Moving from Mississippi to the Bay Area... (Oakland, Hayward: rent, houses)

[llowllevellowll]

Just a side note:

BART - QuickPlanner Result

BART times from Oakland 12th Street/City Center to San Bruno is roughly 35-45 minutes one way and costs $8.40 round trip. If you go from Lake Merritt BART, you're looking at an extra 10 minutes because you'll have to transfer.

The reason I say this is that although I think parts of Oakland are fantastic places to live and you can save some money, don't forget to consider the extra costs to commute if your job doesn't offset these costs.

$8.40 per day x 5 = $42 per week for transportation. You'll be nearing an extra $200 per month in expenses you wouldn't have if you were in San Bruno.

I am not as familiar with monthly BART deals because I only use it once a week or so, but someone who rides it every day can give you practical advice. BART - Tickets / Smart Cards

[dmoriarty79]

Oh, thanks for all the listings and stuff, guys--guess I've got my work cut out for me this afternoon. Am gonna start looking at these right now. (Also, I just realized that I haven't checked Millbrae yet; I think it's right near San Bruno. Maybe I don't *have* to spend two hours on the train every day...)

[dmoriarty79]

Originally Posted by Parti Rhinocéros

Just a side note:

BART - QuickPlanner Result...don't forget to consider the extra costs to commute if your job doesn't offset these costs.

Actually, one of the benefits with this job is an extra stipend/allowance/whatever-the-term-was to cover public transportation. So yeah, I could put up with the train rides if necessary, since I wouldn't be paying for it.

[dmoriarty79]

Well, I may have found a place. There're some people who turned a garage behind their house into a separate studio apartment. It's in San Bruno less than a mile from my new workplace/stores/BART/etc., it's only like $600 a month, and all utilities are included. And the neighborhood looks pretty nice, too. (I only wish I'd found the place on purpose, so that I'd know how to do it again later on. Oh well.)

[bellalunatic]

Originally Posted by dmoriarty79

Well, I may have found a place. There're some people who turned a garage behind their house into a separate studio apartment. It's in San Bruno less than a mile from my new workplace/stores/BART/etc., it's only like $600 a month, and all utilities are included. And the neighborhood looks pretty nice, too. (I only wish I'd found the place on purpose, so that I'd know how to do it again later on. Oh well.)

Make SURE that when you find it again you get proof that the unit is a legal rental. A lot of converted garage spaces are not.

[gotigers123]

Originally Posted by dmoriarty79

I may soon land a federal job in San Bruno, and I'm having trouble finding a decent apartment. Everything I've turned up so far seems to fall into one of two categories: "hilariously unaffordable" or "rathole made of drug dealers and mildew." Granted, I've only been looking for a day or two, but I've yet to figure out where the non-rich, non-criminal residents of the Bay Area tend to live.

So basically, I'm hoping for a reasonably comfortable studio/one-bedroom place for no more than $1000/month, preferably within walking distance of a BART station, preferably in a neighborhood that offers the smallest possible chance of getting mugged. Any suggestions?

Rent a room in SF for 700-800. I'd stay near a BART station - Glen Park, Bernal Heights, Noe Valley, or the Mission.

You're young and should give the city a shot. You'll also have some built in potential friends, which is a nice bonus.

[dmoriarty79]

Originally Posted by bellalunatic

Make SURE that when you find it again you get proof that the unit is a legal rental. A lot of converted garage spaces are not.

I was just starting to wonder, actually; plus it turns out the deposit is way more than any apartment I've seen, and for about half the square footage. I actually just found a 450 sq.ft. studio in a nice-looking building in Oakland, just east of Lake Merritt, ten minutes from BART, for like $730/mo (utilities included). So that's a possibility too, I suppose.

[dmoriarty79]

Originally Posted by gotigers123

Rent a room in SF for 700-800. I'd stay near a BART station - Glen Park, Bernal Heights, Noe Valley, or the Mission.

Really? I just kind of assumed that the only sort of place I could afford in SF itself wouldn't be the sort of place I'd ever want to live. Then again, I've hardly even looked...

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by dmoriarty79

Really? I just kind of assumed that the only sort of place I could afford in SF itself wouldn't be the sort of place I'd ever want to live. Then again, I've hardly even looked...

The key word is renting a room, ie you only have the right to use the room you're allotted unless the owners say otherwise. On the bright-side, you get roommates who likely know the city fairly well out of it and can direct you to where you should and shouldn't be.


If you're not big on roommates though then you should avoid SF.

[Nm123]

What about Marin County, Navado or San Rafael? Why is Marin so expensive? Realtors are sending me houses built in the 1930's that need lots of work because am not in the $500K range. Sorry but for a state that is having housing meltdown......this still is way outta bounds, unless Marin is some kind of paradise???