Need neighborhood suggestions (San Francisco, Richmond, Nice: best neighborhoods, real estate, affordable apartment)

[80skeys]

Considering a possible job related move to San Francisco. Will be working in downtown in the Financial district.

Need suggestions. Two or three of the nicest neighborhoods for renting a one or two bedroom apartment with a maximum budget $1500/month.


Thanks
80skeys

[Mr. Fantastic]

It's arguable whether $1,500 will even get you 1 bedroom in a the top 3 neighborhoods in S.F.

That being said, try the Richmond District, and Sunset.

[DowntownVentura]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Considering a possible job related move to San Francisco. Will be working in downtown in the Financial district.

Need suggestions. Two or three of the nicest neighborhoods for renting a one or two bedroom apartment with a maximum budget $1500/month.


Thanks
80skeys

• San Francisco
• Nice neighborhood
• $1500

Pick any two.

I really wanted to say have fun in San Francisco. It is a great city.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fantastic

It's arguable whether $1,500 will even get you 1 bedroom in a the top 3 neighborhoods in S.F.

That being said, try the Richmond District, and Sunset.

I don't mean the "top 3 neighborhoods".. I mean, give me two or three of the best neighborhoods that $1500 will buy me.

[Mr. Fantastic]

You could maybe get a room in someone's place in the Sunset. I'd say on your budget, you're looking at the tenderloin for a single bedroom apartment by yourself.

[pathrunner]

"A room in someone's place in the Sunset" is exaggerated but speaks to the difficult market in SF. For $1500 you can share a nice place with someone. In certain areas you can even get your own place for that amount (probably a small studio).

My old place at 840 California (literally my exact apartment! I saw it online last month) now goes for $1225/month. I paid $500 in 1977. You can walk downtown from there! Having a car difficult unless you live in a big bldg. with parking (extra $$$) Ya gotta be a morning person though. The cable car starts clanging at 5am If you're a stockbroker that'd be perfect

It's very safe and you'll get your exercise walking to and from work! If you google the map address, apartments will come up those aren't mine. Mine had an awesome clawfoot tub and a view of Alcatraz.

[mayorhaggar]

If it will be just yourself, then a budget of $1200-1500 should get you a very nice studio anywhere in the city. Some studios can be very nice, have nice kitchens and views etc.

I haven't really looked at real estate in SF in a while, but $1400-1500 should be doable for a 1 bedroom anywhere in the city if you have good credit, honestly prices don't really differ that much across the city. Things can be cheaper in the Sunset or Richmond but often you trade price for size: you're likely to see a large $1400 apartment in the Outer Richmond that you decide to turn down for a smaller $1450 one near Dolores Park.

If you are not filthy rich honestly you just have to decide on areas you absolutely don't want to live in and go with whatever you can get, it is hard to get an apartment in SF because there are always a lot of people bidding for any vacant apartment and landlords here are very fickle. When I was last in the market for a 1 bedroom and was trying to get places that were anywhere from $1300 to $1500 it was like a war zone, at every apartment viewing there were tons of yuppies thrusting forth applications and deposit checks and trying to schmooze the landlord. Hopefully with the economic downturn, which has unfortunately hit SF rather hard, it is easier to get a place, but honestly San Francisco has become a real yuppie city. If you luck out and get an affordable apartment it's easy to live here on a low salary but it is just hard to get your foot in the door and get that apartment.

It's good to live near-ish to downtown (like at least east of Twin Peaks) so you have a short commute but it might be worth it to trade it for a quiet apartment. Also BART is a LOT faster and more reliable than Muni, so if you can live near the BART stations at 16th/24th street or Glen Park then you will have a great commute.

Mainly just avoid these areas:

- Tenderloin: just really bad and full of scary homeless people. A lot of real estate ads will say a place is in Nob Hill but then you go there and it's in the Tenderloin, so watch out for that.

- Potrero Hill, mainly the South part with all the housing projects.

- Anywhere in the Mission that is on or east of Mission Street. I used to live in this part and you get used to it but it's just really dirty and full of drug dealers and gang members and there are frequent shootings.

- the Southeast part of the city, like Bayview, Hunters Point, and Visitacion Valley. Lots of crime and housing projects.