Finding a Roommate the Right Way
May 13, 2014
Whether you grew up sharing a room with a sibling or living in college dorms you know firsthand sharing your space with another person can be torture. My sister and I have shared a room for my entire life. When you’re young the only problems you have are who’s going to clean up toys and don’t break my dolls. Fifteen years later and everything changes. The arguments have shifted to “get off the phone, turn off the light, stop wearing my clothes, why do you have to watch these shows when I’m here” and just picking fights one after the other. Like many others my age, I can’t wait to have my own space. The next step is finding roommates. Finding an efficient and safe way to find roommates was my challenge until I found an app called Roomie.
If living alone was simple and easy, almost everyone in New York City would have their own place. Unfortunately for recent college graduates and students having a space to call your own doesn’t come until later on in life. The new alternative from having to go back home is living with colleagues. Finding random roommates has become a trend. It has come to be the most affordable way to live on your own and not have to worry about paying a ridiculous amount of rent. It has become a stepping stone for college graduates to experience life on their own.
In reality living alone in New York City is very expensive. Before moving out many things have to be taken into consideration. Where would you live? Do you want to live with roommates? Can you afford to live alone? What is it like to live with someone you barely know? What if they are not compatible to you? And how will you survive the dreadful one on one roommate interviews?
The trend of finding roommates on websites has been successful for lots of people who come from other states with limited connections. But for native New Yorkers, the idea of living with strangers is scary and untrustworthy. Roommate horror stories are the reasons why people hesitate to live with strangers. The worst and most incontinent part is when others refuse to pay up. A horrible roommate experience was the inspiration for an application that would change the fate of roommate searching forever.
A series of unfortunate events inspired the creator of roomie Ajay Yadav to create an application that would change the process of finding a roommate. The scariest idea about living with a stranger is the fear of them taking all of your belongings and them not coming up with their half of the rent. When Ajay experienced his roommate taking all of his things while he was abroad in India, he vowed to never let this happen again. After hearing Countless roommate horror stories from friends he decided he need to make a change.
Finding a roommate has never been easier with a new app called Roomi. Eliminate the uneasy search, and hundreds of compatibility surveys, the scary in person interviews and talk one on one with the person electronically with the person you may be interested in living with.
The goal of Roomi is to ensure the privacy of people and create an effective form of communication for the person searching for a place to live. The app is divided into sections with photographs and qualifications the person is searching for. It says the name, place, price, how long it is being leased for and the location. If you click on the profile it provides a description of the person who is looking for a roommate and what they expect. If the one searching for a room is interested they can send you a private message.
When I decide to move out after graduation this would be the place I want to look. I have already begun looking and the process is so simple. It connects right to your personal Facebook and there is no hundred questionnaire sign up. Let’s hope I have no future horror stories after this.