Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

491–500 of 1001 posts

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#491

Post by jlaurend »

reaperducer wrote: post #452
momokoko wrote: post #142

I think you have to realize this is San Francisco specifically. Not the entire Bay Area. A lot of people worked in places south of San Francisco and then commuted south because SF is basically the only city nearby that isn’t awful. But now that everything is closed down, all the good parts of SF are generally gone. Who wants to live in a cramped apartment with too many roommates and no yard? The trade was always that…

SF is basically the only city nearby that isn’t awful Can you expound on this for someone who does not live in that area?

A large portion of jobs in the bay area are in Silicon Valley which is south of SF and comprised of cities like San Jose, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. For someone seeking the amenities of a global city like SF, none of the other cities in the bay area come remotely close. They're all generally quiet, clean, suburban locales except San Jose which is a sprawling mid-sized city but still nothing like SF for someone wanting a world class city.

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#492

Post by jquery »

vmception wrote: post #373
baron816 wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

820sf and right between those two neighborhoods.

And for reference, a Hayes Valley 1bd would still be right above $3k. Or right below with concessions. Luxury studios are going to $2400 already though. Expecting further drops. Yes, there are many people in Central Valley who can now afford to live out their dream of being in "the city". A change of scenery is a change of scenery. I've met suddenly unencumbered East Coasters that roadtripped across during Phase 1 Sh…

Luxury studios were about that much 10 years ago. I don’t expect drops to be much further. The exodus is already decelerating according to Zestimates I’ve been following closely. I expect prices to drop further for a little bit longer then start to creep back up. Anyone who wants to live in the best weather in the continental USA should lock in their price now.

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#493

Post by vecinu »

baron816 wrote: post #447
akavi wrote: post #395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> right between those two neighborhoods So, in the tenderloin? Suddenly not a great deal.

Not quite the Tenderloin. It’s technically Civic Center. Yes, there’s plenty of homeless around, but that’s just SF, right?

Oh no... I barely tolerate driving through civic center, nevermind walking there. I avoid waking or biking through the filth in the civic center at all costs. I'm not being facetious, I wish you a good time with no ill events, that's definitely a good deal on the rent.

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#494

Post by osdiab »

darkwizard42 wrote: post #403
pjlegato wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all apartments in SF are rent controlled. The landlord can only raise the rent by some tiny nominal percentage mandated by the rent board every year.

This isn't really true... it only applies to units that were built before a certain year (1979). If you are in any kind of modern unit / luxury unit as noted by GP, then this won't hold. However, most landlords in non-managed buildings are fairly reasonable about only raising rent 2-5% a year. Your mileage may vary.

Then great news, SF has built almost nothing since 1979, so you’re more likely than not to be covered!

Maybe I was being a cheapskate for keeping my rent under $2k per month when I lived there, but I never lived in an apartment that wasn’t rent controlled.

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#495

Post by jquery »

bezmenov wrote: post #408
josephg wrote: post #386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only because of how insane housing in SF is. For comparison I own a 2br apartment in Melbourne, Australia. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from here to the heart of the city. My mortgage repayments (including interest) are about $700usd/month.

Better coffee and no human excrement on the sidewalks too.

I live in SF and no excrement on the sidewalk where I live.

Problem with SF is some neighborhoods are being neglected. There’s no penalty for lawless vagrancy, not even a “shoo shoo”. I’ve seen portapotties set up next to tent camps. I guess that’s better than street shitting but it’s a major disappointment to see tent cities encouraged.

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#496

Post by TheBobinator »

luma wrote: post #89
paul_f wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What has changed is near universal availability of high speed wireless. Followed by a national experiment in remote working. You don't have to live in the city to have a lucrative tech job.

How long does the “high paying” part stay true when companies who need technical talent can now pull candidates from the entire world? I wonder if the move towards remote work might wind up pushing down IT wages across the board. edit: instead of downvoting, maybe help me understand why I might be looking at this wrong?

Trump has a travel ban on India through the end of the year and he just ordered Wechat be sold, and He's also sending foreign students back home. You also have, what is very obviously, a puppet ideology infecting people's minds in western countries and the tolerance for that radicalization in many is heading towards zero. As one example, Idaho still has militia units running around keeping the peace.

I think the "good ol' days" of tech companies hiring the best and brightest from around the world to sell exploitive products is over with. If those people want to move here, become US citizens, bring over their immediate family, and rescind their foreign country citizenship great. On the backend of this pandemic, you're going to see a gargantuan backlash against exploitive companies period.

Put your effort into making sure whatever you are doing is efficient and don't get too invested in your current employer.

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#497

Post by baddox »

shajznnckfke wrote: post #296
baddox wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love the Sierras and have spent a lot of nights in the backcountry, but good luck getting any permits now. Pre-pandemic it was already extremely difficult. Now you need to get up at 7am and grab a day use ticket to even enter Yosemite (or even drive through!).

Most of the Sierras don’t require any type of permit or ticket to access. I’ve noticed among techie friends with a new desire to go outdoors a belief that they need to make an appointment to enjoy nature, and since all the appointments are taken online, there is no nature to enjoy. Or to google for “best hike San Francisco”, go there, and find that the parking is full. In fact the nature is much larger than the city,…

I’m sure most of the Sierras don’t require day use reservations, but I’m pretty sure nearly all of it requires permits for car camping or backcountry camping, and those permits are difficult to get (apart from taking the risk of showing up for a walk-in permit).

And I understand the stereotype of the techie who thinks Yosemite Valley reservations is the only way to enjoy nature, but I don’t think that’s me. I’ve been on dozens of trips to the Sierras and I’m fairly experienced with the various permit systems. That said, I’m sure there are still less-travelled gems that I haven’t discovered. :)

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#498

Post by jquery »

Redoubts wrote: post #459
baron816 wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alternate experience: I just moved into SF a week ago from elsewhere in the Bay. I was able to get a large, modern, luxury 1BR in a decent location for under $3K + almost a 1 month concession and no deposit. Being a single, young(ish) guy, it still makes sense to be in a city. I have more space than I need now, and I can afford the rent. Maybe things aren’t that nice right now, but I’m hoping they’ll get back to semi…

> Being a single, young(ish) guy, it still makes sense to be in a city. A city, yes. SF? No. By far it's the worst place for this I've ever seen.

There are far worse places than SF. But yeah SF needs better leadership. Our current incognito mayor needs to be thrown out.

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#499

Post by ozzyoli »

San Francisco and cities like it are not oil wells; they are collaborative social efforts that ideally involve participation from everyone involved. Paying taxes (ie paying someone else to do something for you) is great, but you always have the invitation to roll your sleeves up and participate in more ways.

Have you ever picked up trash? Or helped build a trail? Or gone to a city town hall meeting? Written to a local committee? Volunteered at the food bank?

If you’re like me and have the privilege of affording to live here, before and during COVID, this is still a lovely place to live an interesting, fulfilling and content life.

Be here, take part :)

Re: Remote work is reshaping San Francisco, as tech workers flee and rents fall

#500

Post by ghaff »

ipqk wrote: post #477
megaframe wrote: post #384

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similar observation, on my tiny stretch of street I've seen 7 moving trucks since SIP started, far more than I've ever seen. I get it, If you just moved or been here 1-2yr I'd leave too, the costs would make no sense. I'm right on the fence. I've been at my current place ~6 years, prices have just started to get to about what I'm paying (rent controlled). I'm hoping it drops some more so I can negotiate a reduction.…

Having worked remotely in central Europe for an SF-based company, the hours really kind of suck.

In my experience it works ok from US East Coast. But probably not so well from West Coast.
Post reply on HN