Why Coliving is not Coworking

The best way to reduce the cost of work or living spaces is to share them. With the rising cost of living, people are searching for more affordable ways to survive. Because of this, more and more people are using cohabitation spaces. Two types of cohabitation spaces are co-living homes, and co-working spaces. Although the concept regarding these two ideas are similar, they are not the same.

            Coliving spaces allow people to live together, connect, and reduce the price of rent. The focus on these places is affordability and getting to know new people. A lot can be said for co-living spaces because they help people bond, and build strong relationships with people they might not have otherwise known. Coworking spaces, on the other hand, are more focused on work. The intention behind these places is to provide an office for those who work from home, or for people who need a quiet, professional area(Coworker, 2018). Connections can be made in these spaces, but they’re unlikely. The attention is more on getting work done quickly and efficiently without the hassles one would face at home.

            Co-working spaces have only recently become popular. They were created as a way to accommodate new business professionals, and those who work from home. Though they are becoming more and more common, co-working spaces are still a fad. They’re not yet a tried and true aspect of society. Coliving spaces, however, have been around for years. Though they’re not the most well-known housing unit, they are here to stay. Coliving homes provide an affordable option for people who wish to live in big cities, but can’t afford to do so on their own. It is a way of life– not a fad. Coliving homes are there for those who can’t afford other options, and for those who need a new support system.

            Another major difference between co-working spaces and co-living spaces is the behavior within them. Coworking spaces are professional. There is a protocol on how one must act in a co-working space, which doesn’t allow real bonds to form. Co-living spaces are lax. They let their residents live comfortably and be themselves. They can wear pajamas all day if they so choose. A coliving house is a home, whereas a co-working space is, quite simply, work. Living and working are not the same, no matter what anyone says. Comparing the two takes the positivity out of the co-living homes(Perdrix, 2019). It also limits the unique experiences that come from each cohabitation situation.

            The only similarity between co-working and co-living spaces is that they share the work “co.” The two focus are two very different aspects of life– living and working– and should not be compared. What they do bring to the table is affordability, and a potential to work with and get to know others. The two cohabitation spaces are both on the rise, yet they should not be compared. They’re both their own idea and concept–they will only flourish if they are treated accordingly.

References

  1. Coworker, What is Coworking? (2019, October 07). Retrieved May 22, 2020, from https://www.coworker.com/mag/what-is-coworking

Craigslist – A Great Tool for Finding Rentals and Roommates, but not Without its Flaws

Craigslist is a united state identified advertisement website with sections dedicated to jobs, housing, sales, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, resumes, and discussion forums.

We’ve all seen this beautiful webpage before.

The most beautiful UI ever made…It should never change

The real estate market is leaping, and it’s always best to do your research before you hop onto buy or rent your next place, but should you rely on just Craigslist?

Read below to see for yourself if you must rely on craigslist or not.

1. No Background Check for Roommates

Imagine you are looking for a house on sharing basis when you move to a different city for college, but you find out that you roommates are guitarists and they practice in the apartment – would you be able to study?

We think, no!

Craigslist allows you to see the house but does not allow you to learn about what’s in the house. It does not give you the numbers of those staying in the house, and by the time you find out about the people and the house, it is usually very late.

2. Scams are Everywhere

Scams are increasing day by day, no matter how authentic a platform is, the scammers find ways to swindle people. While craigslist does its best to prevent any sorts of scams (they’ve got pretty sophisticated bots that flag content based on IP address, posting frequency and certain keywords), there are still ways in which they can scam you.

When it comes to real estate, you might pay online, but there is no surety that it will be true. There are high chances that when you go to a location with all your bags packed, you will find out that the house never existed. Sometimes it happens that when you reach the house, the people living there tell you that they never posted an advertisement on craigslist.

Don’t be deceived, there are tons of scams out there!

It is always best to hire a real estate agent or property management firm who can provide you with all the information. If the person posting the listing doesn’t want to hop on a phone call, virtual tour or provide any extra photos – steer clear.

3. Pictures can be Deceptive.

Just like makeup, pictures posted for advertisements online can be deceptive. You might think you will be going to a house that is freshly painted, has all the necessary appliances, and is in the cleanest area, but it might be far from the truth.

There are many editing software that makes the picture amazing, and you will never be able to find out if it’s real or fake.

Even though it is good to know your options via craigslist, but you must hold your ground before buying or signing a lease for anything. While this may seem obvious, I know a few people who have been totally convinced that the post was real, when in fact it was a check scam. Make sure to do your research.

Zillow taps into the MLS for all its data – use it!

Check out other platforms like Zillow, Trulia and Redfin for photos of the property. These sites pull MLS listings (property sales), so the home should definitely have photos related. You can also use Google Maps Street View to suss out any deceiving features of the home, or to find out if it’s actually what the post presented.

The Bottom Line

Craigslist is one of the most visited websites in the world. Regardless of their 1990’s interface, they remain a dominant platform in real estate and leasing transactions. All kinds of companies flock to the site in the hopes of finding buyers, sellers, investors and tenants. There might be tons of scams on the site, but there are also jewels to be found.

It’s in your best interest to know the red flags when you see them when searching on the platform. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t good people using the site for selling property or finding renters. I personally know at least 10 different people, all walks of life, use Craigslist to find roommates, rooms for rent, flexible leases and more. It might seem daunting, but it’s one of the best places to find a good deal.

Happy searching.

The Environmental Benefits of Co-Living

Man-made impacts on the environment and the world has caused people to be more eco-conscious. The future of the world is in danger. The only way to fix it, is to become environmentally friendly. This requires using reusable bags at the grocery store, constantly recycling, and adopting new behaviors for cohabitation.

Believe it or not, one of the best ways to protect the environment is to live co-habitually with roommates. There are many environmental benefits that come from co-living. For one, co-living homes reduce energy consumption. According to Comunitia, co-living spaces also use energy efficient building panels, and have looked into items such as solar panels to reduce the home’s carbon footprint. The materials used for these homes are becoming more and more eco-friendly. This is particularly because the younger generation is most inclined to move into co-living homes, and they’re the ones who are most environmentally conscious.

Additionally, homes with roommates can result in shared resources. Roommates can share appliances, carpool, and reduce their energy use. Roommates can split the cost of maintenance, as well, which will help eliminate the carbon footprint of the home.

Co-living spaces also remove useless space. Instead of micro-apartments in cities that provide one kitchen, living room, and bathroom per person, a co-living home shares those common areas between roommates. This leads to reduction in overall space that would otherwise consume the building. It also helps decrease the use and cost of utilities.

What is Co-living? [Types, Services, Pros & Cons and More]
Sharing space for the greater good of the planet

Another great environmental benefit associated with co-living are shared ideas. Green Soluce says that those who live in co-living homes can work together to improve not only their co-living home, but their neighborhood and community. They can partake in activities like urban gardening, composting, and more. For many of the co-living companies, community events are built into the price of rent!

Furthermore, roommates can share food to reduce waste. Instead of loading up on a variety of snacks that will expire, roommates can merge their grocery lists and simply get what they need. Produce is less likely to go bad when there are three or four roommates splitting it. Milks and eggs will never be spoiled because everyone is sharing them.

Co-living homes specifically aim to be affordable and sustainable. They offer spaces that are already furnished. Ordinarily, residents would buy their own furniture which they would then need to donate or toss away upon leaving. In these co-living homes, the furniture stays in homes in order to get the most use possible. By providing furnished homes, co-living companies eliminate the waste of items that goes with moving. The move into a co-living home is simple and sustainable.

Cohousing: the future of living? - Bao Living Blog - Medium
Co-living is the future!

As the population continues to rise, co-living homes will be demanded more and more. Rent prices are unsustainable economically and environmentally. Companies like Alcove are putting downward pressure on home prices and creating more efficient housing supply by turning single family homes into multi-tenant, co-living properties. They decrease urbanization and the destruction of nature. The more people that share homes, the less need there will be for new, luxury apartment complexes that are high-priced for tenants and for the environmental damage.

Overall, moving into a co-living home is a great choice for the wallet, as well as the world. These homes have many benefits related to the country’s eco-concious, many of which will help counteract nature’s demise. They are environmentally conscious, safe, and are key to helping save the environment.

Hey! Tate here.

Just want to thank everyone for reading my blog! Let’s continue to get co-living into the zeitgeist! We are just getting started.