Seattle is becoming one the hottest cities for young people to move to! A growing number of start ups and established companies are calling this rainy city home, and with that comes tons of young people and young professionals looking to move in! Not to mention all the colleges, making the city a great place for students in the fall, winter and spring, and a hotbed for interns in the summer! But with this boom, comes rising rents in Seattle, so one of the easiest options to counteract that is to find a roommate or two! Here are some of our tips to easily finding a roommate in Seattle
1. Give yourself plenty of time to find a place
The more time you give yourself to look for a roommate, the happier you’ll be. Not only will it be an overall less stressful situation, but you will have a much bigger pool of potential roomies to pick from. Also, it gives you padding in case someone drops out last minute, and you have to find someone new.
Get Ahead of the Rush:
At SplitSpot, we have a ton of rooms that are available months in advance, so you can get your spot locked down sooner rather than later, saving you a headache!
2. Get priorities straight
Have a clear idea of the kind of roommate you want. Is cleanliness a dealbreaker for you? What about pets? Is a significant other visiting frequently an issue? Also, recognize what kind of person you are. If you are more introverted, advertise that and you’ll attract like-minded people. Same goes if you’re more outgoing! If you state outright who you’re looking for, you’ll find them! If you’re someone who works from home, and 3 potential roommates are also working from home, is that a deal breaker, or is that something you can manage for the quality, price, and location of the apartment? All important things to take into consideration!
3. Try to be flexible
There’s no such thing as a perfect roommate so try to manage expectations about who you will be able to find. More than anything, try to find someone who you feel would be a good fit and who would be open and receptive to any issues that may come up.
4. Don’t be afraid of Facebook
Facebook is a great tool, especially if you’re new to Seattle and don’t know too many people. There are a ton of Facebook groups full of young professionals and students looking for roommates or have a room up for grabs. Just be sure to do your due diligence before signing a lease or offering a room to be sure that the person you are working with is legit!
We vet for you: Worried about scams? We vet everyone who comes your way at SplitSpot, so you know when you do a roommate introduction it is a serious and legit possible roommate!
5. Ask friends and colleagues
If Facebook makes you a little nervous, try asking you’re friends, colleagues, classmates or family members if they know of anyone looking for a room. You’ll probably get a smaller pool of prospects, but since they’re a friend of a friend, they’ll probably be a stronger match
6. Make sure finances are set
It’s important that everyone is on the same page regarding rent, utilities and other payments. Be sure to set up how the rent is going to be split up. Will it be evenly or based on the size of the room? How will utilities be handled?Who will be in charge of each account?
Pro Tip: Services like SplitSpot handle all of this confusion for you! Going through the hassle divying up bills is a pain in the butt, and relying on roommates to be honest when venmo’ing you each month can cause unnecessary drama.
7. Ask questions!
If you haven’t noticed already, asking questions is very important! Don’t be afraid to ask any extra questions or clarify something that is nagging at you. Always better to clear something up before a lease is signed, and it will give a prospective roommate more information about yourself as well.
8. Figure out logistics beforehand
This is especially important if you and your roommates are moving in at the same time. How does the move-in process work? Will you want to set up different times for you to move in so there’s no clog in the stairway? Or if one person is moving into an apartment where someone is already living, should you be home to help and answer any questions, or would they prefer you to just get out of the way until everything is settled? And don’t forget the keys!
We make move ins easier: Worried about move in logistics? We take care of that too! With easy key pickup, you don’t have to worry about roommates being home. We worry about the logistics so you don’t have to!
9. Write up a roommate agreement
It might be a good idea to write up a roommate agreement for everyone to sign upon move in that lays out rules and expectations. It would also be best for all of you to write it together as well, rather than someone coming in and requiring everyone to adhere to their rules. It may not be a legally binding document, but it could be a very useful thing to refer to if conflict arises down the line.
FYI: SplitSpot provides a roommate agreement for you for all of your roomies to sign, so no need to take the extra time to write one up!
10. Try out companies that match roommates for you
There are a number of companies that can help you in the roommate search. One of which is SplitSpot! We bring the roommates to you, setting up an easy roommate introduction before you sign a lease, and vice versa, requiring anyone to meet you before they sign a lease for your apartment. SplitSpot sets each roommate upon their own lease, so no one will be left with someone else’s bill if something goes wrong. Browse SplitSpot apartments and apply today if you’re interested! Reach out if you want more information about how we make roommate living better, or read about it on our website