The good, the bad and the ugly of finding a new housemate
HOUSEMATES: HOW DO YOU MEET YOURS?
Just as everybody deploys their own carefully crafted methodology to devour a Cadbury’s Creme Egg, selecting a housemate demands an approach that’s equally purposeful.
Here are five options you might like to try. Some are tried and true but remember to exercise caution! Good luck!
GOOD MATE TO HOUSE MATE
This fairy tale does not always end well.
Just because you are…
- two peas in a pod
- better wingmen than Maverick and Goose
- hilarious together after three Jägerbombs
… does not make you great house mates.
Does it mean they will respect your space? Be there for you when you are needy? Bring you a potato cake the morning after the night before?
No. They also have their own life to lead. And not only that, they will make similar demands on you.
Think long and hard before you invite a good mate to be your housemate.
MATE OF A MATE FOUND THROUGH FACEBOOK
This can work, but think about the middle man – your mate.
They have honourably done the leg-work to connect somebody looking for a room, and somebody looking for a housemate. This selfless act can often turn to remorse:
- The two new housemates become best buddies (or more) and forget all about who brought them together.
- The chemistry is not right and both turn on the instigator.
Our advice: thank your matchmaker, but politely tell them you value your friendship too much to bring a third party into such a sensitive arena.
REAL UGH-STATE AGENT
With a traditional real estate agent, the middleman is not your friend, and their counsel could cost you more dearly than you can imagine. Just look at their car!
Seriously. Would you sign your hard-earned cash away to live with somebody you have never met before? Sounds like a fate worse than Married at First Sight.
Four open inspections on a good day and even then you don’t get to meet the person you would live with!
It’s hardly conducive to your Saturday ritual (delete as appropriate: yoga, eggs Benedict, coffee, Friday night debrief, footy, pie, dance etc.).
Think outside the box.
GOING OLD SCHOOL?
Planning to pin an advert to the community noticeboard, tape a banner to the lamp-post outside your home, or leave a piece of paper with mobile phone number tearaways in the bus shelter?
STRANGER DANGER!
Did you not listen in school?
Unfortunately we live in a society today where this is not recommended.
TIME TO ‘TUBE’
Regrettably, those awesome people who decided to name the act of flying around on an inflatable donut: ‘tubing’, won ownership of the verb.
Given that the newest method of finding a house, or housemate, is almost as fun (and we all love the creators of tubing), we will let them off.
Real Estate Tube has created the perfect platform for congenial people to meet in a safe and time-saving in-app environment, via pre-recorded video.
Yes, you can sit at home and browse through videos of people who want a new shared-house or a housemate.
You can laugh, cry, get angry or cringe. But most importantly, you have control of the ‘NEXT!’ button. You choose the cast. You direct a real-life soap opera – less the bits you don’t like.
We hope you have enjoyed our review of the options available to you. Happy hunting!
Whether you are looking for someone to fill a room, or doing the trekking all over town, interviewing future housemates is annoying. What if you could watch a video profile beforehand? Now you can at Real Estate Tube.
