FAQ News

April 2008 RoommateShop® News

How to get a deal on a summer sublet/lease

Hundreds of students leave campus to return home over the summer break. Most of these students have signed year leases for a property. If you are looking to find a roommate just for the summer, sublets are an affordable option.

Searching for summer sublets is easy at RoommateShop. Typically students just need out of a lease to go home. This means that rent can be negotiable for desperate situations.

Check our database for summer rentals, summer sublets, and short term leases starting in May, June, July or even August! You may just find a great deal on a perfect rental!

* All subscriptions to RoommateShop last 90 days (3 months)!

March 2008 RoommateShop® News

Strategies for living with strangers

Roommates are a gamble. You don't know what you're going into. But then again, you don't need to. A stranger is only strange until you get to know him or her.

RoommateShop suggests getting to know your roommate before deciding they aren't a right fit. People have a good sense of what will and won't work out. When interviewing a potential roommate, pay attention to details, their personality, and living needs. This will help you make a decision.

Not ready to take a gamble or unsure of a potential roommate? Get a background check!!! It's fast, easy, and secure. Whether you have a room or need a room to rent, we can help.

Archive 2007 RoommateShop News

January 2007 News

Colleges and Universities are commencing their Spring semester throughout the US this month. University of Colorado- Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs, Colorado State University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, and Denver University are among those. While some students are back to being studious, others are packing up and transfering or heading abroad. This is a key roommate time. Lots of times students will cut deals on rent to allow for a quick get-a-way. We've received many requests from people who are just getting to Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, Ft. Collins, or Las Vegas to start at their new school and need a roommate. Don't miss this roommate transition time! Remember we are here to help you find your next roommate!

February 26, 2007----Fall leasing in full bloom Housing Helpers is in full swing. We have hundreds of fall pre-leasing properties to check out. Come visit with one of our relocation specialists in Boulder, Denver, or Las Vegas to start your rental search!

RoommateShop is also getting tons of new customers looking for summer roommates and roommates for now. Sign up to find a roommate today!

According to the Winter 2007 issue of Nevada Silver & Blue, the magazine of the University of Nevada, Reno: By 2005, the Census Bureau estimated, the Silver State had grown to more than 2.4 million -- with almost all of those attracted to Nevada heading for the vicinity of Reno and Las Vegas. Reno has grown 20% since 2000. For the full article check out the University of Nevada- Reno website or click here.

February 8, 2007----University of Colorado at Boulder Housing Fair Housing Helpers and RoommateShop® will be attending University of Colorado at Boulder's annual Housing Fair on campus on February 14, 2007 located in the UMC Ballroom. Come stop by our "booth" and see all of our employees! We have hundreds of new fall pre-leasing properties to look at. Come by and get a helium balloon filled with great prizes or just to chat about all our housing services. You may even find your next roommate!

February, 3 2007-----RENO RENO RENO! Roommateshop® has expanded to Reno, NV. We've had such good roommate luck and success in Colorado and Las Vegas we've decided to broaden the areas we serve!

You can save up from $375 to $425 a MONTH by having a roommate in Reno, NV.

Whether you have a room or need a room in Reno, NV it's 100% FREE to search for your next roommate. Think of it as a Valentine's Day special just for Reno. This special promotion won't last long so sign up today! What have you got to lose?

March 30, 2007----Boulder's favorite 10K race is now accepting registrations for the May 28, 2007 run. Get out your running gear and start training for the Bolder Boulder. You can register at the Bolder Boulder store at Boulder's new 29th Street Mall or at Bolder Boulder's website.

New this year in the race is a new timing technology. It will consist of a timing chip that will be placed in a "Smart Tag," which is about half the size of a credit card. It uses radio frequencies to give runners more information about their race, and the information should be available more quickly.

The race starts at the north end of 30th Street near the First National Bank of Colorado in Boulder, winds through neighborhoods with live music and entertainment along the course and finishes in the University of Colorado at Boulder's Folsom Field.

The race attracts close to 50,000 runners and walkers and draws professional athletes from all over the world to compete for one of the largest non-marathon prize purses in road racing.

March 27, 2007---- Looking for an August roommate for next school year? Check out all the people signing up for a roommate next year. It's not too early to start your roommate search. Sign up today if you don't have a place and don't want to live alone. The difference between a one bedroom and two bedroom place is not that great. Save money by splitting the rent and utilities with a roommate. Studious? Find a compatible roommate through our service!

RoommateShop® Tip for March: Pictures can say a thousand words. Upload pictures on our site and get more potential roommate matches. So get out your digital camera and take some great pics! Set the resolution to as low as the camera will allow since the web only shows 72 dpi anyway. You can read-up on image manipulation to make them even better and get them below 100K.

Need help putting a picture up? Email us at roommates@housinghelpers.com with questions. You can upload pictures at any point during your subscription.

March 6, 2007---- Get a head start on finding a roommates Roommate season is just around the corner. Our subscription is good for 90 days. If you know you will be needing a roommate, list today! Lots of people are looking for future dates. You'll have more potential roommates to search and contact. Don't miss out on your perfect roomie.

April 24, 2007--------Sublet your room
Apartment leases can be incredibly inflexible and oftentimes the penalties for breaking them are stiff. What do you do when a roommate moves out? Or you'll be out of town for a period of time? In such circumstances, sublet your apartment to someone. They will pay you the rent and live in your space temporarily. For example, if a roommate is leaving, sublet to a new roommate until the end of the lease. Problem solved! This often occurs in College towns (e.g. Boulder, Colorado Springs, Ft. Collins, Reno, Las Vegas, Denver) when people study abroad, transfer, etc.

What is subletting? Subletting is when the lessee or tenant rents out all or part of the apartment to another person, while still maintaining status as the prime tenant and contractually bound to the lease agreement with the landlord.

It's easy to sign your property up for a sublease on RoommateShop. You should first make a list of all the facts (rent, utilities, furnishings, location). Then take photographs of your apartment, condo, or home. You can post all the information on RoommateShop's website as an advertisement for your room. RoommateShop can help you find a sublet for the summer, a semester, or even as much as a year.

April 18, 2007------- Time is running out for RoommateShop's Spring Special!

Sign up for our Spring Roommate Special. We are offering selected areas for free for a limited time. The subscription lasts for 90 days and we will never be asked to pay a dime. We are giving away 3 month roommate subscriptions. Sign up before the limited time special expires.
Find a roommate in Colorado Springs, Monument, Ft. Collins, Greeley, any Colorado Mountain Town (Breckenridge, Gunnison, Salida, Vail, Silverthorne, etc), and Reno (Sparks and Tahoe). You can search for compatible roommates without the worry or bother of roommate scammers. Sign up today!

April 5, 2007------ SPRING ROOMMATE SPECIAL!

Spring is here so RoommateShop® and Housing Helpers are now offering a Spring Roommate Special. If you have a place or need a place to live in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, any Colorado Mountain Towns, or Reno your sign up will be free of charge! Just choose the desired region, fill out your advertisement, and start getting roommate matches. It's easy!

Sign up today.... what have you got to lose?

May 30, 2007------- RoommateShop now introducing background checks!

The safest way to screen an applicant is to obtain accurate information. Roommateshop can help you screen potential roommates to ensure their criminal history and stability to pay the rent. Go to the home page and click on "Background Checks." It's simple! Print the application, have your roommate fill it out and sign and fax it to us. We will process the application and give you results in three days.

May 22, 2007------- Week at a Glance in Denver, Colorado

-Film Opening: Shrek the Third
The second of the most anticipated movies of the summer is here in Denver
-Greg Behrendt @ Comedy Works
Comedian Greg Behrendt was a consultant for three consecutive seasons on Sex and the City, and much more! He will be at Comedy works in Denver this week.
-Colorado Rockies next home game May 28th
Rockies play at Coors Field in down town Denver-- buy tickets

To find out more of what's happening in Denver this week and weeks to come check out Denvermix.com

May 10, 2007-------Tenant Screening

You've found a room you love. Now what? Well, now you begin the process of signing the lease. During this time your potential roommate may ask you to fill out an application to proceed in a background check. These background checks often check your credit, criminal record, employment verification, and sometimes rental references.

When submitting the application, you'll also pay a non-refundable application fee. If you decide not to sign the lease, the application fee will not be returned to you. If you do sign the lease, the fee will either be returned or go into your security deposit.

The purpose of the credit check is for the potential roommate to check out whether you pay your bills on time. The landlord/Roommate will ask you to pay the amount to cover the cost of the credit check and ask for your social security number.

RoommateShop is currently in the process of being able to offer our customers full background checks for an additional charge! We will let you know as soon as this happens!

June 21, 2007----- Surviving your Roommate Situation

Learning to live with a stranger teaches you how to live with yourself. It's June again, and for some of you college or university is waiting in August. It beckons to you with new experiences! new classes! new friends! New roommate?! No one will hold a mirror up to your character quite like a roommate. Because they live with you 24/7 a roommate will see you at your best and at your worst. If you and your new roommate have an apartment (or even just your own bathroom) you are also going to need to learn what it takes to run a house. Sit down with your roommate and decide who will do what. Do this at the beginning of the semester- do it by the end of the first week, sooner if you can. In the end it all comes down to flexibility. Figure out what matters and leave the rest alone. The way you interact with your roommate will do more to affect your school experience than all the classes, all-nighters and bad coffee combined.

Read a Denver Roommate Story here
Read some of the weirdest things roommates have done

June 6, 2007----- Screen Your tenants

Tips for landlords and tenants

- Tenants should be realistic about what they can afford when looking for a new place. The U.S. Department of Labor recommends spending no more than 25 percent of your total income on rent.
- Landlords can charge potential tenants for credit and background checks
- Landlords should have a list of rental criteria (whether or not such things as a low credit score, felony conviction or bankruptcy will be allowed, for example). That way, if potential tenants don't meet the criteria, it's easy to explain why.
- Tenants can check with national credit reporting agencies to get potential problems resolved.

Order a full, secure, background check from RoommateShop.

July 25, 2007-----Louisville, Colorado ranked top place to live in 2007!

Money ranks Louisville,CO #3 out of 100 top place to live. For this year's list they focused on smaller places that offered the best combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a real sense of community.

Lousiville is located in Boulder County. See the City of Louisville official homepage to learn more about this cozy community.

Search for a roommate in Louisville, CO!

July 20, 2007------Happenings!

New Borneo Orangutan at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo breeds endangered species so that they will not become extinct. Borneo Orangutans are in grave danger due to the abundant use of non-sustainable palm oil. Check out the new addition at the Colorado Springs Zoo.

Titanic Museum now open at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Come see the artifacts and history of the Titanic. Reservations for this exhibit is highly recommended as it will be a popular one.

Looking to buy an investment property in Las Vegas? The history of Las Vegas' housing market can be found on The National Association of Residential Real Estate Investment Advisors website. Housing Helpers has a great Real Estate team to help you with purchasing in Las Vegas.

July 9, 2007-------Find your way around in a new town!

Are you moving to Colorado or Nevada? Are you moving cities to Denver, Las Vegas, or Boulder and need help navigating around? Find your way around via bike or car. Find bike maps for Denver and Boulder here!

You can find some great virtual tours of Las Vegas here. Find yourself in sin city.

Maps and more of Reno/Tahoe here!

Find driving directions and a map of Colorado Springs, CO here!

August 9, 2007---------- Furnish your room!!
Need things for your new place? Housing Helpers of Boulder is having a HUGE yard sale on Friday August 17th from 12pm to 5pm and Saturday the 18th from 9am to 5pm or until supplies run out!

Couches, chairs, beds, art work, bed spreads, kitchen ware, electronics and MUCH MORE will be sold. Stop by to check out everything and get a great deal on great household items!

Look for the big SALE banner on the northeast corner of 28th and Baseline in Boulder-right off of Highway 36 in Boulder!

Make your new place feel like home!

August 1, 2007---------- RoommateShop Specials!
Act now to receive August RoommateShop specials! Right now we are offering full background checks on potential roommates for $50.00 (was $75.00)! These background checks include credit, rental history, criminal, and employment verification. Find out all you need to know about a roommate before you live with them.

You may have noticed that RoommateShop has added lots of new areas in Colorado and Nevada. We are now expanding the areas we serve and offer all of these areas for FREE! You can place a roommate ad with picture for 90 days and we will never ask you to pay anything. These areas include Grand Junction, Telluride, Montrose, Durango, Pueblo, Carson City, Elko, and MUCH MORE!

Find a roommate today!

October 15, 2007----------New areas to find a roommate

RoommateShop is expanding! Be the first to experience RoommateShop's fantastic roommate service in Texas and Arizona! All areas in Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Arizona are now listed on our site. It's free to sign up for a 90 day subscription for all the new areas! What have you got to lose? Or what have you got to gain?!

- Compatibility Matching
- A service you can trust
- Easy to use
- Background Checks FAST
- We watch "suspicious" customers to fight scam emails that waste your time!
- We Care About your Results

November 29, 2007---------- Roommates for the upcoming semester

Spring semester is right around the corner for most college students. Students in Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas are graduating, transferring, and going abroad. This is the time to start searching for a roommate!
List your room or find a place for free in most places with RoommateShop.

November 13, 2007---------- Winter is around the corner

Need a roommate for the winter? This is the time to start your search! Around the country ski resorts are opening their doors to the public. Ski resorts are a major getaway and people are searching for rooms to rent for the ski season. RoommateShop helps people find roommates in these ski towns! And the best part: it's currently FREE of charge!! You can list a roommate advertisement in any major ski town in Colorado 100% free. That includes Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Steamboat, Aspen, Telluride, Crested Butte, and Winter Park!

Not near a winter wonderland? That's okay. RoommateShop is offering free subscriptions to most areas in Nevada (not including Las Vegas), Arizona, and Texas as well!

December 27, 2007------------Happy Holidays and Happy Roommate searching!

'Tis the season! Find a roommate for free in most areas in Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas with RoommateShop. Place a free ad for 90 days if you need a place or have a place to share. Do get left in the cold over the holidays. Find a roommate quick! It's easy!

December 11, 2007------------ Time is running out! Find a roommate for Spring semester with RoommateShop®

Still studying for finals, but desperately need a roommate? RoommateShop has you covered! Whether you have a place or need a place, list with RoommateShop to find a roommate fast. Campuses across the nation are gearing up for finals. With finals and Christmas shopping on the mind you may find you're out of time to find a roommate. Let us do the work for you! Don't get stuck paying extra rent!

December 6, 2007------------- It's not always easy finding a roommate

Searching for a roommate is never easy. Once you think you've found one, how do you know they will be a good roommate? Check out some of these roommate horror stories:

Man Charged with Stealing from his roommate
Texas Man caught stabbing roommate for having smelly feet
Colorado woman gets 11 years for shooting roommate's beau

Worried about finding a potential roommate? Have RoommateShop® run a FULL background check! Click here for more details! It's easy!