New York – the city of dreams for so many people around the globe who, year after year, make a life-altering decision to pack up their bags and move to NYC. Person after person, move after move, and NYC quickly became overpopulated. Add that to the rising costs of housing and the lack of space, and you get a place where everyone is struggling to make ends meet. What people have found to be a good solution to all of their problems is shared space. To find a roommate in NYC might be the only option for you to stay in the city and survive it financially.
However, not everyone is open to the idea of sharing an apartment with someone. Especially in New York, where the rents are high and the apartments are small and crowded. It is entirely understandable to feel worried. People are not always who they say they are; you might end up with someone whose personality and habits don’t match yours. But, there is nothing to worry about just yet. Who is to say that you can’t find a roommate you will get along with? In fact, if you have moved to a new city alone, where you know no one, finding a roommate might be the best thing you can do. So, without further ado, take a look at the best ways to find a roommate in the city of New York.
It’s not easy to live comfortably in a place this crowded.
Try to find someone who knows someone
If you are new to the city as big as New York, the most probable option is that you know no one who lives there. Or you know someone you used to be good friends with way back in elementary school. But, when searching for a roommate in NYC, you need to dig deep. Ask around whether your family and friends know someone who might be looking for a roommate. It’s the best option to find someone you can trust, at least to some extent. However, don’t rely on this to work. If it does, and you do manage to find a roommate in NYC this way – great! If it doesn’t, there is no need to exasperate. You have only begun your search, and Dumbo Moving and Storage NYC help you continue it.
Use online tools to help you find a roommate in NYC
In the decades behind us, every person had a routine. They would get up in the morning, make a pot of coffee, and go to the front door to pick up their newspapers. Those newspapers contained everything – from local events to the ads of people who were looking for a roommate. While some still cherish this lovely routine and look for jobs, local NYC movers and roommates in an old-fashioned way, others prefer to harvest the benefits of the 21st Century. All they need is a stable internet connection and a tablet or a PC. If you belong to the category of those who like to live according to the latest technological advancements, then you need to check out some of the following sites:
- Roomi
- Listings Project
- Roomster
- RoomieMatch
Be careful when trying to find a roommate in NYC online.
Be careful! These days, scammers are everywhere. While a lot of these websites that help you find a roommate are pretty reliable, they are not 100% safe. Take everything with a grain of salt, and be cautious in your pursuit. And, once the websites do match you with a potential roommate, never agree to anything over text messages. Instead, use a more reliable method.
Meet your potential roommate face to face
When you were hiring an NYC moving company for the first time, what did you do? You looked for potential options online, gave the best candidate a call, and then decided to meet them face to face. In the online era, where everyone can hide behind their profiles and serve false information, the only way to be sure you are not being scammed is by meeting with people face to face. Especially if you are doing something as important as trying to find a roommate in NYC.
This is the person that will share a tiny apartment with you. That means that they will be around 24/7, which can be either bad or good – depending on how careful and lucky you are. While you have no say over your good or bad luck, you do get to decide to approach this task carefully. So, set up a coffee date with your potential future roommate, and meet them in person. Remember that the first impressions are rarely wrong. If you get a bad vibe from him or her, start your search all over again.
You are also being watched
Just remember that while you are trying to seize up the person in front of you, they are also trying to do the same. It’s normal to want to leave a good impression. After all, how will you find a roommate in NYC if no one likes you and agrees to live with you? But you should by no means allow that to be your excuse for misrepresenting yourself. Being dishonest in the beginning leads to certain roommate problems in the future. And, trust us – these are the problems you want to avoid!
Schedule a date that works for the both of you and have a chat with your potential roommate.
Even though you might think otherwise, to find a roommate in NYC is no rocket science. Sure, it’s not something that you can do in a day, and it’s certainly not something that will be a piece of cake. But, if you use the tools available to you, and make every move with caution, soon enough, you will be living a new apartment with a person you can rely on. And all that money you save on rent, you can spend on something better. Why not grow your own business? In NYC, nothing is impossible!
