GRAND Magazine - March/April 2017 - Subscribe Today! - 11

grand home

The original cast from the award-winning TV series, Golden Girls
Bottom row L-R - Rue McClanahan as Blanche, Betty White as Rose, Top row L-R Beatrice Arthur as Dorothy, Estelle Getty as Sophia

Before you enter a home sharing arrangement,
consider these tips from experts.

least once. Try an initial interview and then perhaps a more
social get together.
* Think about the shared, common spaces of the home -
* Begin with the end in mind; plan for the end of the
what will you be sharing, what is off-limits? Who is responsible
arrangement by spelling out the details.
* Background checks are important in understanding finan- for cleaning? How about kitchen sharing and cooking?
* Identify your non-starters: Smoking? Pets? Messiness?
cial stability, criminal history, and rental experience. Also, have
Sleep-over friends? Grandchildren visits?
you:
* Be financially astute. Before you share keys, Wi-Fi codes,
o Checked their social media profiles?
and alarm information, get all of your deposits paid in full.
o Asked for rental references? Asked specific questions
* Check in regularly. Sit down after the first week and disabout strengths and weaknesses?
* What is your need in having a roommate? Someone differ- cuss how it is going and any changes you haven't already discussed. Then continue doing that for the first few months so
ent from you or more like you? Do you have an expectation of
that issues don't fester.
the roommate situation? For example, if you are home working
* Lean into the experience. The women who have the best
during the day, would you prefer someone who leaves for work?
experiences with roommates have enthusiasm for the idea
* Everyone in the house should meet the potential roomregardless of why they need to share.
mate and roommates should meet everyone in the house - at

11 GRAND

MARCH APRIL 2017

Why shared housing?

According to the National Home Sharing Resource
Center, home sharing is a simple idea: a homeowner
offers accommodation to a homesharer in exchange
for an agreed level of support in the form of financial
exchange, assistance with household tasks, or both.
The community is also a beneficiary of Home
Sharing. Shared living makes efficient use of existing
housing stock, helps preserve the fabric of the neighborhood and, in certain cases, helps to lessen the need
for costly chore/care services and long term institutional care.

http://www.nationalsharedhousing.org/ http://www.nationalsharedhousing.org/

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