If you are thinking about moving into your own apartment and you need a roommate, you should take extra care to ensure that you are picking the right person. Many people wonder if there is a secret method to picking the perfect roommate, and while different people have different standards that they judge a good roommate by, here are a few essential tips you can follow to help you end up with someone you actually like living with.

First off, try to find someone you know. That way, you already have a good idea of what kind of personality they have and what kinds of interests they have. While no one wants to live with a clone of themselves, it helps to live with someone you have similar interests to so that you aren’t always fighting over the television or what to do at night.

If you aren’t going to live with someone you know, try to screen your roommates the best you can. Make a list of priorities so that you can ask prospective roommates what is most important to them. If you both have neatness and quiet nature at the top of the list, than you likely have a match.

Finally, go with your gut instincts. It may sound a bit clichéd, but often times your first impression about someone is the right impression. You probably also want to stick to someone of the same sex (assuming you’re straight) so that there is no sexual tension that could ruin an otherwise mutually beneficial agreement.