Since my friend
@Dicey tagged, I will chime in.
Roommates, and your ability to live happily with them have as much to do with you as to do with who you rent from. I have lived with roommates for most of my life in all kinds of situations- including sharing tiny cruise ship cabins without having any choice in the matter- though I have also lived alone.
You can make the best of the situation for as long as you want to or don't. With regards to the woman's response to you- nothing weird about it. You are both "presenting" what you believe will be appealing to a potential shared living situation. You probably indicated in your ad that you were responsible, reliable, able to pay, etc.
She may have experienced ageism or some other type of bad experience that she wants to let you know accurately what the living situation is.
I will echo the sentiments of others here- if it is a good living situation for you- then do it! If it isn't a good fit, then don't! But for certain, the benefits of a good roommate are more than just a savings on rent.
Also- for what it's worth, for a variety of reasons having regular stay over guests is probably taboo for many living situations. It was a strict no-no for a dear friend I lived with for a long time. It sucked, but I respected her and her wishes. It didn't deter me from an active dating life, and taught me a lot. Although, I won't pretend that it didn't cause some inconvenience along the way.
There are very few perfect situations- and in my experience the best way to get and appreciate a situation, is to sacrifice and work hard to get what you want. Getting a single apartment that isn't what you want forever is costing you the ability to achieve the single place that you want forever faster.... ;-)
Side note- I think it is worth examining the view that your living situation should meet "all of your wants" -- Some things that we think are impossible to live without are VERY possible. Many parents consider that they need bedrooms for all their children- while we have a generation of kids that regular deal with a lack of ability to deal with people in real life. I shared a bedroom with my sister until I was 6 or 7.
I believe that if you are honest with yourself, and think creatively- especially if you are willing to forgo something that most people think of as an "absolute must have" you will find a world of options out there that are really amazing.
In my case, I was able to live in a beautiful home in a gated community with a wonderful woman who became my best friend for a tiny fraction of going rate rent purely because I was willing to move in with a very religious, kindly older woman. Even though I had very different beliefs from her, I respected her, and living with her was one of the great blessings in my life.
