I rented a room in DC while I was still in my home country. I used Craigslist and asked a friend check out the place for me. I also asked the landlady for proof of ownership and FaceTimed her before paying the deposit. The location of the house was very important to me. My colleagues who waited until they were in DC eventually found what they wanted but they had to live farther.

There are also a few Facebook groups to find apartments/rooms. Some people on there post about themselves to ask for rooms or roommates.

My Craigslist experience overall wasn’t too bad. I didn’t like how the landlady handled a lot of things but I don’t think I could have avoided that even if I was there myself.