Advice on where to live in SF Bay are (young couple) (San Jose: apartment complexes, rentals)

[Scorpion3510]

Hello everyone!

I know this question has been asked before, but a search of CD hasn't revealed exactly what I was looking for.

I will be moving to the Bay area from Cleveland with my soon to be wife. We are looking for a place to live and need some advice. Our maximum budget is $2300 for a 1 one bedroom sans utilities (I can't believe I just wrote that) but of course would like a bit cheaper (sweet spot is $1800-2000).

I'm 31 and she's 26 and we would like a place that is somewhat walkable, restaurants, some bars, hiking, dog friendly, and possible close access to water for sailing. We would also like to be around people our age. Schools are a non-issue. We also have a 9 year old 50 lb. Labrador mix coming with us. He's well trained so no problems there. Both of us each have our own car and intend to keep them.

I will be working 1 block from the Civic Center BART station. She will be doing medical rotations all over the bay area and will probably change locations month to month.

I'm willing to commute, but have a 40 minute max one way BART ride tolerance. Obviously closer is better.

Anyways, I would appreciate any input that anyone has on this. Thank you so much in advance!

[Chuck5000]

I'd count on 2300 minimum unless you want a place that will have some major negatives re: size, sunlight, road location, neighborhood location, proximity to transit. Your dog will be a very big problem - don't know how to advise, really, but it will be a dealbreaker for almost all landlords, so you probably can't be picky about neighborhood or city. Oakland has many good choices - I'd recommend Temescal, Adams Point, either side of Lake Merritt in Oakland if you want some walkability. Rockridge is out of your budget. If you don't mind a bus or drive to BART, that opens up Oakland hill neighborhoods and those near I580. I'd also look anywhere in Berkeley, but I haven't checked rents there in a while. Generally the only places with really high concentrations of people in their 20s are SF, Oak, and Berkeley.

Your job location is great, but your GF's location could result in some 90 min to 2hour commutes if you lived in inconveniently non-central locations (like most of Oak, or Berkeley, and she had to go to San Jose, for example). If I had to choose geographically central for your purposes, I'd choose Redwood City or San Mateo (not hip, not a lot of young coolness happening, but good towns with good locations.)

Do a search for thread regarding pets and dogs, somewhere someone recommended some apartment complexes where they accept pets. Good luck, it's really not fair, demand for apartments lets landlords do whatever they want. It's hard to appreciate just how bad the housing situation here is without already being here.

[HappyinCali]

How about Ingleside in San Francisco? I think that will fit a lot of criteria and there is a Whole Foods and ton of walkable restaurants on Ocean Ave. I personally think Ingleside is very well hidden gem. You will also be close to BART stations. The biggest drawback I would say is that it is mostly a family area, but if you live close to BART, you will be literally 10 mins away from the Mission.

[Scorpion3510]

I wouldn't mind driving to a BART and parking as long as the total commute is no more than 40 minutes one way.

What about Albany / El Cerrito or San Leandro? Not as happening from what I understand but I would give up some things on the wish list to have the dog.

Thanks!

[Chuck5000]

Albany or El Cerrito are nicer, have some actual restaurants to go to, have some young people and are more expensive than San Leandro. SL is a great value for the money for non-parents who need BART access, but it's devoid of hipness. Some parts of SL are nicer than others, just go where it's more expensive, that's a reliable proxy for niceness or safety. Total commute of 40 minutes is kinda tough. San Leandro won't qualify, Albany barely would unless you could walk to BART (parking and walking from car takes time). You could see if you could rent a house in lesser parts of San Mateo, Redwood City, or try South San Francisco or San Bruno (zero hipness, fog, but much less money.)

[Scorpion3510]

Man, these responses are terribly depressing. Judging by the prices and housing trends since the 1970's, it appears that the area may be in a bit of a bubble.

Ok, so remove the hipness factor. What other areas would qualify? Lafayette? Walnut Creek?

Ideally we would like to be in the east bay since her family lives just outside Stockton. Not a requirement, but I just figured it's easier than paying tolls going over the bridges when we did go for a visit.

Thanks in advance!

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, El Cerrito and Albany have lots of options well within your budget. Take a look at the listings on Craiglist. There's one apt. complex that advertises "pet friendly community". Explore the listings. You'll be pleasantly surprised. Plenty available in your sweet spot, or less, even. The only catch is that you have to move fast in responding to new listings, and have your paperwork ready: proof of employment or sufficient savings, references, credit report. But the university is letting out for the summer now, so the rental market is wide open. Strike while the iron is hot!

[ServoMiff]

There are some out there, but the biggest challenge will be finding dog friendly rentals now that meet the other criteria.

Once again on city-data - people fail to mention that your BART ride will not be a pleasant one. Does everyone here work for the tourism board? BART rides from the East Bay into the city and back are packed in like sardines, usually worse leaving the city than coming in, but it's still standing room only either way. Can you handle being standing elbow to elbow for 40 minutes, potentially each way (you may get a seat the closer to the end of the line you are in the morning)?

People generally make sacrifices when moving here, usually it's sq footage because of the housing costs here, but everything else is more expensive than the national average also.

Ruth is exactly right - the housing market is incredibly competitive here, and you may have to make an offer on a place without even looking at it. That's how my wife and I did it when we first moved to the area.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

Once again on city-data - people fail to mention that your BART ride will not be a pleasant one. Does everyone here work for the tourism board? BART rides from the East Bay into the city and back are packed in like sardines, usually worse leaving the city than coming in, but it's still standing room only either way. Can you handle being standing elbow to elbow for 40 minutes, potentially each way (you may get a seat the closer to the end of the line you are in the morning)?

They just aren't as overly dramatic about taking BART as you. Plus some know how to get around some of the overcrowding issues and get a seat such as riding upstream and catching an empty train coming out of the Concord maintenance yard for stations like WC and Pleasant Hill.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

Once again on city-data - people fail to mention that your BART ride will not be a pleasant one. Does everyone here work for the tourism board? BART rides from the East Bay into the city and back are packed in like sardines, usually worse leaving the city than coming in, but it's still standing room only either way. Can you handle being standing elbow to elbow for 40 minutes, potentially each way (you may get a seat the closer to the end of the line you are in the morning)?

If BART is intolerable, the some of the inner East Bay is served by transit buses, as well. Really handy if you live in a neighborhood where their route is.

And that reminds me, OP, you should look at Alameda. Very walkable, has a beach on the Bay, hooked up to SF by commuter bus, nice community.