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Meet a Member: Matt Stevens in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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Matt Stevens thought he would never live with roommates again. Then he moved into Common Marcy

Matt is a Broadcast Editor who moved from Texas to bustling NYC in hopes of taking advantage of everything the city has to offer. He nailed down a trendy job at a startup in the Financial District, quickly made friends, and even found an apartment with an 8-minute commute from his office.

There was just one problem: his extremely messy roommate.

At the time, Matt thought moving-in with a coworker seemed like a much safer bet than finding a roommate on Craigslist, but he quickly learned that this wasn’t necessarily the case. With his roommate issues, he swore to never live with roommates again, until he realized that a reasonable studio was highly out of his price range. Desperate to avoid reliving his scarring roommate experience, Matt did some research and found a home at Common Marcy. Spoiler: he is now an active Common member who loves his roommates! We caught up with Matt to find out what made this roommate situation different from the last and ask if he had any advice for people looking to live with roommates in a city. meet a member matt roommate issues

Hi Matt! We’re sorry to hear about your past roommate experience. What made your experience with Common different?

As you can imagine, I didn’t fully trust myself to make another roommate decision based off my past experience. When I found out that Common does a thorough background check, has flexible lease terms and transfers, and only requires you to be responsible for your individual part of the rent, I was immediately intrigued. I applied for a three-month term to test it out but will definitely be staying longer. Also, the fact that our apartment was designed for roommates is a game-changer. Don’t get me wrong, my new roommates are amazing and we often go to community events together or just hang out in our apartment. But when I need some space, I can easily have alone time and privacy when I need it, in my private space. The apartment doesn’t feel cramped at all!

What’s your favorite part about being a part of the Common community?

Definitely the easy access to community. I love that all Common members are connected with an app; it’s so easy to reach out and start conversations or create events. Also, I enjoy the events Common hosts (happy hours and Knicks games have been some of my favorites). Most people would be lucky to have these type of perks at their job let alone where they live! In fact, I remember telling my leasing specialist that I felt like Common was the Google of apartment complexes when I first toured Common Marcy.meet a member matt roommate issues

What’s your favorite element of your space at Common Marcy?

My favorite physical element has got to be the patio. It’s rare in NYC to have outdoor space and almost unheard of to have a huge wrap-around terrace. It’s the best place for entertaining or just hanging out. I plan on dragging my TV out there in the summertime to watch movies and football games in the fall. But one of the best parts is the cleaning service that’s included in my rent! Coming home from work every day used to be a job in itself. My last roommate was an incredibly messy person who I felt I had to constantly regulate. Common truly takes the hassle and awkward discussions you might have with roommates out of the living experience. There’s no more need to micromanage my roommates into making sure our kitchen or bathrooms are clean. Now when I come home from work, my biggest concern is what to watch on Netflix.

Do you have any advice for someone who is looking to move to a new city and find roommates?

Everybody has different living needs. For instance, some people have to live alone, and I get that. Due to a prior bad roommate experience, I wasn’t too keen on the idea of roommates let alone three roommates. But after seeing what a decent studio or one-bedroom would cost, I knew I needed to find roommates to bring the costs down. Common truly took the hassle out of finding roommates. They do background checks on all applicants, and if someone decides to move out, you aren’t responsible for their share of the rent! Best of all is the 3-month lease terms at Marcy location, which makes it a low-risk commitment. Also, the community aspect keeps things interesting with planned events every month. If you’re new to a city, it makes it so easy to get to know your neighbors and fellow tenants. For me, Common was a no-brainer and I would recommend anyone moving to NYC or any other U.S. city to give Common a shot!

If you’re looking to find a new place to call home, check out any of our locations across the country.

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