Housemates can share the financial burden and bring fun to the party, as long as you choose carefully. You don’t want to dread going home after a hard day at work.

Don’t force yourself into a cash-strapped corner you will do anything to get out of because you rushed into the first person to answer your ad!

You have to live with this person day in, day out. That’s EVERY day. Wake up and they are there. Come home from work and they are there.

Don’t leave it to a shoot-out between the bloke who has mentioned his pet snake one too many times, and another month of paying for an empty room.

Remember that even when the stars align and you have found a sane saviour, the whole process invariably will take time to complete.

Churn is a fact of life when it comes to house sharing.

People grow up; meet partners they want to move in with, get sick of house shares and want to go solo, get a promotion requiring a move interstate.

Perhaps the bachelor/bachelorette dream is over for that poor, disillusioned soul.

But you’re still living the dream! Time to get a wingman or woman lined up!

Let’s hope the departing housemate shows respect and notifies you as early as possible, giving you time to find a replacement.  If there was no stipulation on notice period before, get something in place!

But don’t waste time in getting out there to find a replacement once your housemate has given notice – you don’t need to wait until they’re out the door before you start your search. A little bit of planning and forethought go a long way to getting the right person to share your home with.

TIME = PICKINESS = GOOD THING

Leaving plenty of time to select the right candidate affords pickiness. This is a good thing.

When a person ticks all the boxes on paper, but you do not get a good feeling; REJECT.

When a person talks about their ex-partner/guinea pig too much; REJECT.

Think about what works for you before you’re stuck with a housemate who puts Barbecue Shapes back in the box after licking them.

Get as much information about the person as possible to test compatibility. Sports jock? Cat lover? Vegan? Astronomer? Serial dater? Midnight steak fiend?

Anybody in the market for a room two months down the line is likely to be strong with time-management (bills and rent) and will probably organise your social life too. TICK – you’re starting in the right place.

Nobody’s perfect. Isn’t that what Jessie J said?

But when choosing your next housemates, it’s essential to find people who do not leave skid marks, do not sleep with your partner and do not eat your ice-cream without permission.

Here are seven deadly sins to look out for in your quest to find the right people to live with.

SLOTH: No one wants to live with a sloth

Unfortunately, this is not in reference to the adorable creature found in the Americas. You could almost forgive that snuggly mammal for leaving hairs on the toilet seat.

No – this type of sloth does leave hairs on the toilet seat… and in the shower… and in the sink… and bloody everywhere!

But that’s not the worst. They leave a trail of destruction behind them wherever they go: dirty bolognese dishes, last week’s undies in the laundry, nail clippings on the coffee table … and although you dare not go near the lair, there is a distinct whiff emanating from the door.

This is the most common sin of all.

WRATH: Judge the grudge

Let’s face it – living on top of each other will spawn the odd hissy fit. You’re going to incur the wrath of a housemate at some point.

Keep an eye out for body language and early signs of irritability. Short fuses can lead to uncomfortable living, especially if the hothead holds a grudge.

You’re in the same boat and everybody has to be forgiving of idiosyncrasies. You may soon realise just how tolerant mum was!

There will always be one rabble-raiser. Just make sure they have a sense of humour and you have artillery to get them off the soapbox.

ENVY: The green-eyed monster

Okay, this is a tricky one. Your partner is clearly hotter than your housemate’s. Will they be able to deal with that?

This is an ugly little sin that will take some time to manifest, but you might be able to catch a glimpse of envy before making any commitment.

Are they looking at your watch for a little too long? Does your last cookie attract a little too much attention? Are they ‘wel-jel’ at your uber-everything?

Don’t shy away from your proudest assets – see if the monster rears its head on first meeting.

PRIDE: Are they flaunting it a bit too much?

We’re all for having pride in what you do, why you do it and how you do it… but don’t bang on about it.

How many times do they talk about their fitbit^® score? How many times to they mention how amaze-balls they are, their job is, or their partner is?

More than five unwarranted outbursts of pride in an hour, and get out of there as quickly as you can.

Everybody should be proud of their achievements in life, but modesty goes a long way.

LUST: It’s a dirty bird that fouls its own nest

Dial down the lust – it’s your housemate. Or even worse, it’s your housemate’s partner!

Unless it’s truly love, not lust, the recommendation is not to sleep with your housemate. The repercussions will not be worth it.

One party will become more involved… accusations will be thrown around… your sexual relations will be talk of the tower… other housemates will get annoyed (especially if you are loud)… and it will end in the break-up of the house.

Also, be careful not to bring home a different partner EVERY night you go out. If you must give in to lust a little too regularly, perhaps mix it up and tell your housemates you stayed at a friend’s house.

Getting the eyes before even agreeing to move in? Either make a choice between roof-over-head and fun-in-bed. Or embellish your latest fling. Alternatively say thanks, but no thanks.

GLUTTONY: Binge addict?

A little of everything in moderation. Even Game of Thrones.

Whether it is booze… sex… potato cakes… Collingwood Grand Final replays… or Pokémon Go… gluttony is not endearing. Especially when it culminates in vomiting all over your shared bathroom.

Resist the temptation to overindulge. It’s not big, it’s not clever and it certainly won’t win you any fans at home. Remember the bit about pride? Yeah – that’s very much at stake here.

If you want respect, keep your insatiable habits under control.

Spotting irrepressible gluttony in others – again it boils down to the cookie test. How many of that packet did they munch through in your 30-minute chat?

GREED: It starts with cookies…

It starts with cookies… it ends with dough ($).

Now we are not saying that gluttony and its far-more-evil sibling, greed, come hand in hand… but keep an eye on the greed machine. It’s infectious.

If people start worrying about grabbing the room with the extra square metre… or start picking peanuts out of utility bills… it could be greed.

Early signs can materialise in obsessions with money or wages, or never paying for take-away coffees. Before you know it, your leftover pizza has vanished.

Okay… so that’s what not to look for

Now we’ve purged ourselves with that long and revolting list, here is the remedy.

Within a minute of watching Real Estate Tube videos, you’ll have an idea as to who is clear of the deadly sins and who can’t keep their hands off your ice-cream tub.

Stop being let down when the property listing looks nothing like the photos in the ad.

The solution? Real Estate Tube.

Searching for somewhere to live?
Watch a video.
Pick a housemate.
Connect.

Looking for people to share with?
Upload a video of yourself.
Tell the world what you’re looking for.
Then watch as the offers to roll in.

Searching for your new home or new housemate is easy with Real Estate Tube.
Find a housemate. Share your home.

Just as everybody deploys their own carefully crafted methodology to devour a Cadbury’s Creme Egg, selecting a housemate demands an approach that’s equally purposeful.

Here are five options you might like to try. Some are tried and true but remember to exercise caution!  Good luck!

GOOD MATE TO HOUSE MATE

This fairy tale does not always end well.

Just because you are…

1. two peas in a pod
2. better wingmen than Maverick and Goose
3. hilarious together after three Jägerbombs

… does not make you great house mates.

Does it mean they will respect your space? Be there for you when you are needy? Bring you a potato cake the morning after the night before?

No. They also have their own life to lead. And not only that, they will make similar demands on you.

Think long and hard before you invite a good mate to be your housemate.

MATE OF A MATE FOUND THROUGH FACEBOOK

This can work, but think about the middle man – your mate.

They have honourably done the leg-work to connect somebody looking for a room, and somebody looking for a housemate. This selfless act can often turn to remorse:

1. The two new housemates become best buddies (or more) and forget all about who brought them together.
2. The chemistry is not right and both turn on the instigator.

Our advice: thank your matchmaker, but politely tell them you value your friendship too much to bring a third party into such a sensitive arena.

REAL UGH-STATE AGENT

With a traditional real estate agent, the middleman is not your friend, and their counsel could cost you more dearly than you can imagine. Just look at their car!

Seriously. Would you sign your hard-earned cash away to live with somebody you have never met before? Sounds like a fate worse than Married at First Sight.

Four open inspections on a good day and even then you don’t get to meet the person you would live with!

It’s hardly conducive to your Saturday ritual (delete as appropriate: yoga, eggs Benedict, coffee, Friday night debrief, footy, pie, dance etc.).

Think outside the box.

GOING OLD SCHOOL?

Planning to pin an advert to the community noticeboard, tape a banner to the lamp-post outside your home, or leave a piece of paper with mobile phone number tearaways in the bus shelter?

STRANGER DANGER!

Did you not listen in school?

Unfortunately we live in a society today where this is not recommended.

TIME TO ‘TUBE’

Regrettably, those awesome people who decided to name the act of flying around on an inflatable donut: ‘tubing’, won ownership of the verb.

Given that the newest method of finding a house, or housemate, is almost as fun (and we all love the creators of tubing), we will let them off.

Real Estate Tube has created the perfect platform for congenial people to meet in a safe and time-saving in-app environment, via pre-recorded video.

Yes, you can sit at home and browse through videos of people who want a new shared-house or a housemate.

You can laugh, cry, get angry or cringe. But most importantly, you have control of the ‘NEXT!’ button. You choose the cast. You direct a real-life soap opera – less the bits you don’t like.

We hope you have enjoyed our review of the options available to you. Happy hunting!

Whether you are looking for someone to fill a room, or doing the trekking all over town, interviewing future housemates is annoying. What if you could watch a video profile beforehand? Now you can at Real Estate Tube.

What if you get it wrong? Dinner’s over quickly.
Skip the dessert. Pay the bill. Hit the road fast.
Picking a housemate? Dinner chit chat may sound like a good way to pick a winner but what if you get THAT wrong?

Get off my sofa.
Are you wearing my pyjamas?
Tell me you’re not drinking MYYYYYYY WINE.

Unfriend them on Facebook and move on.
So how do you choose?

Test 1: The couch

Let’s not mince words. The couch is the centrepiece of the home.

It’s the home of bad habits. There are no boundaries here. Unconditional, unrequited I-can-still-remember-unwrapping-the-plastic-off-it-type love.

The Game of Thrones butt groove you lovingly sculpted into the couch took work. Real days off claimed as sick days you deserved kind of work.

Ask the question casually … “Do you like Game of Thrones?” If the answer comes back “I don’t really see what the fuss is about” That’s fine. You’re not an animal. Get their stuff, call a cab and send them on their way.

This is definitely not someone you are seriously contemplating sharing the remote with, is it?

Test 2: Sharing is caring

Don’t be fooled by Gumtree or Facebook ads. Set the trap.

Bowl of chips.

A little chocolate.

Start chatting and see what happens…

If they help themselves without asking. They’re out.

What if they ask first? Let’s see if they’ve got any self-control. Just chips you can live with but if they double up, then, well it’s all over.

You don’t have the time or the sticky tape to label everything in the fridge. Is that the kind of life you want for yourself?

Test 3: The emotional rollercoaster

This one’s tricky because they’ve passed test 1 and 2 and to be sure they’re feeling a little cocky by now.

You flick your hair a little and casually mention that you’ve just split up with your boyfriend/girlfriend. This could go either way. “That’s no good” they say. Nothing more is uttered. It’s clear they don’t care. Send them away.

Make no mistake. Your couch doesn’t care what you look like. It keeps safe loose change, finds things that are definitely lost. It is the tireless waiter, holding coffee, beer or wine with almost unfaltering balance, and – most importantly – it’s always there for you after a long day at work. Arms open.

OK. What if they say? “What happened?”

They care. Look we’re close. We’re really, really close.

Test 4: Shifting sands

Please let them be the one. Your voice trembles as you ask…”so what do you do for work?”

You don’t really care what they do for work. You care about what time they wake up and what time they go to sleep. Hey, you party like the best of them. Well, you used to but seriously not on a work night people. Uber eats and chill.

Did they pass? Are they the one? Thank. Goodness.

Hold on. Why are they sitting on my side of the couch?

Choose your next sharer carefully and choose from the comfort of your inner sanctum. Don’t waste time with countless open inspections and awkward situations, but invite the right people over to see how they fit the sofa.

Looking for a housemate or a house?

Whether you are looking for someone to fill a room, or doing the trekking all over town, interviewing future housemates is annoying. What if you could watch a video profile beforehand? Now you can at Real Estate Tube.