Sharing an Apartment: Why have a Roommate?

You’ve found the perfect  apartment in Easton Pa. It has large rooms, hardwood floors throughout, an island kitchen with relatively new appliances, and two nice sized bedrooms with walk-in closets….The location is great, and you can park off-street with easy access to your door. It’s a renter’s dream come true. You’ve searched for so long…

But the rent of this dynamic Easton apartment is way more than you can afford. In fact, it’s almost double, and you have to tag on some utility expenses. While you nurse your broken heart you realize that the apartment has enough room for two people.  So maybe you won’t be able to make that smaller bedroom a workout/office space. If you really want the space, a roommate would make it within reach.

Help with paying the rent is one of the main reasons renters share their apartments, but there are other benefits too. Of those I talked with, the main reason may have been help with the living expenses, but most found the duel living situation satisfying, as long as they were compatible with their roommate. Sharing a living space with a friend is always the first option. Since you already know the person and have things in common, a living together situation can be an easy transition, and can help grow the friendship. Some renters noted some great advantages to having a roommate that I didn’t think of.  Sharing the chores what one. They made a list of what they wanted done, and each roommate checked off their duty each week.

Sharing in the food expenses was another benefit many found. One girl had a roommate who was studying to be chef. This was a luxury in disguise, for her friend was constantly trying new recipes and cooking some creative things up, which relieved her of the cooking duty most of the time. She, in turn, cleaned up the kitchen.

One roommate traveled a lot with her job. This gave the roommate her own private space regularly, with the luxury of having someone to share the rent. The traveling roommate could count on her roommate to water her plants for her while she was away, and since she had a pet cat, her roommate, of course, took care of the feeding and litter box duties.

Another key benefit to rooming with someone in your Easton apartment is the fact of companionship.  Many people do not like to live alone. Having a roommate will almost guarantee a lack of loneliness. Sharing your apartment with a relative or trusted friend that you get along with well assures you of potential for great conversations, help with problems, and a partner in crime when having a party or  some other endeavor.  Having a roommate, though a challenge at times (we’ll cover some of the challenges in a future post), basically has more benefits than drawbacks. The expenses alone, in this time of financial wows and cutbacks, is reason enough to consider sharing your space.

If you are a renter or are considering a move, visit the Renters Corner at the top of this blog for useful information on making your move easy and stress free.

Renters looking to Share can advertise their apartment or home for FREE!! Check out the FREE LISTING available at Apartments To Like.