OT - Moving to San Francisco
I'm hoping to solicit a little MGoHelp. I'm moving to San Francisco from Los Angeles in a few weeks - mostly so I can troll both Oakland and the 49ers, and secondarily for a new job.
I'm looking for an apartment, and wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I know this is near-impossilbe, but trying to find something within a reasonable price range ($1,500-$2,300), and open to roommates. I'm open to living in Oakland as long as it's not too hard to get to a BART.
Any advice on neighborhoods or where to look would be appreciated! Thanks.
Once every 40 years at least. Good one today.
Temescal, Lake Merritt, Rockridge all have good culture, vibe, reasonable nightlife. Never completely safe, but Oakland is a lot of fun right now and generally worth the trade off. I don't know the rental market but you'll have better luck than in SF. Stay away from Walnut Creek unless you're prepared for boring suburban life.
You should definitely look to be sharing a place, on that budget. Sunset/Parkside/Richmond are relatively cheap. Of those, I think Inner Richmond has the most in terms of night life. (Plus, as of a couple years ago, Blarney Stone was a Michigan bar, and was on Geary in between Inner/Outer Richmond). I lived with friends in Parkside when I first moved to the City some years back, and saved $$$.
A good place to look that is off the radar for the most part is West Oakland. You can get accross the bridge and into the city in 20-25 minutes on a bus, and you are not far from cool parts of Oakland (Temescal, Lake Merritt).
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We moved to the Bay a year ago from AA and I FEEL YOUR PAIN!
We now live in Berkeley (NTB) in a 1 bedroom. We pay a bit more than your budget, and it is considered a deal in these parts.
Patrick.nolan has the right idea. Here is what we did:
If you can swing it for a few months (employer may help?), I would recommend you move up here on a short-term lease, a sublet, or into a long-term AirBnB. Once here you will definitely have better luck finding something you like. At worst* you will end up in Walnut Creek or the like—but you would then get to spend a few weeks or months living in a more vibrant location.
I know plenty of people who are paying a lot less than we are BTW, especially if they are more flexible than we are about roommates and neighborhoods. The trick is, they all either have some special deal (eg. caring for the landlord's cat) or they took over a room in a rent controlled apartment where the primary lease-holder has lived for a decade. These situations can be super weird, so you really need to be here to investigate them personally. Typically, the very best rentals don't get posted online; mostly they are passed along to friends or co-workers etc.
Good luck!
*Some people, maybe you, really like Walnut Creek; this is just my opinion FWIW
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hit the nail on the head
living in the city is overrated...and exp
walnut creek is nice, but very bougie...
the south bay is nice (im in san jose), but id chose the suburb based on where i work
if its sf, staying somewhere in the peninsula is WAY better than blowing your checks on a sf zipcode, imo
I live in the Inner Richmond and it's a great spot. Easy access to downtown via bus, and lots of good restaraunts and bars. Rent is reasonable for SF ($3700 for a two bedroom), and street parking is pretty easy so no need for a garage. The biggest perk though is having easy access to two huge parks (Golden Gate Park and the Presidio). If you enjoy running/walking, or have a dog this is the absolute best spot in the city. Use Craig's list to look for apartments, although I've heard that some landlords are just posting signs on buildings and finding local tenants that way. Wouldn't hurt to drive around and call any place that's advertising. Just for reference, three years ago I looked at 20 places before I "got" an apartment.
If you're open to roommates then you can live in the City and stay within that price range, but if you want your own place, then you're going to have to venture out into the Peninsula or the East Bay.
Having said that, I think living in the City is really overrated for the ridiculous rents you would pay up there. There are plenty of nice areas in Oakland or elsewhere in the East Bay that give you easy access to the City but won't cost you an arm and a leg. But I'm a 35-year old dude with a family and an office job in the South Bay, so my perspective is a little different.
Glen Park: Best neighborhood with a BART station
Bernal Heights: Like floating safely above the Mission
Porter to Hill: Sunniest part of the city, also home to Anchor Brewing and 5 minute bike ride to giants games
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if you find a place in Duboce Triangle for that price, don't ever give it up. I haven't.
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Walnut Creek is the suburbs. It's a nice suburb, but a suburb. It looks like a suburb and feels like a suburb. Also, if it matters to you, it gets a lot hotter out there as you lose the natural air conditioning from the Bay, sometimes this could be the difference between being in 75-80 degree weather by the Bay and 100 in Walnut Creek. If you are on the east side of the Caldecott tunnel you'll want air conditioning, west side it's rarely needed. Rockridge/Piedmont Ave/ Lake Merritt area in Oakland sounds like what you are looking for, but it won't be cheap (though not as bad as the CIty). It's more expensive to live closer to the Bay, but there is a reason for that.
I lived in SF for 5 years in the Haight and now 20 years in the East Bay. Can't think of ever moving. Just get out here as best you can. Live anywhere, check out where you want to live on your free time. When you hear places are not safe I would rather walk anywhere in Oakland at any time of day rather than Detroit or NYC. It's a whole different mindset.
If you have to stick to that budget find a place anywhere near transportation, spend time off in the city where you want to live and be ready to strike when the opportunity lands. At some point when you want to settle down the suburbs become a better option but not while you are young !
Really? Oakland as safer than NYC? You'd rather walk anywhere in Oakland at any time of day than NYC or Detroit? Because statistically, Oakland has 3 times the violent crime rate of New York and the murder rate is even more disproportionate. So...I dunno. The facts don't fit that gut instinct. And as bad as Detroit is, there's not much seperation between it and Oakland. East Oakland may not be the worst area in America, but it is at least part of the conversation of least safe places to be.
Lot of good suggestions here, depending on where you're working I would also recommend Temescal (near MacArthur Bart), Rockridge or Berkeley areas. East Bay and North Oakland have a lot of great neighborhoods and the weather is often a good 10 degrees warmer than across the bay in SF.
Padmapper is a helpful website - it takes listings from Craiglist and others and shows apartments with rents - on a map. You can click on the icon and it takes you directly to the listing. check it out!
I lived in the Piedmont area for 10 years, it's a very nice neighborhood in Oakland and if you can find a reasonable apartment there I would highly recommend it. Oakland has a lot of great restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs as young business owners are finding the rents more reasonable than SF.
Unfortunately I had to move to Dublin/Pleasanton area recently, sharing a small 2 bdrm apartment for 1150 each. it's a safe area, but boring.. and hot!
If you say which city you're working in or have other questions I could chime in! Good luck..
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