In search of an apartment... Help!

[marcopolo666]

Oh, and shoot the dog. It will make finding a place to live a lot easier. Well, give it away or something.

[marcopolo666]

I say that having grown up with dogs (6+). Today's environment is not very dog-friendly. (I lived in 'the boonies' where the dogs could, and did, run around all day long.)

[Dross99_si]

Originally Posted by marcopolo666

That's not what you said in your original post. So don't get your panties in a bunch. If you HAD said that, you'd have gotten a different response, most likely.

You think those tools are gonna tell me ghetto or not? I can find apartments all day long. Are they in a bad area or not, who knows.. Read between the lines of what I'm really asking instead of just being a jerk.

[NorCalLover]

OP, what is your budget?

[Dross99_si]

Originally Posted by NorCalLover

OP, what is your budget?

We want the cheapest apartment in a decent area. Even if it is a small studio. Just as long as it's not in the projects. I'd pay up to $1300-1400 probably, but it better be at least a 1br and have nice ground and some amenities or something.
We've been looking in San Jose too: Lenzen Square, Raintree, Turnleaf, Almaden Garden.
As far as tri-city(ies): Glen Oaks, Paseo Gardens, Metro Park, Woodchase

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Dross99_si

We want the cheapest apartment in a decent area. Even if it is a small studio. Just as long as it's not in the projects. I'd pay up to $1300-1400 probably, but it better be at least a 1br and have nice ground and some amenities or something.
We've been looking in San Jose too: Lenzen Square, Raintree, Turnleaf, Almaden Garden.
As far as tri-city(ies): Glen Oaks, Paseo Gardens, Metro Park, Woodchase

I am saying this in the nicest way possible. You are on crack if you think you can get an apartment with amenities in a nice neighborhood on that budget.

Market rate for a typical one bedroom is about $1800 across the entire region.

[mrazyattic]

Originally Posted by jade408

I am saying this in the nicest way possible. You are on crack if you think you can get an apartment with amenities in a nice neighborhood on that budget.

Market rate for a typical one bedroom is about $1800 across the entire region.

Not crack but definitely some kind of hallucinogen. With your budget, your only choices OP are within the east bay, and that is if you are VERY lucky, but expect to live in the ghetto. Point blank period end of discussion.

If you can move your budget to at least $1500 I can give you a good lead on a very decent apartment complex in the hills with a nice view that is dog friendly.

[NorCalLover]

OP, this cottage in Pacifica is the only dog-friendly place I see on CL in your budget on the Peninsula or in the South Bay: 1 Bdrm cottage close to Park PETS OK

For $1500, you could try for this studio in Redwood City, which is close to Palo Alto: Studio Apartment in west Redwood City

There's also a couple places for $1500 in Downtown and West San Jose, which isn't too bad of a commute: 422 S.10th St. #102 1bd/1bath Apt walking distance SJSU and 475 Page St Unit # B

Or, in the East Bay, this small studio in Union City: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/4653648969.html

You're going to be hard pressed to find anything dog-friendly in your budget, even in the closer parts of the East Bay (Fremont, Newark, Union City, Castro Valley, Hayward), so jump on anything you can get right away.

[mrazyattic]

On the Hill-$1,500/mo. 2 Bdr./2 Bth. 1,000 sq.ft. + 2-bdr pets ok. Friend lived there, it's not bad at all.

Wowzerz... I just moved into my new place in March of this year. Did prices go up since then or what? My 5 year old, 1800sqft, 2bdr/2bth, washer/dryer, $2000/month gated flat is a great deal compared to other prices right now. I may have to resign a lease ASAP!

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by Dross99_si

We want the cheapest apartment in a decent area. Even if it is a small studio. Just as long as it's not in the projects. I'd pay up to $1300-1400 probably, but it better be at least a 1br and have nice ground and some amenities or something.
We've been looking in San Jose too: Lenzen Square, Raintree, Turnleaf, Almaden Garden.
As far as tri-city(ies): Glen Oaks, Paseo Gardens, Metro Park, Woodchase

Yes, your budget is unrealistic for this area, unfortunately. Even a few years ago, when things here were signicantly cheaper (we're talking like 50-100% cheaper) your rent limit would have still been getting you sub-standard apartments in nice areas. In today's market, that budget will simply not give you what you're looking for. Welcome to the Bay Area.

Fortunately for you, though, there are options you should look at. I'm not completely sure what your situation is at Stanford, but most people that work in the lab with me (at Stanford) either live in student housing or live off campus in subsidized housing ("below market rate" housing, as it's called). No one in my lab is under 30, and most are over 40 (lab is made up exclusively of post-docs and research fellows). And most are married and have children.

I do notice that more I talk to around the department people choose the Below Market Rate option (I think because there are many more options that way). Pretty much every city in the Bay Area has some type of below market rate housing program, so I would advise you to look up each one. Here are a couple from cities very close to Stanford:

Palo Alto: PAHC - Below Market Rate Programs
Menlo Park: Below Market Rate (BMR) Housing Program | Menlo Park, CA - Official Website
Here is the program for the city I live in, San Mateo: San Mateo, CA - Official Website - Below Market Rental Program

The issue with this plan of action is that you most certainly will not be able to move into a place very quickly. There are waiting lists, and since housing has become even more ridiculous over the last few years, I'm sure the competition has only grown more for those limited number of spots. A colleague of mine applied for a unit in Palo Alto in 2010, but didn't get approved to move into the unit for almost 7 months. She had to figure something out until then. I'm sure it has only gotten worse.

I would advise you to first check out your options for on-campus housing. And then e-mail/call about the various below market rate housing available in surrounding cities. Otherwise, you basically have no chance to compete in this market near Stanford on your budget, especially if you want to live very close and/or in a good area. If you go the route of non-subsidized housing (aka Craigslist), you're looking at living in studios/rooms for rent/cottages for close to your max budget (or possibly over) near Stanford (probably not in very good areas/buildings, either); or living in something a little bigger/nicer in an "ok" area very far away from campus. And probably neither option will make you happy.