"I just posted the ad like two hours ago," said Drew, a CU student looking for someone to share an empty room in his place on the University Hill. "I've already had a bunch of people calling me about it and have shown the place twice."

With less than two weeks to go before Aug. 1, a popular time for leases to begin throughout the city, the response of people seeking housing can be immediate and overwhelming for people, such as Drew, who choose Craig's List (www.craigslist.org) to post ads for their available rooms.

Unlike eBay and traditional classified ads, there is no cost to post ads on Craig's List, making it a hugely popular venue for those looking for deals on local items for purchase, for personals, and, on a more timely note: for places to live.

Over the weekend, the "Rooms and Shares" forum for the Boulder area alone posted nearly 100 new ads seeking one or more roommates for local room rentals. Those who have used Craig's List to find roommates before are also aware of its popularity -- and those who are smart will use that knowledge to their advantage.

"I expect to get a bunch of inquiries," one poster anticipated, setting a tone of competition among his potential responders. "Please tell me why you would be a good roommate? What makes you unique from the rest?"

In August especially, being picky is one luxury many landlords indulge in. After all, in Boulder, where one local landlord told the Colorado Daily she had two inquiries from potential renters asking if she would allow nude sunbathing in the back yard, you never know exactly what kind of roommate you will end up with.

On the other hand, faced with the attractions of the nearby Rockies, and the chance to live in a vibrant center of environmentalism and liberal thought, and a college town to boot -- the selective process for those seeking a roommate can very greatly from one ad to the next.

For instance, Drew, mentioned above, told the Colorado Daily that he and his roommate are inclined to choose a roommate who likes to "smoke pot, get drunk on the weekends, and have a good time."

Don't be surprised. It is not uncommon for Craig's List posters to address the issue of alcohol and drug use somewhere in the ad -- marijuana, in particular, being popular enough among them to coin the term "420 friendly" in describing a living situation where pot use is acceptable. Since early June, 37 Craig's List ads have included the words "420 friendly."

Of course, not everyone is a party animal seeking more of the same.

"This is definitely NOT a party house," one ad warned.

As always, however, there are those seeking to find a happy medium in the middle.

"We are not the party-hard crowd, but we like to have a good time and get wacky," said another ad.

As with all things Boulder, there are also those who take their own values to an extreme and screen impeccably to weed out roommates who do not share the same views. One ad posted by a self-claimed vegan asked any potential roommate to refrain from cooking or eating meat in his two-bedroom apartment. Another ad, without making reference to any allergies, forbade incoming roommies to use or own scented products.

"This is a fragrance-free household," said the ad, "a little incense or essential oils would be fine, but no perfumes, scented candles, fabric softener, commercial detergent, etc."The aforementioned ad also excluded male tenants -- a less obtuse requirement. Women looking for a place on Craig's List will have an easier go at it than men, whereas only two ads made specific reference to preferring male roommates while 36 sought only females.

Those who have pets, however, will have an even harder time finding a place than those who have penises. A total of 292 ads excluded any and all pets from the premises. In the case of dogs and cats alone, 219 ads forbade dogs while 182 posts shunned cats. Pet owners can take heart, however, that there are still a number of pet-loving homes in Boulder, as there were 137 ads giving the OK to dogs and 118 allowing cats. Interestingly enough, only 69 ads mentioned they would allow both dogs and cats.

So what are the most popular qualities that people are looking for in a future roomie? It may just be more bad news for the party animals, but the quality that generated the biggest response in a search was the word "clean" which returned a whopping 253 posts. A close second was "quiet" which returned 216 posts, followed by "responsible" with 123.

If those numbers are correct, roommates in Boulder would rather have your presence in their home be undetectable than have you pay rent on time. Okay, maybe that's taking it a bit far . . . but you can never know for sure. Happy hunting!

Contact Lance Vaillancourt about this story at (303) 443-6272, ext. 125, or vaillancourt@coloradodaily.com.