http://padmapper.com as others mention here.
Click on Filter Listings, enter your criteria for your ideal apt, and then get daily email alerts sent to you too. It's an awesome resource.
Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
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Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#12I think it's Caltrain, not BART in Redwood City
Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#13The best apartments in San Francisco will never be online. You'll need to get to the neighborhoods you like and walk around.
You'll find plenty of large apartment buildings online, but the really quaint nice spots just have a sign in the window.
Lots of people move here and even more talk about it. I'd guess having a sign in the window cuts down on the BS.
Redwood City is fine for work but if you're moving here you'll have way more fun in San Francisco.
Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#14I'm also interning out in San Francisco from June to August/September, and looking for a place to stay. A friend out in SF recommended http://www.sfhomestay.com/ to me.
Padmapper looks pretty good though, and I'm going to spend some time checking that out now.
Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#15You don't have get an apartment in SF if you'll be working in RWC. Remember: SF is not the Bay Area. The Bay Area is a large metropolitan area with three major cities. You'll be working about halfway between two of them (SF and San Jose). You might very well want to stay in Mtn View or Palo Alto -- much more hip in the tech sense than SF.
Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#16You don't have get an apartment in SF if you'll be working in RWC. Remember: SF is not the Bay Area. The Bay Area is a large metropolitan area with three major cities. You'll be working about halfway between two of them (SF and San Jose). You might very well want to stay in Mtn View or Palo Alto -- much more hip in the tech sense than SF.
I was going to recommend the South Bay, but I wouldn't say MV/PA since Santa Clara is right there and much cheaper in my experience in terms of rent.
Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#17Padmapper.com puts listings on a map, and includes a lot of useful features like remembering listings you've already viewed.
Thanks for the suggestion. Padmapper indeed is pretty great, but the one problem I'm having is that most of the listings are for 12 month leases (or similar). Is there anyway to narrow the results to just sublets or listings just over the summer?
Find a place you want to live and call the complex to see if they have shorter-term leases available.
Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#18I think it's Caltrain, not BART in Redwood City
This is correct, BART stops in Millbrae.
The San Francisco Caltrain stops are at 22nd (in potrero hill) and 4th and King (SOMA). If you don't live in either of those neighborhoods, you'll need to take a bus or MUNI train to the station.
Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#19Check out http://www.prometheusreg.com/. We moved to Sunnyvale from Minnesota and leased our apartment sight unseen. We later moved to another one of their complexes in San Mateo and they transferred the lease. They offer month-to-month leases, I think they manage a lot of corporate housing.
The apartments are a bit on the pricey side, but they're so nice. Good luck, and welcome to San Francisco!
Re: Ask HN: Moving to San Francisco: Best way to find an appartment
#20I think someone else mentioned it, but BART doesn't go to Redwood City. Caltrain does. As a daily BART rider from the East Bay, occasionally needing to be in Palo Alto, I don't recommend combining a BART and Caltrain commute.
If you want to live in SF, and commute to Redwood City, your best bet is to ride the 8:44 or 8:59 baby bullets on Caltrain. The one at 8:59 gets you in Redwood City in a scant 30 minutes.
Pick a place in the city that is near the Caltrain station, maybe even within walking distance. Dogpatch/SOMA/Potrero? Keep in mind Muni timing sucks, BART is semi-stable, and Caltrain is the most reliable.
Also that's a reverse commute, so maybe even drive it.