Need to find cheapest place to rent within 45 minutes of Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA. (San Jose: apartment, rental)

[cjskippy559]

Hello. My husband had a lung transplant at Stanford about a year ago. He was recently told he'll need a kidney transplant within 18-24 months. When he had the lung transplant, we were required to live within 45 minutes of the University. We rented a place very close by and lived there for two months, until they discharged him to home, where we own a home, 3 1/2 hours away.

So I am preparing for the eventual move by scouting out areas now. We hope to not pay over $1400.00 a month in rent. We would love two bedrooms and absolutely need to be able to take one or two of our small dogs.

Any advice or information would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[CA4Now]

Can you have a moderator move this to the San Francisco subforum where you might get more information? Good luck to you and your husband.

[sjnative]

45 minutes away at what time of day? Did you think that the freeways are gridlocked 24/7?

How often does your husband need to visit Stanford? Can he go to appointments during midday or afternoon?

IMO consider the lower Easy Bay cities like Union City, Fremont and Hayward which would allow you to take R84, the Dumbarton Bridge, across the bay. Yes, it's a toll bridge.. so pay the toll.

There is also the eastern Silicon Valley, like San Jose, that costs far less than PA.

Again, the big questions are (1) what time of day will his appointments be and (2) how frequently?

If you go for an afternoon appt and the route home is gridlocked, just wait it out. Catch a movie. Eat dinner out. Whatever. Then hit the road at about 7:00, 7:30pm and traffice will be signicantly reduce by then as the carpool lanes will no longer be in effect.

[5thgenSF]

you can look on craigslist but that price is tough even for a one bedroom. i've been looking a lot lately and the area has gotten outrageous since i left. throw in one pet and it's even harder. and i have a lot more than one pet!

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by sjnative

45 minutes away at what time of day? Did you think that the freeways are gridlocked 24/7?

How often does your husband need to visit Stanford? Can he go to appointments during midday or afternoon?

If he's on a transplant list, I'd assume that 45 minutes applies to whenever a kidney becomes available, be it 4pm or 4am.

[sjnative]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

If he's on a transplant list, I'd assume that 45 minutes applies to whenever a kidney becomes available, be it 4pm or 4am.

Ah.

In light of the now-illuminated obvious, I affirm my vote for the southern East Bay though I'm hoping someone else can discuss their commute from there to PA.

[jaypee]

You'd have to take the worst-case scenario: when a transplant is available during rush hour.
I say Redwood City is the best bet at that price range but it'll be an older, more well-worn apt.

Something like 650ft² - * Spacious * 1 bed, Apartment

[5thgenSF]

Originally Posted by jaypee

You'd have to take the worst-case scenario: when a transplant is available during rush hour.
I say Redwood City is the best bet at that price range but it'll be an older, more well-worn apt.

Something like 650ft² - * Spacious * 1 bed, Apartment

that looks nice to me! can't see if it allows pets or not. usually they say if they do. my mother used to live a few streets over on jefferson. it wasn't a great neighborhood and lots of cockroaches. this was a long time ago though.

[lhk5]

I don't know about the East Bay. The commute can be nasty depending on when/where you are going. There are parts of the East Bay that are basically suburban sprawl and totally out there. It is one of the reasons the East Bay is so much cheaper. I agree that the Fremont area would be your best bet if you were to decide on the East Bay. They are also (or were) doing construction on the Dumbarton but I don't know how long that will last, or even if it is done by now (I hardly ever get to the East Bay so I don't pay attention). It is just something to keep on your radar in case you have to get to Stanford quickly when the Dumbarton is closed.

I would look at places like Santa Clara NEWLY REMODELED GORGEOUS 2bd/1ba Apartment or Redwood City. Parts of San Jose are good too (although as was pointed out the traffic home can be rough). Mountain View is close to Stanford and cheaper than PA Lovely 1br 1ba w/ Nice Views plus it has a nice down town. Menlo Park tends to be cheaper as well. But your will find more if you are willing to go down to a one bedroom.

Best of luck to you and your husband

[cjskippy559]

Hi. Well, it is complicated. If he gets ill or has a reaction of some sort, we have to get to Stanford very quickly. We can live further away until the actual transplant, then we need to be within 45 minutes. We could need to go back and forth to the hospital a lot and while he is admitted, I will have to go back and forth a lot. So it can be exhausting. We cannot take a chance on a gridlock.

An fairly easy commute is important. We go to Palo Alto about six times a year now, so are a little familiar with Redwood City, to Mountain View, but don't know neighborhoods or safe places or average rental costs. When he had the lung transplant, we lived at a Stanford owned complex for two months, until he was discharged. It was on a sliding scale and cost us $1500.00. Not bad, for what we got. No pets allowed, or overnight guests though and the T.V. was very limited.

That is a lot of information, but just trying to give more detail to help with understanding the situation. I thank-you for the information.