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Old 04-01-2013, 09:06 AM
 
9 posts, read 17,609 times
Reputation: 12

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I am moving to Bay Area and have been searching for a decent apartment in CL. I found quite a few that meets my need (see end of post). However, when I try to do research of the apartment, I found bad reviews of the apartment, from Yelp, ApartmentRatings.com, etc.

mod cut

I am not looking for a luxury apartment or areas that are "unsafe" (been reading many other threads). My ideal apartment is:

- Studio max $1200
- Accept cat
- Have parking garage
- I will work in SF (Market St.), so need somewhere that is close to BART - I don't mind 35-40 minutes BART ride.

Can anyone make any recommendation?

Last edited by Sam I Am; 04-01-2013 at 04:07 PM.. Reason: sorry, no consumer complaint reviews here
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:04 AM
 
Location: San Francisco
8,982 posts, read 10,462,326 times
Reputation: 5752
Since you're looking in Alameda, your best bet is to go for a small "mom & pop" landlord as opposed to a big complex managed by a property-management company. Those bad reviews are there for a reason. Of course there's no guarantee that you won't end up with a sh*tty landlord anyway, but my own experience with 2 rentals in Alameda was quite positive. One of them was a condo, which is a good way to go since the building is likely to be occupied mainly by owners, who have more of a vested interest in maintaining a nice building.

OTOH my current landlord in San Francisco (who runs his own PM company) is a major a-hole.

Oh, and there aren't really any "unsafe" areas in Alameda, though the area around Webster St. is Section 8 land.

As for being close to BART, Alameda is geographically close to both the West Oakland and Fruitvale stations, but getting to them can be a pain.

Last edited by pch1013; 04-01-2013 at 11:59 AM..
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Old 04-01-2013, 12:23 PM
 
9 posts, read 17,609 times
Reputation: 12
Thanks for the information! Yes, I am looking for those "mom-and-pop" rental but there are not many of them, at least not the ones I see in CL. The ones I DID see are in-laws with street parking and no pets.

I did look at Alameda, but I am open for other areas if you (or anyone) have recommendation per my criteria above.

For Alameda, is there a TransBay direct bus from Alameda to SF? I was looking at Albany and there are a few such bus which arrives at the Central Bus terminal in SF.

PS: I was looking at Santa Clara because I thought I can take the Bullet Train but it'll still take me 2 hours!
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Old 04-01-2013, 12:30 PM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,154,335 times
Reputation: 3631
Quote:
Originally Posted by lanwarrior View Post
I am moving to Bay Area and have been searching for a decent apartment in CL. I found quite a few that meets my need (see end of post). However, when I try to do research of the apartment, I found bad reviews of the apartment, from Yelp, ApartmentRatings.com, etc.

The bad reviews are consistent (I read each review to make sure it's not bogus), such as pest problem, management took months to fix issue, car broken into, etc. mod cut

I am not looking for a luxury apartment or areas that are "unsafe" (been reading many other threads). My ideal apartment is:

- Studio max $1200
- Accept cat
- Have parking garage
- I will work in SF (Market St.), so need somewhere that is close to BART - I don't mind 35-40 minutes BART ride.

Can anyone make any recommendation?
My suggestion is to look a little further out, since BART is decently quick. In Alameda you're not going to get a very nice place for the money; you'll like your options better in Walnut Creek and the surrounding area, and the door-to-door travel time would likely be exactly the same.

Last edited by Sam I Am; 04-01-2013 at 04:08 PM.. Reason: orphaned - the post you refer to has been deleted
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Old 04-01-2013, 12:54 PM
 
Location: San Francisco
8,982 posts, read 10,462,326 times
Reputation: 5752
Quote:
Originally Posted by lanwarrior View Post
For Alameda, is there a TransBay direct bus from Alameda to SF? I was looking at Albany and there are a few such bus which arrives at the Central Bus terminal in SF.
Yes, there are 3 transbay bus lines that travel from Alameda to SF. The only drawback is that they can get stuck in bridge traffic, but otherwise they're a nice way to travel -- they even have WiFi on board.

Another option is the ferry, but then you'll have to find a way to get to a ferry terminal -- neither of which is conveniently located to where most people live.
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Old 04-01-2013, 01:47 PM
 
9 posts, read 17,609 times
Reputation: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by sonarrat View Post
..you'll like your options better in Walnut Creek and the surrounding area...
I am looking at Walnut Creek but can you recommend these other "surrounding areas"?

Some of my friends do not recommend Antioch or Pittsburg due to the crime and some of the apartments have questionable individuals (rowdy neighbors, drugs, unsafe parking, etc.). They also say East Oakland and some parts of San Leandro and Hayward are a no-no.
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Old 04-01-2013, 01:51 PM
 
Location: East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area
23,538 posts, read 24,029,400 times
Reputation: 23962
Consider El Cerrito also.
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Old 04-01-2013, 01:59 PM
 
Location: San Francisco
8,982 posts, read 10,462,326 times
Reputation: 5752
Quote:
Originally Posted by lanwarrior View Post
I am looking at Walnut Creek but can you recommend these other "surrounding areas"?
There's Concord and, um... let me think... Concord. Apparently it has its share of sketchy areas, but I'm sure they're nowhere near as unpleasant as Antioch, West Oakland, etc.

The upscale suburbs of Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda (collectively known as Lamorinda) west of WC are all on BART, but I don't know whether there are many affordable rentals there. I suspect not.
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Old 04-01-2013, 02:21 PM
 
9 posts, read 17,609 times
Reputation: 12
Speaking of BART, is it easy to find parking in BART station in the morning or do I have to be there by 7:00 AM to even get a spot?

I tried to get a monthly BART parking but I am on a "waiting list".
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Old 04-01-2013, 04:26 PM
 
Location: East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area
23,538 posts, read 24,029,400 times
Reputation: 23962
It depends on the station. Some are very full by 6:30-7:00 AM and others have spaces all day that are open.


Quote:
Originally Posted by lanwarrior View Post
Speaking of BART, is it easy to find parking in BART station in the morning or do I have to be there by 7:00 AM to even get a spot?

I tried to get a monthly BART parking but I am on a "waiting list".
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