Meet our Finalists:

• Aldo Pineda = The All-Star Roommate

Aldo Pineda is no felon, but he is wanted in three states for being too awesome. Aldo displays his cool by training dogs, rescuing troubled friends, being the ultimate motivator and making one great cup of Joe. Vote for Awesome. Vote for Aldo. Submitted by Aldo Pineda of Charlotte, North Carolina.

• Retro Roommate of the Year

Giovanna Pietri flips through a slideshow of handmade drawings to show us why having her as a roommate gets you more than you would ever expect! Jump into her drawings and experience life: being baked delicious pies, meeting your prince charming and even help with a mysterious situation. Give her a view and a vote for her roommate creativity today! Submitted by Giovanna Pietri of Kissimmee, Florida.

• I am my own All-Star Roomie

Justin Yapp is searching for the perfect roommate. After an online listing brings in numerous potential roommates knocking at his door, the perfect roommate walks right in and sings a stellar tune to show why he’s the right pick. Is it all a dream? Is Justin actually his own all-star roomie? Watch to find out and vote for Justin! Submitted by Justin Yapp of Madison, Wisconsin.

• Mr. Suit Does It All in Style

Ali Ijaz wears a suit like no other roommate in the world! No, he isn’t a debonair secret agent or well-dressed corporate executive, yet he belts out a jingle in style to show how he cooks scrambled eggs, cleans up messes, and takes care of all  pets, even miniature-sized goats. A vote for Ali is a vote for stylish roommates everywhere. Submitted by Ali Ijaz of San Marcos, Texas.

•  Compulsive Noir

Think being a lovable compulsive roommate of the year is a breeze? For Sharod, it is, until you run into dried nacho cheese. This fictional crime-like video features a secret package and shadowy household chores.  Get the secret mission done and vote for Sharod! Submitted by Sharod Bell of McDonough, Georgia.

Remember, if the grand prize winner lives at your apartment community, you could also win $1,000 if you entered our promotion.

In addition to Dan winning the Grand Prize, four other fantastic roomies will receive $500 as runner-up winners:

• Arnold Molano of Baton Rouge, LA – Roommate of the Year ‘12
• Jake Tomko of Manassas, VA – The Singing Roommate
• Matthew Cooper of Brooklyn, NY – The Son She Never Had
• Charlotte O’Brien of Oviedo, FL – Charlotte & Ivy

All the winning entries can be viewed at www.RoommateoftheYear.com. We thank everyone who entered, and are proud of all our finalists for their hard work, enthusiasm and creativity.

Stayed tuned for more details on how the enter the next contest in spring of 2013.

Apartments.com is once again searching for America’s best roommate in the 4th annual Roommate of the Year contest, and we need your help!  For the past three years, our winners have moved on to accomplish some amazing milestones with their winnings.  Thanks to living rent free for an entire year, our 2009 Grand Prize Winner, Keaton Davis, moved to New York City for a summer to work as an intern at the CBS Early Show.  Our 2010 winner, Andrew Prestler, was able to put his prize money toward paying off his college tuition.  Last year’s Roommate of the Year, Jesse McLaughlin, recently upgraded his roommate status to happily-ever-after, when he proposed to his girlfriend, who is also his roommate.  Jesse was also a resident at one of our advertiser’s communities!  Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to enrich one of your resident’s lives while enjoying an extra grand.   

How Residents Can Enter:

•  Submit a video entry to www.roommateoftheyear.com illustrating acts of roommate greatness for a chance to win the Grand Prize of FREE Rent for a Year + $10,000.
• Renters across the country will be entering the contest now through May 21, 2012.   

Grand Prize:

• Don’t let your residents miss out on this opportunity to compete for the Grand Prize – FREE Rent for a Year + $10,000 and the coveted title of Roommate of the Year.

What You Can Win:

• You can win, too!  If the Grand Prize Winner lives in your community, we’ll reward you with $1,000 for helping us find the Apartments.com Roommate of the Year!

How You Can Help Promote the Contest:

To help you promote the Roommate of the Year contest to your residents, Apartments.com has provided downloadable contest posters and flyers.  Showcase them throughout your community where they will most likely catch the attention of your residents:

• Hang in clubhouses, laundry rooms or other common areas
• Distribute to each resident in their mailbox or deliver to their front door
• Put information in your community’s newsletter, and post it to Facebook and Twitter
• Get creative!  We’re ready to award you with $1,000!

What are you waiting for?  Start promoting the Apartments.com Roommate of the Year contest and you could be one step closer to winning $1,000!  Enter, download promotion materials and view great promotion tips here!

Want more details about the contest?  Visit http://www.roommateoftheyear.com/.

1. Talk money before the move
Discuss finances up front, even before you start looking at apartments, to make sure you establish what each person is comfortable contributing financially.  When you have this discussion, remember to include the cost for internet, utilities, parking and any other fees that may arise.

2. Respect personal space
When you move in, make sure to  give yourselves some space that is your own, especially if this is the first time you are moving in with a significant other.  As crazy as you are about each other, spending every minute in the apartment together may drive you both a little batty.  Ensure each person still has some alone time carved out for themselves.

3. Discuss décor
Hand-in-hand with respecting your significant other’s personal space is respecting their personal decorating style – or lack thereof.  You may think the black velvet painting is tacky, but it may hold sentimental value for your sweetheart.  Before either of you hang (or purge) anything, sit down and talk about your decorating styles and how you can make them blend harmoniously.

4. Don’t forget dates
By dates, I’m not talking about when bills are due or your anniversary–although those are important to remember too – but dates as in dinner and movies.  Once you live together, it’s easy to mistake seeing each other around the apartment for quality time.  Be sure to make time for a night out on the town together or plan a special evening at home.  Remember, this is your potential soul mate, not just a roommate you split the bills with.

5. Consider going halfsies on large purchases
Shared purchases are an interesting issue.  To fill your apartment, you may need a new couch or dining room table – or you may just want that new big screen TV.  So, who pays for this major expense?  Consider splitting it 50/50 (or in whatever way makes financial sense for you as a couple).  Although your mind may have a tendency to fast forward to who will get this item if you break up down the road, remember making these purchases together shows your partner you’re committed to the relationship and investing in your future together.

Do you have any resident or leasing office love stories you’d like to share?  We’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.

Help decide who will be named the next Roommate of the Year! Check out who is competing for the ultimate roommate glory and remember to read the judging criteria before casting your vote.

Vote once a day now through July 31, 2011.

The Roommate of the Year Contest is just another example of how Apartments.com drives renter exposure to your listings. Stay tuned for updates on contest headlines in your town!

Do you have a favorite roomie? Tell us in the comments below and help them advance in the competition by voting every day.

I could go on and on but I’ll let the clips speak for themselves. For a taste of what viewers around the country tuned into, check out this reel where we highlight seven out of the 26 interviews.  To view specific segments, click on the drop-down menu and choose any of the morning shows from the following markets.

1. Daily Buzz (national)
2. Seattle, WA
3. Salt Lake, UT
4. Waco, TX
5. Rochester, NY
6. Topeka, KS
7. Harrisburg, PA

With some of the segments still scheduled to run this month, Apartments.com has already reached more than 3 MM consumers and expect to reach millions more from our exposure on nearly 30 TV and radio stations in a national satellite media tour! By elevating our brand awareness through aggressive PR tactics, we continue to drive unmatched exposure to you.

For a full list of TV and radio coverage, click here.

For a sneak peek for how our satellite media tour came together that morning—including Andrew and I getting our hair and makeup done at 4AM, shots from the bustling control room, the set and directors yelling Cut!, watch our behind the scenes video.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our 3rd annual Apartments.com Roommate of the Year Contest—live now! As we search the nation high and low for the best roomie, we turn to you, once again, for support. Could the next Roommate of the Year be living under YOUR roof? If so, not only could you help them win the Grand Prize of FREE Rent for a Year plus $10,000, but you can also walk away $1,000 richer for promoting the contest!

Scratching your head asking yourself “How can I help?” Don’t worry. We’ve made it easy! Simply, fill out the entry form, read the official rules and visit the Roommate of the Year Contest promotion website to get started on spreading the word. From flyers to distribute to your residents, to posters you can showcase in the most popular areas of the apartment community, to social media tips and banner ads for your website, we’ve got you covered!

If we crown a resident, living at your apartment community, as the Roommate of the Year, you will be rewarded with $1,000. This is a token of our appreciation for helping us uncover the quintessential roomie. Be sure to tell residents that they only have until June 13, 2011 to submit their video entry of two minutes or less to www.RoommateOfTheYear.com for a shot at living rent free!

For full details on the Roommate of the Year Contest and to view previous Hall of Fame entries for inspiration, direct residents to www.RoommateOfTheYear.com.

Our third annual Roommate of the Year Contest is coming soon, so we invited our 2010 Grand Prize Winner, Andrew Prestler, to come to Chicago and help us film our intro video. Luckily, I had my Flipcam to capture all the behind the scenes fun!

The Roommate of the Year Contest has been very successful for the last two years and we are so excited to see what creative ways people come up with to tell us why they should be crowned our winner this year! We love getting our property management companies involved in the contest, too! Our Public Relations Manager works hard to generate widespread awareness of the Roommate of the Year Contest through a national media blitz, which in turn drives even more exposure to your listings. We also give you a chance to win! If our Grand Prize Winner lives in one of your apartment communities, you will win $1,000 courtesy of Apartments.com. Pretty cool, right? So make sure to let your residents know we start accepting entries on April 25, 2011!

Below are some behind the scenes clips from our crazy day of filming. You can watch the full video at www.roommateoftheyear.com. If you pay close attention you may recognize some of the extras!