Annamarie Pluhar

Sharing housing with someone you like and respect whose way of living is compatible enough that you are both comfortable is possible.

There are huge benefits to be gained, IF you are living with the right person.

Finding that person doesn't have to be random. You can be thoughtful and deliberate. You can navigate the selection process using your heart, your mind, and your gut. The book, "Sharing Housing, A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates" will help you get there.

I wrote the book as a result of a number of forces coming together.

Over twenty years of experience living in shared housing as an adult. It’s always made sense to me to share the cost of housing, to have the informal company possible, to share the work of maintaining a home and to use up less of the earth’s resources. During those years I developed a process that was efficient and resulted in good experiences.

The idea for writing a book began in a telephone conversation. A dear friend was complaining about the state of her finances. When I suggested that she could rent a room in her house, she wailed that “she didn’t know how to do that.” She’d had one horrible experience and didn’t want to repeat it. I argued that she’d made a mistake in letting that one person move in and that she didn’t have to repeat the mistake. She asked if I would coach her. I agreed.

Together we found her the first of several housemates. Today many years later she shares her home with a college friend who had heard she “rents a room” and needed a place for the work week to take a temporary job. When the job became permanent, he asked to make their arrangement more permanent and committed to the household by paying for a kitchen renovation. He goes to his original home on weekends.

Back then, when I got off the phone and was thinking about how I would coach her, I realized that I’d developed a process that I could teach to others. The next day I wrote an outline for the book that became “Sharing Housing, A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates.”

In my years of sharing housing, I’ve learned a few things. I’ve lived with singles, people in transition, a single mother and her pre-school son, an elderly friend of the family, couples, people in school or internships, and foreigners in the country for work or study. Some have remained friends, others have not. I have made mistakes and made wonderful friends. There is no doubt that my life has been richer by living under a roof with people who started out as strangers.

My professional background includes years in the corporate world, first as a management consultant and later as an instructional designer. As a consultant, I trained employees to work in self-managing work teams, honing my expertise in group dynamics and interpersonal relationships. As an instructional designer, I’m skilled in breaking down complex subjects so that individuals can learn them easily. All these skills come together in helping you make the transition to a shared housing situation. I have a Masters in Divinity, and a Bachelors in Psychology.