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Making the Most of your Homeowner Profile
Whether it’s Facebook, Linkedin, or a dating website, personal profiles are an important part of online life. Homesharing is no different. Your profile is a place for you to share about yourself and what you’re looking for in a roommate. It’s also an important source of information for potential roommates to learn about you, your home, and what living together might be like. In fact, many Seekers will decide if they’d like to meet a Homeowner based on what they see in their profile–and a good first impression can go a long way!
The Odd Couples Housing profile questionnaire has many of the important factors for homesharing built in. However, there are also many opportunities for you to personalize your profile and make it yours.
So how do you put your best foot forward? If you’re having trouble deciding how much to share or what to include in your profile, you’re not alone. It can be hard to know where to start. To help, we’ve compiled a few ideas to inspire you!
Here are some tips to help you showcase yourself and your home:
HELLO, IT’S ME
You may be tempted to stick with homesharing logistics in your profile, but your future roommate is thinking about the house match and personality compatibility. Instead of focusing solely on the bedroom amenities or parking situation, share a bit about yourself! If you’re feeling stuck or aren’t sure how to talk about yourself, think about how a good friend might describe you or share a unique hobby or fun fact. That could end up being a good ice-breaker when you meet Seekers. Or you might find that you and your potential roommate have more in common than you expected!
CHECK YOUR BOXES
Your profile is a great place to share about yourself, but it’s also an opportunity for you to describe what you’re looking for in a roommate. The Odd Couples Housing profile questions cover many of the basic issues that can come up with roommates, but you might have more specific ideas about what you’re looking for. For example, you can note in your profile that you’d like to eat together regularly or go on occasional errands.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Sharing a “typical day” or an “ideal day” is another way that Seekers can get to know you through your profile. You don’t need to get too detailed, but it’s nice for Seekers to know if you work the night shift, travel frequently, or have weekly friend gatherings at your home. It can also give some insight into what’s important to you and how you like to spend your time, which is important in a roommate relationship.
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Seekers are curious to know about you and your home, but they’re also often curious about the area in which you live. The questionnaire includes a section about your home, where you can indicate what is near your home (bus routes, shopping, night life, parks, etc.), but in your profile, you can elaborate beyond the checklist. Consider sharing a bit more about the coffee shop near your house, the library you frequent, or the bike path you’ve been meaning to check out. Let Seekers know why they should be as excited about your home as you are!
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
A few photos of your house can have a big impact on Seekers who are imagining themselves in a new home. Use your phone or a digital camera to snap a few pictures of your space and upload them to your profile. We recommend taking photos of the Seeker’s bedroom, bathroom, and common spaces, like the kitchen. If your home has other interesting features (back patio, garden or cozy breakfast nook), you also might consider posting those photos.
DON’T WORRY!
Constructing your profile may feel overwhelming at first, but you’ve got this! As long as you complete the questionnaire, you’re off to a great start. Your home will become visible to Seekers as soon as the basic questionnaire is complete, so once that’s done, you can take a break and edit the details later. Remember, you can complete your profile at your pace—there’s no need to do it all at once if you’re feeling stuck. You can update edit your profile at any time by logging into your account and going to your profile tab.
Good luck!
Still have questions or want to sign up? Odd Couples Housing Match Team can work with you to answer your profile questions.
Debunking The Generation Gap
Baby Boomers, you’ve probably heard a lot about the millennials. And millennials, I’m sure you’ve heard a thing or two about the Silent Generation. So, where did these generational delineations come from, and what about the stereotypes that accompany them?
The Generation Gap is defined as “differences of outlook or opinion between people of different generations.” It’s often used to explain perceived differentiation between people of varying ages and feeds some of the generalities made about the behaviors of people in different generations. It could help explain why you may get some skeptical looks when you bring up intergenerational living to your friends or family members!
Take a look at the chart below to see where generations are commonly divided:
It’s easy to make assumptions about people based on when they were born. But, does our age define our opinions, talents, interests, and motivations? A study from the Cambridge University Press on intergenerational differences in the workplace says, not so much. In their words, “there is little solid empirical evidence supporting generationally based differences and almost no theory behind why such differences should even exist.” Simply put, you might have more in common with a differently-aged roommate than you think!
Take technology use–this is a classic example of something that is often seen as a dividing force between generations. Millennials and Gen X-ers have a reputation for being too tech-dependent while Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation are seen as being out of touch with technological advances. However, a recent study from the Pew Research Center showed that that older generations are adopting technology at high rates. Nearly 70% of Baby Boomers have a smartphone! And just as interesting, while the rates of social media use have stayed steady for Millennials in the past several years, they have grown by at least 10% for both Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation.
All this to say, the generation gap might not be so very big after all! If you’re thinking about ways to make connections with people of different age groups, intergenerational living could be a good fit for you. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get to know someone of different ages, debunk myths, learn a new perspective, and share what you know with another person!