DCDIY's Profile

As someone who has hosted a couple of these (for sublets and for long-term roommates), this is actually a very common occurrence in cities like DC where transience is common and the market for viable housing vastly outweighs the need. Living in a group house that is in a great area with an extremely desirable rent, the number of 'applicants' we will receive from a Craigslist listing is almost overbearing, and trying to balance interviews with everyone's busy schedules is near impossible. No one's trying to treat anyone like cattle...That being said:

- If you decide to go to the open house, definitely don't show up right as it starts (you won't be judged on punctuality). You'll likely be grouped in with a larger group of people and won't get much of a chance to get to know the people. This also limits being overshadowed by big personalities. If possible, hang around until you know there aren't many people checking out the space.
- Be sure that you liken yourself to whatever you wrote in your email. You want to warrant the response, "oh, you're the one who does such and such." This gives your potential roommates the sense that they already know you a little bit. In conjunction, be sure your 'applicant' emails are thorough and say a little bit about who you are as a person.
- Be sure to actually spend time with the roommates. Yes, the space you're potentially going to be living in is important, but the people you have to share the space with are more important. Try to find common ground that you can relate on. You need to leave a lasting impression with them.
- Most importantly, this all comes from being yourself. No matter the situation, we humans can sense when someone is being fake or uncomfortable. Try to imagine you're casually hanging out with your potential roommates.

Unfortunately, you're not going to be a good fit for some people even if you love the place, but in that case, you wouldn't want to live there anyways would you?