Finding Apartments/Housing on Craigslist

Craigslist is an awesome place to find places to live, stuff to buy, jobs, etc.  I personally have had great experiences from renting apartments that I found on craigslist on two different occasions.  The first one I was in college and didn't have a lot of money.  I found an elderly lady who exchanged a room for rent for me for light labor that I did around the house.  The other experience I found a beautiful shared house that was on the Potomac river that I lived in for a couple of months after graduating.  Both times I followed careful procedure to make sure that none of these people were nuts.

On a side note I had an awful experience choosing storage on Craigslist.  The place was in a bad part of town with absolutely no security on the weekends.  I recommend visiting this site to find a great place to store your stuff.

CRAIGSLIST SAFETY 

1) Before you go look at your apartment call the person.  Make sure that their gender matches their name, so that they aren't lying.  This also gives you a chance to ask them any questions that might have come up.  If you don't have any questions that came up, make something up so you have a reason for calling.

2) When you do go to look at the space take someone with you, preferably someone big and mean.  The buddy system is always a good one.  Also, make sure one of you has a cell phone.

3) If you are rooming with a stranger make sure you know their lifestyle habits, and that you are comfortable with living with the person.  Ask them about their job, relationship status, hours they keep.  I had a friend who moved in with a guy that ended up to be a bartender.  This would have been fine, but he always brought people home for work.  She wasn't comfortable with having strangers in the house all the time.  If she had asked what he did beforehand she may not have ever moved in.
The same goes for you.  Make sure that your roommate knows your habits, occupation, etc, so you do not end up moving out due to your roomie not liking your lifestyle choices.

4) Don't be too scared!  If you are too scared to try craigslist, I understand.  You should know that LOTS of transactions are completed safely on Craigslist daily.  Not everyone is a craigslist killer!  Trust your instincts and be safe!

On a lighter note here is a Funny Video with Craigslist Safety Tips.