Finding a new roomate is NOT fun to do!

At my house right now we're looking for a new roommate. I can safely say it is not one of my favorite past times.

I've placed an ad on a website and I get calls and emails from scam artists. The format for their replies is usually the same even though the sender names differ. I've even had several replies with pictures attached and the same woman is in the replies but the sender names are different from the inquiring potential roommates.

There was a great potential roommate that seemed normal in talking to her, but things got funny once I started checking her references. She gave me disconnected phone numbers and didn't give me new reference contacts when I explained the ones she gave me were disconnected. She was supposed to call and talk to my roommate Anna and she told me she had tried several times to contact her when in fact she hadn't. I happily told her we weren't interested.

I've had people talk my ear off and make appointments to come to the house and then not show up. There was a girl who came and spent more time playing with Pili than talking to me about the house. And there was a girl who had a ferret and promised it was an outdoor pet when I explained the $100 pet deposit as well as our house isn't looking for any more pets.

Its tough making sure Anna and my schedules match the time the potential roommate wants to come look. Its also hard when we really like somebody who visits and they call to say they chose another place.

Its been an adventure talking and emailing these potential roommates. I've been at my house for almost a year and a half and its never taken more than 2 weeks to find a new roommate.

As with anything I do I'm not giving up. I just wish the process wasn't taking so long and wasn't full of so many crazy experiences!