Husband job in SF...Where to live? (San Francisco, Oakland: real estate, apartment)

[Sunnyones]

Hello,
Hubby will be working at a hospital in SF. We know nothing about the bay area. Where would be nice, safe areas we should look at for a family of 5 plus a dog? We are not concerned about schools for the kids, as we homeschool. Although, we would like to live in an area that is family friendly, as in parks, bike paths etc. Would like to keep rent under $3000.00 per month if possible, but can go a little higher if need be.
We have been looking at Alameda on the internet, but seems there aren't many rentals that accept pets. I am not sure about the commute to SF for hubby's job either. I wonder if we should just look in SF since thats where he will be working?? Would SF be kid friendly?? Or should we look at other bay area cities??
Any advice for us?
Thanks in advance!!!

[mayorhaggar]

Around where in SF is he working...BART is really good for getting to downtown SF from the suburbs but if you need to transfer from BART to the local Muni trains and buses to go somewhere else in the city, it adds more time than you might want to spend on your commute. Driving over the Bay Bridge isn't too bad in the carpool lane from places like Alameda and Oakland but further out and you're dealing with a lot of traffic. Plus it's $6 a day in tolls if you don't have 3+ people in the car which lets you use the carpool lanes for $2.50 which move a LOT faster than the non-carpool lanes.

If he's working somewhere that isn't near a BART station and he can park at work it might be best to live in the northern Peninsula and just drive in to work. Pacifica or Daly City if you are ok with fog, Millbrae or further south if you want more sun. The Peninsula can be expensive though, the East Bay is pretty much always cheaper.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

The City itself is generally difficult for raising kids (although a few pull it off). You've got a double whammy. Firstly homeschooling is not very widespread in the City itself (different story in more socially conservative suburbs, exurbs and rural areas). Secondly, dwellings to accommodate a family of 5 are scarce. Good luck.

[mayorhaggar]

Also, yeah, you'll find a lot of landlords are anti-pets, especially dogs that aren't small. It's annoying but they get away with it because real estate is always in demand here. SF is pretty much impossible to even have a cat in an apartment, the burbs should be easier but still unpredictable.

[Sunnyones]

He will be working at CPMC. I just know its in SF. Any certain place I should be looking for a rental house besides craiglist?? Are there any property management companies anyone knows of??
I have found several houses that fit our budget and needs, but once again.....NO PETS! We are not willing to give up our dog, but this is getting very difficult. We are mainly looking in Alameda at this point. SF might not be good with kids. Does anyone know good and bad area of Richmond, or Albany area?? Are these nice areas? We would like to stay in the immediate east bay from SF. We searched Walnut Creek and surrounding areas but don't want to live that far out.
Thanks again!

[thecooler]

Originally Posted by Sunnyones

He will be working at CPMC. I just know its in SF. Any certain place I should be looking for a rental house besides craiglist?? Are there any property management companies anyone knows of??
I have found several houses that fit our budget and needs, but once again.....NO PETS! We are not willing to give up our dog, but this is getting very difficult. We are mainly looking in Alameda at this point. SF might not be good with kids. Does anyone know good and bad area of Richmond, or Albany area?? Are these nice areas? We would like to stay in the immediate east bay from SF. We searched Walnut Creek and surrounding areas but don't want to live that far out.
Thanks again!

Albany is nice (but expensive due to good schools), Richmond is largely to be avoided, it has I believe the highest crime rate in the bay area. I do have a friend who lives in the Richmond hills and she likes it there, and she has a kid. Since your husband is working at CPMC, if you live in the east bay, he's going to have to take Bart, then transfer to a city bus, possibly 2 (I'm not sure about the AC transit buses and where they go to in the city though). If he drives, he's got the Bay Bridge to deal with, which is a real pain. Have you considered Marin? It's very kid friendly and if you go up to San Rafael or Novato, it's a lot more affordable then most people realize. Driving from Marin to CPMC would be pretty easy, it might take 30 minutes from San Rafael. As far as rentals I believe Craigslist will have the vast majority of listings. People don't use agencies here for rentals as much as other parts of the country.

[mayorhaggar]

Well if it's the Pacific Heights CPMC, it's basically in the middle of the northern part of SF. Not really close to BART but not super far from it either. Marin and Northern San Mateo Counties would probably be easiest to drive there from. The central part of Alameda County will be ok but traffic can be pretty heavy over the bridge and on the highways leading up to the bridge.

If he has non-traditional hours like lots of medical workers do, like having to work late at night, keep in mind that BART stops running after around 12:30am and doesn't start up again until around 4:30am. On the other hand driving over the Bay Bridge or GG Bridge at night is a breeze most of the time.

If he does want to drive over the Bay Bridge and has to do it during the morning commute hours, maybe look into the casual carpool:

Casual Carpool Sites East Bay and San Francisco

Basically he'd pick up two passengers at designated spots around the East Bay, drive over the bridge via the carpool lane for $2.50 instead of $6, and get off the bridge at the first SF exit and drop them off at Fremont and Howard, then he'd continue on to CPMC. I do the casual carpool every day as a passenger from Rockridge in North Oakland. The vast majority of drivers and riders are yuppie types, it isn't a bunch of sketchy people at all.

Albany and Alameda should work for you if you can find a place you can afford, Berkeley could work too but can be expensive. Maybe look into North Oakland, like Rockridge or the Oakland Hills, both of which are pretty upscale and safe neighborhoods. Richmond has some nice parts in the hills and in specific areas on the Bay but is largely sketchy, I mainly would not pick it for you because it would be a long commute to SF.

[Sunnyones]

Thanks for all the Info. Alameda is not looking good as far as finding a rental that will accept a dog. What a bummer! We like the area though.
I still have a little time so maybe something will come up. We would really like a house and not an apartment.
Mean while I am searching other areas just in case. My latest search was San Mateo area. I thought it sounded nice too! How is the commute to SF from that area? How is the weather as compared to the east bay area? Does it get very foggy there?

[jaypee]

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