What if your home was more than just a place to live? What if it took care of the tedious parts of everyday life (like cleaning, paying utility bills, and shopping for the basics) and there were always a bunch of interesting and like-minded people hanging out in your living room? Brad Hargreaves, CEO of Common, has structured his co-living housing company to be just that.
While we’ve reported on Common before (as well as WeWork’s similar new shared housing setup in FiDi), today we’re going behind the scenes at Common’s first outpost located in Crown Heights. We asked three residents why they chose to live at Common, if this catered style of co-living beats the standard New York roommate setup, and, of course, what we all really want to know—with 10 different personalities under one roof, just how “Real World” do things get?
Common manages residential properties owned by real estate developers. Common residents don’t pay typical rent, they pay a “membership fee.” This fee includes rent for a private bedroom (ranging from $1,800 and $1,950) and utilities, but it also gives them access to shared common areas, free on-site laundry, weekly cleaning, wifi, two bathrooms, kitchens stocked with appliances, all furniture and bedding and an unending supply of coffee, tea and toilet paper (the things most roommates fight over).
Common members use the group messaging app Slack (along with Common employees and the building manager) to ask questions to other residents (“does anyone have a cup of sugar”), alert the manager to problems (which reportedly get fixed within hours) or suggestions (one resident commented, “wouldn’t it be nice to have blenders” and all the kitchens had blenders the next day).
The refrain heard over and over by those who live in Common buildings is that living there makes life easier while they focus on getting their careers on track.
So far the residents are thrilled with their housing saying, “This is Common’s product and they are trying to make it the best experience possible.”
What’s your profession?
I’m an iOS engineer at Conde Nast.
Where are you from?
I’m from L.A. but I moved to New York from San Francisco three weeks ago.
I moved around three times in my five years in San Francisco and it’s like the wild west. I have always had roommates because rents in San Francisco are so incredibly expensive. The moment something comes up on Craigslist, you have to be there, be ready with credit score, be vetted, and you have to sweet talk the person showing the place to make sure you are the person they remember.
How long do you intend to stay?
I first signed a month-to-month contract but I just extended it to a three-month lease. That will give me some time to meet some real estate agents and figure out which neighborhoods I want to live in. I only visited New York twice before I moved here.
My biggest hurdle was finding a place without being here. I was talking to friends who live in New York and they were telling me all about the brokers’ fees, how things go off market really fast. Not understanding how New York works and what it’s like to live in one of these boroughs, I really needed time to explore all of my options. This is a great way to do that.
There are certain places similar to this in San Francisco. I met a few people who are co-living in giant Victorians but they weren’t run by a company, it was just a group of people. They were always really interesting people and there always seemed to be a few artists to help decorate the house.
What about co-living appeals to you the most?
The idea of co-living was daunting when I initially thought about it. Having nine roommates is a lot. But I figured, what the hell? I realized that we’d each have our own floors so it’s really like I have two roommates and others are a part of the complex. The place looked beautiful online and the situation kind of fell into my lap.
There are a lot of great perks to it, but most importantly it’s one less thing to worry about. Supposedly, Obama only has to choose between two suits in the morning, a blue suit or a grey suit. He says it optimizes his productivity. It’s just one less thing to have to worry about. That’s what it’s like here.
What about this experience is not what you expected from co-living?
It was really nice to see that everything was already set for me when I got here. I landed at the airport at 9 p.m. on a Friday. The caretaker and his brother met me at the building and helped me carry two 50-pound boxes to my room. When I got into my room it was picture perfect. All I had to do was unpack.
How is this different than college dorm living?
I lived in a college dorm for one year. The only similarity of dorms to here is that I didn’t know the people I was living with. But other than that, it doesn’t feel like college to me at all. Everyone here is in different stage in their life. We all stumbled on this situation and we’re living here for the meantime. I’m sure most of the people will move out in a few months, it’s so easy.
Is living there anything like being on “Melrose Place” or “The Real World”?
Co-living seems to attract people that have similar mindsets and want to have an experience. People think, “Maybe these places will throw cool parties, and go on trips together.” You either spend your time at work or at home. If you’re not married, might as make the most of it and be with people you enjoy.
What has been your favorite event at Common?
I am pretty busy with work. I’m new in this city so I feel I have to overachieve. I go to work early and stay late so I don’t get to do everything they do here, but my favorite event was the Thanksgiving dinner we had a couple of weeks ago [it’s March]. For me Thanksgiving is something you do with your family and the people you care about. So it was really nice to be with a bunch of people that kind of know each other and are getting to know each other better. It was so great that the person who suggested we hold this dinner used to be a chef. He made an epic turkey! And everyone contributed. I made a homemade mac and cheese and one of my roommate’s made yams. We had a really amazing dinner.
What’s your profession?
I do global marketing at Bloomberg.
Where are you from?
I was born in New York but grew up in Georgia.
Where did you live before this?
I’ve moved around a lot lately. Before this, I had a year lease on the Upper East Side with two roommates. I thought I was going to relocate out of the country so I gave up my apartment, sold all my furniture and moved in with a relative for a few weeks. Then my move out of the country didn’t happen so I needed to find a place, at which point, I had my “quarter life crisis.” I took a trip to Asia for business and ended up extending the trip for a few weeks and backpacked around Thailand. I traveled by myself and had an amazing time meeting all of these people while staying in hostels. Everyone I met was from different walks of life but they had a similar mindset. When I came back to New York, I wanted to have a similar experience.
I googled hostels in New York but I would never live in a hostel here. There was no way I going to sleep in a bunk bed. Then I looked at Airbnb but that was too expensive. Then I googled “adult dorm” and that’s how I found Common. But this is very different than a dorm.
