roommates options - I must make a decision ASAP

Guys, help me to make that decision today. I am moving out and have been looking for a place for several months. I have three options.

1- Has anyone shared with a family and a toddler? I am a female and I don't know how is it like to share the bathroom with a strange man from GL? I don't know if I will be able to live with a toddler crying in the middle of the night? but it is a two floor apt and I would be living on the second floor.

2- I am allergic to cats. There is a nice lady who has a two bedroom apt. she has a cat but she is giving her away because- as she said- has started to develop allergeis. she said she will clean the place. does that actually work? I am not sure if that will get rid of the hair completely.

3- a nice room with a female in a nice area but the price is almost similar to a studio in the same area. it is just $100 -50 cheaper.

I know we are all different but what would you choose? :)

I am going to see all these places tonight and the people are quite thrilled to have a roommate. so it has to be my decision to choose.

thanks in advance:)

If money is not a problem, I would go with roommate #3. I don't know anything about allergies so I can't offer advice on that one, and I would feel weird living with an older man. Especially sharing the bathroom. It's hard to say until you visit them, obviously. Good luck!

it seems like a complete waste of time to ask if you havent even seen them

Definitely NOT #2 - never count on what a landlord or roommate is GOING to do.  Assume the place will be as it is.

If it were me, all things being equal in terms of how much I liked the people and how nice the room was, I'd go with #1.  I lived with a couple once and it was great - I saved money that way and they were great roomies. 

I'm allergic to cats and I bought a car from a lady that had cats.  I didn't assume she took them in her car often.  Apparently, she did though.  I have had it professionally detailed and cleaned and I still break out in hives if I go on a long trip.  I was in that car for 2 hours this morning and I had to take allergy meds when I got home.  The hair is all gone, but it's the dander and saliva I'm allergic too.  Considering all that, I wouldn't choose option #2.

1 or 3 would be the best options.  Most toddlers don't cry all night--at least the ones I know don't.

Original Post by watergirl:

it seems like a complete waste of time to ask if you havent even seen them

 WG. it is not about seeing the places because I am sure I will like all of them. I am not really picky. the location is also fine in all three options.

what bothers me is the living situation itself, if that makes any sense.

and people always seem nice in the first meeting. so you never really know.

I am trying to judge by the facts that I have now.

delaney86: thank you. I agree with you. I think I will go to see option #3 first thing tonight.

hip2ships & augustnkate:    thanks so much for bringing that up. OMG. I am allergic to salvia, dander and hair. you know? I suspected that the place will not be very clean even she assured me that she will wash and clean everything. so you think that no matter what, I will still find hair and maybe dander, right?

I am not sure about sharing the bathroom with a strange man though.

My application got approved for a nice studio and I would be living by myself which is really really nice.  it is just very costly. :( so if all fail, I think I have no option but to sign the lease.

Thanks guys.

I'd go with #3. Sounds the least problematic from the information you've given here.

Why are you moving out? Is it for financial reasons? If so, then you probably need to go to the place where you save the most money. Eh?

But, if you don't know....then doubt anyone here would or could possibly know! It's such a personal decision..plus you haven't even seen them yet! Despite the descriptions...you have no idea what they really look like. Descriptions are much like resume's..embellished to the max!

Have you even met the people in person? I think that is also a MUST. You may not like them or vice versa...ya know?

fitness girl. Like I said the idea of sharing a bathroom with a stranger man is not very appealing to me even if he was a very nice man.

 I am moving out because there is a four year max stay rule and I have been there for 4 years. I love my current place and it gives me a sense of safety even with all the stress and problems that I have had in that place. I am just freaking out because I have to move out from a place that gives me a sense of safety. Also, going to the unknown is unpleasant. :(

I am really stressed out about this but the communication with you guys helps me to get a clear picture of what I want. not to mention, hearing about others'experiences will help me a lot.

Like I said, I am not picky. I just want to live with a good roommate who will not give me hard time. but the room itself is not that important. it is just a place for me to sleep.

My only advice is to meet your prespective roomie more than once.  People can put up an act if they really want to.  You don't want to get stuck with a crazy person.

Option 1 or 3,

I have an allergy and to this day I can not figure out what it is or why. Option 3 would be good again if money is not a problem or if you will be sacrificing something small that will not bother you. Option 1, I would need to ask the ages of the other family how long they were married. (The baby is not a big deal, young couple or old.)

Original Post by nieto914:

Option 1 or 3,

I have an allergy and to this day I can not figure out what it is or why. Option 3 would be good again if money is not a problem or if you will be sacrificing something small that will not bother you. Option 1, I would need to ask the ages of the other family how long they were married. (The baby is not a big deal, young couple or old.)

 you are the third one who mentioned this. it sounds like that option is out.

why does the age of the couple matter? anyway, they are young. 29 and 31.

Original Post by spoiled_candy:

My only advice is to meet your prespective roomie more than once.  People can put up an act if they really want to.  You don't want to get stuck with a crazy person.

 I have only tonight. it is either I choose a roommate tonight and not show up for signing the lease tomorrow. Or just go ahead and get my own place. it is just expensive. I was trying to find alternatives.

If it was me I would go with 3 unless that is too expensive for you.  I wouldn't want to live with a screaming kid and sharing a bathroom with a strange man, and I'm allergic to cats, too, and that's no way to live!

You posted something about this before... twice before, I believe. Everyone gave really good advice but you didn't listen. I would NEVER move in with someone I had never met and had never seen the place... 

I agree with the poster who said don't base your decision on what a housemate is going to do, unless you have a legal contract stating that they will do it and you have legal recourse to a rent reduction or some other penalty.

Do any of these places have lease agreements for a period of time?  Month to month is of course the easiest as you can always decide to give notice whenever you're done.  That may help you make a decision.  On the other hand, the month to month does cut both ways.

On the lady with the cat, if you have allergic reactions after visiting the place I would recommend against moving in there.  It's hard to tell, some cats will trigger allergies, others may not.  There is always Claratin, but that adds $30 per month to the rent assuming that it works for you.  I've had a cat in the past and no one can tell that I've had a cat previously.

Families can be great to live with.  They can also be annoying as hell, it all depends.  If you get along with them and they get along with you it can be wonderful.  It can also be substantially cheaper than any other rental situation.

Be prepared to find another situation if the one you end up choosing doesn't work out well for you.

Age does matter, people often have certain quirks that are easier to tell via age.  A 20 year old is probably not going to have much experience living let alone living with others.  Someone in their 30s will probably have dealt with shared living situations where they had to negotiate and compromise to make everyone somewhat happy.

For instance, I have a 20 year old renter...for the most part it works fine, except that she leaves her dishes in the sink for days or even a week and leaves town.  So I can't ask her to do them, she's not around.  About every 3-6 months I have some issue with her to work out.  Typically it's that she's doing something that leaves a mess in my way (which is funny because I am by far the messier one in my own space) so I send her a text message and she gets sarcastic and defensive citing the one time that she cleaned up after me.  In your 20s you often think that your **** doesn't stink.  By the time you've hit 30 you tend to realize that you're not always right and sometimes yours does stink.

Original Post by alibsam:

You posted something about this before... twice before, I believe. Everyone gave really good advice but you didn't listen. I would NEVER move in with someone I had never met and had never seen the place... 

 what do you mean " you didn't listen"? yes, I have posted about this before and everyone said that I should give up the expensive studio that was available to me at that time which I did. now, I am having the headache of choosing a roommate and i am actually getting a good idea from people here who share their experiences.

where in my posts do you see that I will be moving in with someone I have never met????

You said you have to make a decision tonight and that you hadn't met them. So... there's that. 

I wouldn't mind option 1 as you're not living with them but in an apartment on the 2nd floor. If I read that right, that is. It is better to be above than below people. I live below very loud people who walk with very odd heavy steps.

If you're allergic to cats to the point where you break out in a rash, then I wouldn't recommend option 2. I'm allergic to cats, but I only get itchy, watery eyes, sneezy, typical hay fever. But I can live with cats just fine otherwise (as I have done most of my life). Dander and saliva takes years to remove, cat hair, not so much. You can't see dander or saliva once an area has been washed, but the bacteria may be there. If you have health insurance you can see an allergy specialist to help build immunity to allergies, my grandmother has been going and she is no longer allergic to cats and dogs (she was pretty bad once).

Option 3 is risky because, as you said, you haven't met them, like others have said, you don't want a crazy person.

I, personally, like the 4th option as I prefer to be alone, but if it's going to suck up most of your income it is not worth it.

If I had to pick one of the 3 options, I'd interview/meet with the girl from option 3 and see how it goes. Based on my allergies, I'd pick option 2 and interview the lady, but if your allergies are bad, then 3.