with payment!

regards,

Denise

THIS IS A SCAM!

There are similar roommate scams out there where people claim to be from Canada, UK, Nigeria, Australia, Sweden, etc. Ways to quickly spot a roommate scam goes as follows:

·The person is a foreign national

·There are usually a lot of grammatical errors and broken English in their writing

·They claim they are moving to the US for work, school or a modeling contract

·They usually only give their first name and if you reply with an email asking for their full name, address and email, they refuse to give it to you.

·They want to pay you in advance or send you their "final paycheck" from their current employer, asking you to deposit the check in your bank account as form of payment for the rent deposit.

·They want you to cash a check, money order or cashier's check in your bank account (usually 2-3 times more than the amount of the rent) and ask that you withdraw the portion that's needed to cover the rent.

For example, if the rent deposit is $1,500, they will say that they will send you a check for $4,500 and ask that you deduct the $1,500 from their check. They then will ask you to mail the rest of the money back to them ($3,000) either by Western Union or wire transfer so they can purchase a plane ticket and/or pay for moving expenses. The checks, money orders and cashier's checks are counterfeit! 

·They offer for "an associate" or "sponsor" they know in the US to send you a check, cashier's check or money order for you to deposit in your bank for the rent deposit (again the check, money order and cashier's checks are fake!)

·They request your personal information like full name, address, phone number, personal email account and bank where you will be depositing the checks. Sometimes they will insist on a particular bank for you to deposit their fake checks.

·Their emails make the assumption that you have chosen them to be your roommate and will ask you to remove your ad off the roommate listing.

·You receive similar emails that sound almost identical, but using different names and job occupations.

·If you request info from them like their current home address, scans/fax copies of their passport, visas and employer contracts, they will refuse to give you the information and make excuses why they can't.

·If you do communicate with these roommate scam artists through email or telephone (at first not knowing you are about to be scammed) and request a little more time to do research or explain you are interviewing other people, they will get nasty and impatient with you and barrage you with constant emails, IM and phone calls.

 

How The Scam Works

If you inadvertently communicate with these scam artists and accept a check, cashier's check or money order from them, once you deposit the check into your account and withdraw money , you "technically" are stealing from your bank.

How?

Remember, these checks are counterfeit! If you have only $500 in your bank account and you deposit a counterfeit check for $4,500, your account will state that you have a balance of $5,000.

If you withdraw $3,000 from your account and send it Western Union to these scam artists so they can pay for "moving expenses" or "air fare", (leaving $1,500 to cover the rent deposit) you have just illegally withdrawn money from your bank.

Your bank WILL contact you once they realize that the check you deposited is a fake and you WILL be held responsible for the $3,000 you "technically" stolen.

And by the way, the $1,500 that's left in your account will no longer be available to you because the check was a counterfeit.

Once you realize you have been a victim of a roommate scam, your next step is to contact the police and/or the FBI. However, understand that the $3,000 you sent to these scam artists is now gone.

Sorry!

Ways To Prevent Becoming A Victim

Want to know how you can prevent becoming a victim of a roommate scam? It's easy!

Learn how to recognize a roommate scam email.

Knowledge is power and there are tons of examples of scam emails on the internet for you to review. Research for yourself and learn how to recognize a roommate scam, or any internet scam for that matter, if you receive one.

Also, when answering emails on roommate listings, always be sure to verify as much information as you can. Ask questions and don't be shy about it.

Remember, you are looking for a roommate who is going to move into your house or apartment. You have every right to protect yourself. Trust your gut and listen to any red flags that may go up if you believe you received an email that appears to be a roommate scam.

Lastly, do not give out any personal information without first getting some information of your own. Not only could you become a victim of a roommate scam, but you could also become a victim of computer hacking where scammers can gain access to your personal computer.

Remember, be safe!

Good Luck!

How to Find a Female Roommate

Living expenses becoming too costly? Thinking about getting a roommate? Here are some easy tips to find the perfect female roommate for you!

Step 1

One of the easiest way to put the word out that you are looking for a female roommate is to tell your family, friends and co-workers. Chances are they may know someone who is looking a roommate too. Referrals from people you know makes searching for a roommate easier.

Step 2

Another way to find a female roommate is to place an ad on a roommate listing site. You may have to pay a small monthly fee, but there are some sites on the web where you can place an ad for free like Craigslist.

Just beware of roommate scams which you see a lot on these free sites, but don't be fooled. Paid sites attract roommate scammers too!

Step 3

If you are a student, go to the housing office at your school and ask to put your name on the housing list with a room available to rent. Females students who need a place to live prefer to room with other female roommates.

Step 4

If you work at a company and your office has a bulletin board, put up a roommate wanted flier stating that you are looking for a female roommate.

Step 5

Are you part of a social network like MySpace or Facebook? I'm sure if you post on your page that are looking for a female roommate, one of your friends, may have a friend, who has a friend who needs a roommate. That's the cool part about social networking.

Step 6

Place an ad in a penny saver newspaper in your local area. The cost of placing ads here are much cheaper than your regular daily newspaper. Headlines like "FEMALE ROOMMATE WANTED" or "LOOKING FOR A FEMALE ROOMMATE" will quickly weed out the male roommate hunters.

More Tips!

·   If you have a digital camera, take pictures of your place and upload them to your profile on roommate listing sites.

·   Mention special features about your place like washer and drier in your unit, pool, fireplace, etc.

·   Be clear in your ad for the kind of personality and characteristics you seek in a potential female roommate (i.e. non-smoke, loves pets, neat, etc).

·   Give as much information about yourself in your ads to attract your ideal female roommate (i.e. your age, smoker, loves heavy metal music, etc).

·  Try to meet as many people as you can in person that interest you. Connection is key.

·  If possible, get references and verify as much information as you can.

·  Be patient. The perfect female roommate is out there looking for you too!

·  Never specify in your online ads that you are looking for a roommate from a particular ethnic, cultural or religious background. It's illegal and it will get your ad deleted. Some roommate sites may even fine you.

    If you are seeking a particular preference, research the web for niche roommate listing sites and see what comes up.

·  Beware of email replies to your ad from people who claim to "be moving to the Unites States" for work, school or a modeling contract. These are roommate scams and can easily be spotted after receiving more than one email claiming the same scenario, but from different people.

·  Get as much information as you can from potential female roommates. If the person is reluctant to give you basic info like their name, address, phone number, etc., move on and delete their response.

·  Never put your home address in your ads. Only give out this information to people you are interested seeing your place and have verified information.