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How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

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Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#41

Post by gatsby »

azylman wrote: post #40

I'm looking to make this move in August and some of the advice here won't work for me. For instance, I can't get a reference from a past landlord or a list of past landlords - I'm just graduating college and have lived in on-campus housing my whole time. I'm hoping having a very good credit score and a very good offer letter in hand will solve this issue, but I'm not sure. Additionally, I can't move out mid-month and…

Try to get a reference letter from your RA or director of campus housing. Most landlords are flexible on recommendation letters, but something is better than nothing.

If you can't move in at the beginning of the month, it's not the end of the world. Tons of people in SF move out of their apartments mid-month, and you'll rarely see a shortage of housing inventory for mid-month move-ins. The key is moving in on them quickly and being willing to sign an application or lease on the spot. If all else fails, you can always do a short term sublet or Airbnb from the 15th through the 30th and use that time to find a lease that begins on the 1st.

Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#42

Post by borski »

azylman wrote: post #40

I'm looking to make this move in August and some of the advice here won't work for me. For instance, I can't get a reference from a past landlord or a list of past landlords - I'm just graduating college and have lived in on-campus housing my whole time. I'm hoping having a very good credit score and a very good offer letter in hand will solve this issue, but I'm not sure. Additionally, I can't move out mid-month and…

You won't have a problem. Exceptions are made for students provided they have great credit and a great offer letter.

Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#43

Post by _delirium »

philp wrote: post #24

Read this post right up to the following line, "There’s also huge differences from neighborhood to neighborhood as you are unlikely to find someone interested in the Mission (hipsters, homeless and immigrants )" Pretty repulsive point of view IMHO. EDIT: I am a recent immigrant to the United States

It also seems a bit off descriptively, because the Mission over the past ~20 years has been filling up with techies, to the extent that a lot of the locals have been complaining about gentrification. Especially true for anything near the 16th St. BART.

Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#45

Post by transitorykris »

nooooooo wrote: post #3

As a non-US person moving to SF later this year, I don't have a US credit rating yet. How do I go about looking for places?

I did this in October 2008 so the economic climate was radically different. But, a property management company did accept a copy of my Canadian Equifax report and my offer letter. Get your credit established as soon as you can, easiest was a secured credit card.

Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#46

Post by impendia »

philp wrote: post #24

Read this post right up to the following line, "There’s also huge differences from neighborhood to neighborhood as you are unlikely to find someone interested in the Mission (hipsters, homeless and immigrants )" Pretty repulsive point of view IMHO. EDIT: I am a recent immigrant to the United States

Not just repulsive, but also very inaccurate.

I love the Mission. When I lived in SF at least half of my friends lived there. With the diverse culture, all the taquerias, the beautiful houses, Dolores Park, the nightlife, and the BART right there, it is very, very easy to find lots of people interested in living in the Mission.

Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#47

Post by njharman »

pemulis wrote: post #15

If you don't have any friends you can stay with in San Francisco, a good alternative is booking a bed in a hostel for a few weeks. They're cheap (as low as $25/day, if you're willing to share a room with a few people), centrally located, and sometimes offer perks like free breakfast and coffee. You should take a few extra precautions with your valuables -- I keep my laptop, wallet, and phone next to me when I sleep,…

This is how I move. Itis excellent. The staff and sometimes guests are wealth of local information.

Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#48

Post by njharman »

georgieporgie wrote: post #10

SF just isn't worth it anymore. The fog (I know there are fog-free areas, but much of SF is foggy-to-super-foggy), the filth, the homeless, and the insane landlords and rents are out of hand. Also, I'm of the opinion that SF culture peaked in the 90s.

Dude! The fog is what makes sf cool. Agree with the 90's though.

Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#49

Post by base698 »

encoderer wrote: post #25
base698 wrote: post #18

You can also use Amtrak to ship your stuff to the Oakland station. It's by far the most cost effect way to move long distances. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagen...

To ship boxes, yes. But honestly if you're an engineer taking a job at a bay area tech company, you will be getting a relo package. If you move here on your own dime you're doing it wrong.

I sold everything at the other end and used the relo to buy new stuff.

If you move your old worn out stuff you're doing it wrong. :)

Re: How to find an apartment in San Francisco during the tech boom

#50

Post by wyclif »

crcsmnky wrote: post #31

You put a lot of work into this article and wrote quite a few great tips when looking for a place to live in SF. Unfortunately you undermined the entire post with your "immigrants" comment. In fact you made yourself look like a huge bigot. That sucks because it was otherwise well written and useful. It's sad that this is going largely unnoticed by the rest of the comments on this post.

Perhaps it went "unnoticed" because there's actually no negative connotation to the word "immigrant" in and of itself.
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