[shameus_o'reaaly]

If you had to choose between living in a studio flat and a shared house, what would you pick?
I'm getting ready to move-landlord's selling up-and I found one of each that's both affordable and convenient. I like my privacy but the space, kitchen etc is limited in the studio, and living on my own would probably make me a little passive; and while moving in with strangers can be a positive experience, I have no control over who they are. I used to share with guys I knew well and worked with, so I'm starting anew.
Has anyone thoughts/experiences of either situation, with bringing women back, forging relationships with roommates or anything else?

[The Black Knight]

For real?

Studio. All the way.

If you are young, you have your own place. That's a HUGE plus. Lots of young people live at home or with roommates. All women would prefer to fuck in a private space and having your own place is a major point in your favor in locking up bangs/getting repeat bangs; especially if you're targeting the mid 20's and under crowd. Tons of young sluts are dying for a guy with his own place that they can chill at.

If you are older, living with roommates is viewed by chicks as not having your shit together.

Roommates is only legit if you know all the people and everyone is on the same page about key things (money, space usage, no cockblocking/poaching, cleaning etc). And that's only if you are young enough where it's socially acceptable. One shit roommate (doesn't clean, real weirdo, whatever) will fuck up your chances to bring women over. Unless there is a massive financial difference and you're strapped for cash, fuck roommates.

[Baldwin81]

I've lived on both types.

Choose the studio!

As you're aware, the studio is smaller. One big upside to this is that you can take time to find out what stuff/clothes/furniture are essential. This sounds naive or foolish if you're brainwashed into a "bigger living space is better"-philosophy, but it's great opportunity to get rid of shit you don't need.

RE: Passivity and inertia while living on your own: This is all within your control.

Lastly, please believe me that with girls under 25, a well-done studio will be a dear friend to you when it comes to swooping. Make the effort to make it a dope, clutter-free spot and you're set.

[pialox]

Studio is a great option for banging chicks.

The place I have is a single bed room apartment with a massive deck surrounded by trees that over looks the city. I can't tell you how many chicks I have had out on my deck bent over the hand railing while smashing from behind.

Just keep in mind it will cost you. Not only are you not splitting rent, but you will be forking out for the full cost of electricity, gas, internet etc. So just keep that in mind.

[The Wire]

I think there are a few factors

If you are new to a city and are not good at making your own social circle, moving into a shared space might have some benefits but as noted its a big if. It probably only makes sense in your early 20s.

The only time a shared space would actually be better than a studio is when those people boost your social status. In universities frat houses would be an example. If you could some how gather a bunch of like minded players and rent a house like that did in the book The Game ..aka Project Hollywood. That would also be better than your own studio.

[whateverfuckit]

I haven't lived with any sort of roommate since college (with the exception of some long-stay women, but that's a different story, and a far cry from a roommate).

If I had to pick living in a huge house with one other person or on my own in a Studio, I'd pick the studio every time.

NOTHING beats independence, in my opinion.

[eatthishomie]

The studio without question.

Once you go solo you never go back yo. Living on your own is the undeniable tits.

Plus unless your roommates are all RP they will cockblock you or fuck your shit up in some way or another.

[thoughtgypsy]

I've had good experiences with both. I'll compare what I think of each one.

Shared
Pros
- less expensive for a given area
- wider social circle
- don't have to buy furniture for living area
- people to talk with/ socialize with after work
- easier to throw house parties
- easier to save up

Cons
- Relying on others to help clean
- Conflict of different levels of standards/habits
- When its bad, its bad

When I first moved to DC, I got shared accoms in a nice part of town. If I were to get a studio on my own I wouldn't have been able to afford living there. I met my roommates through craigslist, and we met up before signing the lease to see how we'd get along. As an introvert, it was nice to be able to come home and go "wanna grab a beer?" And helped push me out of the house. We would throw house parties once in a while and became the people to know in our neighborhood. Some of my fondest memories are during these years.

After that, I moved in with some people I knew through work. It went well for a while. We had a dry erase board to keep track of whose turn it was to do the dishes/vaccuuming, and if stuff began to pile up we'd remind whoever's turn it was. But after one person left, the vibe of the house changed and became 2 guys against me and a buddy. We decided not to renew the lease and it got ugly when security deposit time came. I had to get the tenant affairs commission involved in order not to pay out.

Studio
Pros
- More peace and quiet
- Control of the cleanliness of your apartment
- More private for bringing company over
- More control over the furniture situation
- Don't have to share the kitchen or wait for others to finish cooking

Cons
- Socially isolating if you don't have an established social circle
- More expensive

Pretty much self-explanatory. After my last shared accoms situation, I had to get my own place. It was great avoiding the drama and having a clean place. After a while though, I wouldn't go out nearly as much and I got cabin fever. As an introvert it can be hard to push myself out sometimes. It's also much harder to save up if you're getting the best place you can close to nightlife.

So those are things to consider. Ultimately you have to prioritize what matters most for you. If you are leaning towards the shared accoms situation, I would definitely suggest a meet up before signing the lease. Usually you can get a good feel for how cool/socially awkward the group is from their CL add, but meeting in person helps to verify. Good luck.

[Sonoma]

Huge upside of studio is if a girl comes over she's in your bedroom the second she steps into the place

[AneroidOcean]

thoughtgypsy posted some solid points.

I would recommend living in your own place if you can afford it. Generally things will be easier that way as you don't have to lock down a bunch of variables that are involved with living with another person.

The biggest reason to live with other people is the cost. For the same money you can live in a more expensive area that may have better logistics. There are a number of potential downsides, though, so you need to weigh the balance heavily.

Myself, I found that I could have decent roommate situations if I screened heavily. It also took me some experience to sort out how to screen well and early on I had a pretty awful ending to a friendship as a result. You need to have a list of things that are important to you and you need to go over them with any potential roommate (as well as have them go over their important things). When you don't have any significant conflicts in these areas the living situation will be MUCH smoother.

In the end, the best situation is to control the living situation (either by owning or having a lease that allows you to sublet a place), screen heavily (and run a credit check!), and be selective. This is not necessarily easy, but is ideal for finding a workable living situation.

These days I rent my extra bedroom out or don't (and sometimes do vacation rentals during the high season) depending on where I stand financially and whether I can find a good match for someone to live in my place. The last person I rented my extra bedroom out to turned out to have a lot of travel time with their work so I collected rent with them only being around for certain months out of the year. Almost a perfect situation because I genuinely liked them and got along with them.

This works well for me as I live in a not inexpensive area right near the beach and the local shops/bars/restaurants so I get to save some coin and have someone living in my place only when it makes sense for me or only when I need it. I'm in a mini-paradise at a far more reasonable cost than most people would consider possible.

A strategy a friend did (and he's a government employee so this really depends on your qualifications/employment) is to post a room wanted ad listing why he's such a great tenant and specifically stating he wanted to live in a high end place with a good location or nice view and he was actually contacted by multiple wealthy homeowners that just wanted someone around to help out with the general upkeep of their property more than the specific dollar amount of rent. He ended up living in a nice mountain-top view mansion while paying next to nothing compared to the value of the home and living arrangement.

Unless you're middle-aged and beyond most girls could care less if you have a roommate when the place you're living in is a really nice house/mansion, or you live by the beach, or on a lake with a boat on the dock...you get the idea.

One thing that is really key is having a bedroom with good privacy and at minimum your own private bathroom IN the room (not down a hallway).

Best of luck.

[blacknwhitespade]

Picking a roommate is like rolling the dice. If you have the means to live alone, do so. I lived for 3 years with a roommate I wasn't friends with, we kept our lives separate which was nice but our place was tiny and I had nowhere to really entertain people. Then I moved in with my best friend. Big mistake. We're not so great of friends anymore.