r/SFBayHousing

I'm moving from a small suburb for a job at Google's San Bruno office. I'll be in the office 3 days a week, have a car, and my budget is under $3,000/month. I'd prefer to live alone in a 1-bedroom if possible.

I'm looking for advice on:

• Which cities or neighborhoods would you recommend?
• What's a realistic budget for a decent 1-bedroom?
• How long of a commute should I expect?
• Any areas I should avoid?
• What websites or apps are best for finding rentals?
• Is it worth living in San Francisco, or should I stay closer to San Bruno or somewhere ese?

I'd love to hear from anyone who works at Google or has made a similar move. Thanks!

I’m starting a job working in San Francisco FiDi and my partner is starting a job in San Jose. We plan to have one car between the two of us. One person will drive and the other will take public transit to work. We’re in our late 20s so are looking for neighborhoods which have some vibrancy - like cafes, restaurants and parks without killer commutes for one/both of us. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to live / how to make this work?

Hi! I’m a 27 F, travel OT moving to California! I’m starting my first contract out in Burlingame in August and would love to connect with people in the SF or near areas! I love going to museums, local markets, amusement parks, trying new cafes, big on dessert,and going on walks :) please reach out if you think we’d get along! Hope to make some new friends!!

Hi! I just moved to the Bay Area and basically have no furniture.

Where do you recommend buying furniture that's affordable but still good quality? I'm open to both new and used options.

I'm in Santa Clara. Thanks!

Doing some research, would appreciate thoughts

If you’re looking for a room or roommate in SF, what’s been harder: getting replies, avoiding scams, or finding a place that fits your budget/location?

If you’re trying to fill a room, what’s more annoying: people not reading the listing, people ghosting after showing interest, or people not matching the basic requirements?

Hi everyone! My friend and I have been apartment hunting for 2 months and have yet to find anything. I’m looking for an apartment that has 2BR and a decent sized living room that is within 30 min commute to embarcadaro or SOMA. I remember seeing a lot of units at our budget last year but rent has just skyrocketed since then. I think Mission, Hayes Valley, or Duboce is likely our best option transit wise but I haven’t been able to find anything. We’re clean, respectful tenants who take care of the places we rent from well. This housing search has been taking a toll on me mentally where so many apartments I look for either have landlords increase price due to demand or have 30+ applicants tour the place. Any leads would be super appreciated from some Redditors.

Hi,

I am a New grad starting work as SWE at Salesforce. I am looking for a 1 br apartment or a room in a 2 Bed. I prefer a gated community, gym and preferably within 20-30 minutes of commute to work at the tower. Kindly let me know if anyone has any leads.

Hello!

I am moving to the bay and I will essentially be a stay at home mom for a couple months until I secure employment. My partner makes around $270k, I currently earn $200k working in sales + in a LCOL area. My credit tanked after going through a period of unemployment and I have been working to improve my score. I am in the low 600s.

My question is, since my partner will be the only source income in SF for a period of time, how will landlords view my credit score as an occupant and not the person financially responsible for the rent.

I've been struggling to find housing in SF -- looking for either $3500 1br with in-unit laundry or a $6500 2br with parking included and at least shared laundry. Just needs to be a safe neighbourhood, ideally ~20 min commute from FiDi. Looking to move in this month, but can stretch it out to early August if needed.

I'm on all the sites: Craigslist, Zillow, Facebook groups, etc. Is there anything else I can do? Please reach out if you have any leads.

Available for rent is a 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms apartment in Potrero Hill. No parking. Laundry on premise. No pet. 1 year lease. Looking for July move-in.

Feel free to PM for more details.

I am currently looking to relocate to the east bay from SF. I will be commuting on Bart into the SF financial district at least 3-4 days per week and I am curious what area would be best for me. I have started looking at rentals in Emeryville, downtown Oakland and parts of the Berkeley area but I am very curious about San Leandro - It seems to have plenty of affordable rentals and looks like a nice area but I do not know much about it. Is it a commuter friendly town and would I be ok without a car for a while? How is the public transportation? I am so used to public transportation that I am not wanting to buy a car for a few months or longer if possible. As for Oakland, is downtown best for commuting? Any other affordable areas good for commuting and close to shopping? I really want to be close to a Bart station since I go into work quite early. Sorry for so many questions but I really want to make sure that wherever I do end up is for the long-term as I am sick of moving. I appreciate any advice or tips and thank you in advance!

Why is it so hard to find proper housing in SF?😭

If any of you have recommendations for decent places to stay, please drop them here. My office is in SoMa so somewhere closer to that (+safe) would be great. I’m open to around 40 minutes of commute too if necessary. I’d prefer an apartment complex since those tend to be safer (?).

Please help!😭😭😭

Looking for qualified tennants for a 2 bed/2bath 1301 sq ft condo in Portrero Hill, preferably on a shorter term lease, 6-9 months, but 1 year is okay. 8250$ per mo (negotiable)

Includes Water/Sewer/Trash and 1 deeded garage parking spot. Plenty of street parking is also available if you need. In unit washer/dryer also included.

Not furnished, pet policy is preferably no, but can be negotiated depending on how many/size of animal(s). Ideally start date is sometime between July 15th-Aug 10th.

Feel free to PM for more details or pictures, etc.

Has anyone else experienced something like this at The George Apartments?

Last year, I signed a lease for a 2 bed / 1 bath for $4,005/month. Right before my move-in date, management told me that unit was no longer available. Instead, they offered me a slightly larger unit that normally rented for $4,500/month, but with concessions my actual rent came out to about $4,100/month.

Now it’s time to renew, and they increased my rent by about 10%—but they’re calculating the increase from the $4,500 base rent instead of the $4,005 unit I originally signed for. That brings my renewal to nearly $5,000/month.

Has anyone else dealt with this at The George? Were you able to negotiate or get them to honor your original lease terms? Any advice would be appreciated.

I found a studio through a friend for $3,000/month near Castro, and I'm trying to figure out whether this is a good deal or if the landlord's behavior is too much of a red flag.

The place itself is a standalone house. The first floor has a garage, laundry room, a small storage room, and a large storage room. The second floor is the studio with a large closet, full kitchen, and small bathroom. I pay garbage, water, electric. There are old laundry machines there and if they break, I will buy my own.

The issue is the landlord. She initially refused to give me a copy of the lease to review on my own. She wanted me to read it with her and sign it on the spot. When I told her it's standard practice to review a lease beforehand on my own, she launched into a speech about how she's doing me a huge favor by renting to me, letting my cat stay for free (an ESA), and trusting that I'll pay rent every month. For context, I make less than 3x the rent, but I showed her I have enough savings to cover it.

After some back and forth, she finally agreed to let me review the lease ahead of time. But the whole interaction left me uneasy. I don't love being told that I'm being done a huge favor by someone I'm paying $3,000 a month. It also makes me wonder if she'll guilt-trip me anytime I need repairs or have issues with the property.

Another thing: she wants me to drive the signed lease out to her in the East Bay and won't accept a scanned copy. She is elderly, so I understand she may prefer doing things a certain way, but the person acting as her intermediary is also emphasizing what a huge favor they're doing for me.

Am I overthinking this, or are these legitimate red flags? Would you pass on an otherwise good apartment because of this?

My first plan for renters might be falling through, so I'm just putting out some feelers for if there would be interest: (Rent controlled)

It's a 2b/1b lower duplex unit that has a full kitchen, but not much space outside of the bedrooms (very small living area or dining area), but shared access to backyard, with sliding doors to the backyard in each bedroom. Recently renovated, has modern appliances and mini-splits for heating/cooling in the main rooms.

Pets are negotiable, parking can be a bitch and would be on your own, but very convenient to the 14 mission muni line, and like 4 blocks from the Daly City BART station. Ideal for those who don't have cars :D

Looking for ~4k, trash/water included, you would be responsible for electric. You can mooch off our wifi if you don't want your own :)