Single parent- housing options?

[Anonymous]

I am a single mother with a 4 yr old son. I am having trouble finding affordable housing in the area (I know that is probably an oxymoron in this area Aside from Craigslist, is there anywhere else I could find housing? I am looking to get into a great school district so a friend recommended renting a basement apt in a single family home. But 2 bedroom basement apts are hard to come by. I am looking for some creative solutions to this problem. I also thought about just renting a 1 bedroom and getting a really comfy queen sleeper sofa for myself and my son could have the bedroom. Or transform the dining area into a bedroom? I am also able to babysit for reduced rent for a basement apt. Where could I find a situation like that? I am a really responsible person who just won't be making enough money to afford much. Any ideas? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried CoAbode.com? It's a single mom housing matching service. With one child, you should be able to find another mom with one or two kids and share a 4 bdrm house. When I was single raising my son up to age 6, I would have LOVED to have another adult in the house, and have other kids for my son to play with. It would help with the ability to run an evening errand too, with another adult in the house to cover the kids for 30 mins, kwim?

http://coabode.com/

Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

I found our very cheap rental in a great neighborhood in the Washington Post classifieds. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Is this your first time buying a home?

HUD has some great options for first time home buyers and banks, too, will usually give you a decent deal for first timers. Just check out HUD's homepage and you'll see.

If you are willing to babysit for reduced rent then perhaps you should consider becoming a LI nanny/housekeeper type of deal.

Get yourself a good real estate agent who will be your advocate and will help you weed out the places that aren't applicable to your situation and will help you navigate and expedite the process.