Where to start looking for housing in SF

live for kickz · Feb 3, 2008

I know im probably a little early, but doing some research ahead of time never hurt anyone. My job starts around July a block from Union Square. Lookingto get into a decent one bedroom or two bedroom place.

My question is where should I look. I am on CL looking alot but it seems that this is only the tip of the iceberg regarding available housing. Should I trythe chronicle site? Are there any other palces that have a wide variety of listings? Also, if anyone has any experience, when would be the best time to startreally actively looking to find a place.

sfknights1310 · Feb 3, 2008

It's never too early to look for housing! I'm looking for a place in Daly City with no luck and I've gone through craigslist a bunch of times onlyto find the same listings over and over. My problem is I have a dog and I'm not really looking to move in a place that won't let me keep my dog.

Also, some people want like first and last months PLUS a cleaning deposit which in my opinion is just insane to get some to cough up that much cash. I'm inthe same position in regards to finding and alternate method of finding housing. I've had a few leads at laundry mats that have housing posted on bulletinboards. Good luck in your search!

jcsellsf · Feb 3, 2008

CL is yur best bet. union square is expensive to park! u can fin cheap parking lots for around $9-12 a day or bart/muni it. the best place to find a spot wouldbe near a bart or muni station. look in the neighborhoods for bayview, excelisor/outermission, visitation vally. also try glen park, mission distict, soma,west portal, and noe valley but they are a little more expensive than the others. also try daly cty & south sf, real nice place to live but the cops are%$#+$*@ x 1000! and keep in mind parking is a !!%+$!

live for kickz · Feb 4, 2008

Thanks, I agree being around muni would be nice, but walking to and from work would be worth a few more dollars a month than having to deal with the hassle ofrelying on muni to get me there on tiime or having to drive to work. I noticed one site http://mmgprop.com/index.phpthat has some nice spots open up once in a while. The sfgate site just sucks, I guess I may resort to a few weekends of walking and just poppin my head intoplaces. Like I said I amy be a bit early and I doubt I could lock down a place right now but if I look like I need to, then when the time comes it should be abit easier. Are there any college housing sites than have a good ammount of listings?

jgordo415 · Feb 4, 2008

also check out rent.com i believe it a ebay company .. apartmentguide.com as well.. hope that helps

live for kickz · Feb 4, 2008

Originally Posted by jgordo415

also check out rent.com i believe it a ebay company .. apartmentguide.com as well.. hope that helps

Thanks forgot about those sites, looks like a good place to start

live for kickz · Mar 18, 2008

Any other ideas, im guessing may would be the time id start aggresively looking

live for kickz · May 19, 2008

sorry to dig up this old thread, but finally figured out my start date and project location, will be working in burlingame right off of milbrae. Will probablycommute from the city or use bart. any auiggestions as to what neighborhoods would be good for a 23 yr old professional. Id love to be in the marina but costand extra travel distance might make it a bit hard.

throwbacksinsf · May 19, 2008

I dont know what your budget is but basically anything halfway decent in SF is ridiculously expensive. If you just go to the next city in either direction(Emeryville or Daly City) things get much cheaper. What you can get there for $1500 will cost $2300-2500 in SF. But that is the price you pay to live in SF.

Check out San Mateo which wouldn't be too far from your work. They got nice spots out there.

But if you really wanna live in SF, Craigslist is probably the best place to look. Just search everyday and be patient. I did that everyday for a year before Ifound the right spot.

live for kickz · May 19, 2008

Thanks for the help. I have been on CL last 3 weeks straight, so I know what you are talking about. Only problem I am running into is that I wont be in the Bayuntil July 1 and most dont want to sign a lease and then sit on an apartment for a month, so it seems like I wont be able to lock something down until midJune, which might lead me to take something out of desperation.

As far as locating to another city, Id consider after a few years but the only reason I left home (sac) was to go either LA or SF and I feel like staying in DCor Emeryville would kinda be pointless.

sfknights1310 · May 19, 2008

Try South San Francisco when you check craigslist. I've seen a few good deals and when you actually drive around in that area I always see plenty of"For Rent" signs and different apartment complexes.