STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

poptart · Coach

I'm moving! Need San Fran help!

zeitgeist4 · Gucci

Have you looked at
Craig's List yet? That will give you an idea of what apartment rental prices are.

Kitty · Hermes

Well, I have lived in the Bay Area my entire life and have lived in the following cities: San Francisco, Hayward, Fremont, Palo Alto, Mountain View.

I currently live in Palo Alto and I absolutely LOVE it.

The range of pricing for a one bedroom is going to vary HUGELY depending on the City.

You'll probably need to give us some more info if you want tips/info to help.

poptart · Coach

Well, I am very open as far as where I live. I just want to be safe and I don't want to live in a vanilla suburby neighborhood. Small community is fine, and I don't need super-trendy, but no massive vanilla apartment complexes for me. I have looked at Craigslist, but because I know nothing about the relative "niceness" of the neighborhoods, it's hard to imagine what to budget for housing. Is it reasonable to think I could find a 1 BR for $1000 a month or less?

Kitty · Hermes

A one bedroom apartment? Yes, in some cities. Not San Francisco, though. But anything else (condo, townhouse, house, cottage, etc.) no...you'll need more than that.

I would check out Berkeley if I were you.

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

I have lived in the Bay Area my entire life. It sounds like Alameda would be a perfect place for you to look. I don't recommend Berkely b/c when I was looking at apartments there the vast majority were old, rundown, and insanely overpriced for what you were getting. Alameda is perfect because it's perfectly situated. It's about 15-20 minutes into SF (you can take the ferry or the express bus), 10-15 minutes to Berkeley. It's on a separate power grid, meaning cheaper utilities, it's a cute little community, and the rent is reasonable. I would recommend looking for places near Park Street, but living along Shoreline Blvd would be cool too.

As for living in SF, if you want a 1 BD, expect to pay AT LEAST $1250, but MUCH more likely $1500. Nob Hill is a great place to live - very central to everything you might want to do in SF.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me!

Hermes

hmmm... SF is one of the most expensive places in the US to live. I found this information:

http://realestate.sfgate.com/RealEstate/rentals/searchresults.asp

here's a map of the area

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&searchtab=home&formtype=address&popflag=0&latitude=&longitude=&name=&phone=&level=&cat=&address=&city=san+francisco&state=ca&zipcode=

-- Edited by detroit at 17:47, 2006-05-22

Kitty · Hermes

Well, I personally love Berkeley because it has so much as far as arts, culture, food, etc. Tons of great bookstores, boutiques, restaurants, bars, etc.

It's such a charming City...

Kitty · Hermes

Oh, and to give you some perspective..I rent a two-bedroom apartment and it's $1395.

sfcaligirl · Dooney & Bourke

yay, another ST-er in the bay area!

i have to say, i would definitely try to live in SF if i were you. yes, it's a little bit more expensive, but it's such a fun city and it's where most of the action is! okay, i'm a little biased since i live here in the city.

anyway, the mission is a great neighborhood with reasonable rent (amazing restaurants, hipster crowd). cole valley is adorable, but maybe not as economical... hayes valley is very up-and-coming and there are some unbelievable boutiques on hayes street. i could go on and on- let me know if you have any questions about all the different neighborhoods!

if you're not looking to settle down in the suburbs just yet, i wouldn't look in the south bay/peninsula (south of the city)... it's pretty vanilla (maybe with the exception of palo alto). marin (just north of the city, across the GG bridge) is beautiful and more quaint than suburban, but it's also a little pricey. berkeley is also great, but it has more of a college town feel in my opinion...

let us bay area girls know if you have any more questions!

eta: i've also heard really good things about walnut creek (in the east bay, farther from SF than berkeley is).

-- Edited by sfcaligirl at 03:39, 2006-05-23

Alikat · Kate Spade

I agree that craigslist is the way to go - it originated in the Bay Area and it is massively utilized.

Are you against getting a roommate? I know a lot of people who found roomies through craigslist - and that way you could get a better price in SF, which personally is where I would want to live the most. Its so convienent to get around there! I love it.

If I moved to SF, I'd want to live on the Panhandle (near Golden Gate Park).

I also agree Berkeley is great. As you get closer to Oakland apartments aren't expensive - and the city lines really blur at some places. I love Rockridge area in Oakland, but I'm not sure how expensive that is, but there are tons of cute shops and restaurants and BART is right there.

-- Edited by Alikat at 12:37, 2006-05-24

poptart · Coach

Thanks for all the advice, girls!

I'm not going to select a place until I actually get there, but this really helps with my research.

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

Just had to reply about Walnut Creek - It is often touted as the new place for "nightlife." This makes me laugh. There are 3 or 4 bars (and a few insignificant ones). The crowd is either very young (21/22) with oodles of their parents money, or much older (mid-30s and up) with lots and lots of money. Walking into the bars you will feel like you are walking into a fraternity/sorority. You will see the same people every single time you go out. However, the shopping is GREAT. But believe me, it's not enough of a reason to live there. Walnut Creek is basically La Jolla/Santa Monica/LA transplanted to the Bay Area. All that being said, I grew up in Walnut Creek, and I do like it. But I would only move there if I were married, rich, and a SAHM. Or had just turned 21, blond, and swimming in my parents' money.

Definitely focus your search on Rockridge, 4th Street in Berkeley, North Berkely (the Gourmet Ghetto is great, although a little overrun by college students), Alameda, even some parts of Oakland. If you want a great up and coming area of Oakland, look near Jack London square. Tons of beautiful lofts. I work in this area, and if I could afford it I'd live here.