Rental Guide: Internet can provide a roommate

Normally, if a person went into her kitchen to see a stranger sitting at the counter, she would… Normally, if a person went into her kitchen to see a stranger sitting at the counter, she would scream and call the police.

But for some students, the procedure is just to yawn and say, “Would you pass the Cheerios?”

When there are more rooms than roommates, some students look to the Internet to find a tenant — a practice that often leads to sharing a residence with a stranger. As they become a more popular resource for job listings, shopping and other services, websites like Craigslist.com are also becoming hubs for Pitt students searching for roommates.

Craigslist is a network of online social communities, including free online classified advertisements. One section is devoted to housing, and includes listings for houses, apartments and sublets available for rent. Another section allows prospective renters to list what they’re looking for in their next residence.

Pitt graduate student Erin Palumbo has used Craigslist on numerous occasions to find a place to live or find roommates to fill an extra bedroom.

Although the website has helped her fill those rooms, the process was often a strange one.

When moving from Rochester, N.Y., to Pittsburgh, Palumbo posted an advertisement on Craigslist looking for a place to live. One of the responses she received was from a grandfather who insisted that her mother call him to discuss her living with him. She said that she also received e-mails from other men who said she could live with them if she cooked and cleaned.

She got an e-mail that said, “If you can’t follow instructions, and respect mom, you can not live here as a princess.”

Ignoring those e-mails, however, Palumbo eventually found someone to live with, and the person  is currently still her roommate.

“It’s always a bit awkward bringing strangers in to live with because you don’t know if it’s my territory or your territory,” Palumbo said. “But I think it’s actually worked out very well for me.”

She advises students to be completely honest with themselves and potential roommates and to consider whether lifestyle conflicts could arise with a potential roommate.

For instance, Palumbo said she goes out on the weekends and gets in late, so she tries to avoid living with people with 9-to-5 jobs.

“Craigslist is easy and free, so I think that’s why a lot of students turn to using it,” Palumbo said. “Also, it gives students the chance to say something about themselves.”

Pitt sophomores Brenna Sweetman and Paula Nociolo created a Craigslist advertisement when Sweetman found out she would be studying abroad this coming fall.

“Since I was studying abroad in the fall and my roommate said that she was pretty much open to living with anyone, we thought that Craigslist would be a good idea,” Sweetman said. “And we’ve been growing kind of desperate.”

The two are keeping the opportunity open to friends who haven’t figured out housing yet, but plan to meet with everyone who responds to the advertisement.Sweetman said that all of the responses the two had received so far were from people who seemed normal.

Nociolo advised Criagslist users to make their posting as specific as possible. Sweetman will only go abroad for a semester, so the two students only need someone to live in the apartment for a few months. They ended up going back and revising their advertisement when people started saying they were looking for living arrangements for longer periods of time.

“I definitely think that Craigslist is a good source for finding a roommate,” Nociolo said. “It’s really easy and all you really need is the perfect amount of information.”

Unlike newspaper advertisements, Craigslist posters have no space restrictions, meaning they can post information in addition to the price range and the number of rooms available. Users can post photographs of the residence as well as a description of their personality.

Besides the details of the apartment, Nociolo described herself in the ad as a Pitt student with a “play-hard-work-hard attitude and laid-back lifestyle.”

Visiting assistant sociology professor Christine Whelan said in an e-mail that while it might be more appealing to room with a friend, that can also restrict a person’s social network.

“Living with a new person exposes you to new social groups, new ideas and new opportunities, so that can be a real plus,” Whelan said. “But agreeing to live with a total stranger — someone who is not part of the University community or someone whose background you are unfamiliar with — can pose safety issues and a whole host of possible social complications.”

Whelan suggested that the student and potential roommate meet in a public area and get coffee while getting to know each other.

Besides asking questions like what furniture the potential roommate can provide, Whelan suggested asking questions like what hobbies the person is involved in or whether the person will play a musical instrument in the residence.

While anyone can create a Craigslist advertisement for free, the website provides information on how to avoid scams and fraud in addition to personal safety tips. Craigslist does not review listings before they are posted, but users can flag posts that they deem to be inappropriate, illegal or in violation of the terms of use.

Representatives from Craigslist did not respond to requests for comment.