Marin County lower income housing? (Not section 8) (San Rafael: neighborhood, living in)

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by jade408

I don't think the $2000 budget is super realistic as landlords generally want tenants to have 3x the rent for income, which leaves the OP closer to $1500 than $2000. And there are not many options with the OPs desired characteristics at that price.

This could be an issue. Landlords will want to see proof of employment. . Hopefully their credit rating is A-OK. The cheaper units will be in high demand, so the OP and spouse will have to have all their documents ready, and will have to watch the listings daily.

OP, if you're able to pull this off, let us know how things are working out, after you get settled in and have been living there awhile.

[Chuck5000]

Yeah, if a landlord gets 2 or more applicants for an apartment, and one earns 55k, and the others earn 80, 120, 150k or more, guess which applicants they will take? Hint: not the first ones to show up with the nicest smiles. (Well, maybe 5% of the time you get a sweetheart landlord like that....would you wait around for months hoping to meet that super-landlord?)

Multiple applicants are pretty common these days. Reason number 453 why this is crazy.....

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

Yeah, if a landlord gets 2 or more applicants for an apartment, and one earns 55k, and the others earn 80, 120, 150k or more, guess which applicants they will take? Hint: not the first ones to show up with the nicest smiles. (Well, maybe 5% of the time you get a sweetheart landlord like that....would you wait around for months hoping to meet that super-landlord?)

Multiple applicants are pretty common these days. Reason number 453 why this is crazy.....

True, I suppose. But Mill Valley, Strawberry, and around there aren't in such high demand as SF and the East Bay. There wouldn't be such stiff competition. They might get lucky. I think they're more likely to be competing for a 1-br with singles working in SF or around Marin, and some of those singles may be in the same income range as this couple. The high earners won't be looking for the cheapest units.

I'm curious to see how this story plays out.

[Chuck5000]

Mill Valley not in demand? You need to spend time here before you give advice like this - things have changed a lot. You should refrain.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

Mill Valley not in demand? You need to spend time here before you give advice like this - things have changed a lot. You should refrain.

I said not in as high demand as SF or the E Bay. The relative stability of rents in MV compared to the other booming areas around the Bay speaks loud and clear to that. Mill Valley used to have the highest rents outside of SF. Now the other regions have met or surpassed MV's rents. I spent part of last fall there, and got plenty of feedback on rents and the local demand, thanks, and I've been watching and comparing the rents there with rents elsewhere around the Bay for a few years, now.

[misscross]

Originally Posted by boulder2015

Youll need a car living in marin. It is not seattle.

100% correct. it was that way 20 years ago and still that way now.

[MountainHi]

If they live in MV and one of them works there, and the other gets a job in a location served by Golden Gate Transit, they won't need a car.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by MountainHi

If they live in MV and one of them works there, and the other gets a job in a location served by Golden Gate Transit, they won't need a car.

Golden Gate transit is a pretty mediocre bus service. The ""best" bus runs once every 25 minutes during the height of the commute. And every 30 minutes after 5.

At bare minimum, to have useful bus service, you need access to a line that runs from 6a-11p or 12a that runs at least every 15 minutes during peak times, and no worse than 20 minutes off-peak time 7 days a week.

It is not designed for people to rely on transit. It is so-called lifeline service. Only a 2-3 lines even run on the weekend. Commuter coverage is OK, but assumes you work roughly banker hours. And you don't have a backup if you miss the last bus. Most routes are commute only, and only run in the commute direction. AKA to SF in the AM and from SF in the PM.

A very crappy existence to be car-free.

If you need to rely on the bus in the Bay Area, it is Muni, AC Transit, VTA or nothing. SamTrans is better than GGT, but not by that much.

[MountainHi]

That makes sense, that the best schedules would be in the main commute direction. Still, if they live in MV, one could walk to work, the other could use the motorized bike to get to work. These people sound like they're used to getting by, used to making a tight situation work. We'll see how it all turns out.

[bornincali]

A coworker of mine has an electric bike he takes his daughter on. I think you guys may be underestimating these electric bikes. Pretty beastly machine-it can go 80 miles on a charge without even pedaling, but generally speaking you have the motor assist you on hills. He regularly goes from the bottom of marin county to San Rafael. It can tow groceries. He has a seat in the back for his daughter.


If the OP can find a place in mill valley and are working in marin county(or even SF, biking across the bridge and then taking MUNI), the electric bikes will be more than adequate. The most difficult part may be convincing a LL to take you, but it sounds like you have it all worked out. If someone worked in the city I'd estimate it would take them about a hour to get to the Golden Gate bridge Welcome center...but considering some peoples commutes in cars this would be much more pleasant(as with seattle, their are quite a few hills). I think they'd be living a lot better than the folks who, say, live in livermore and work in the bay...

And if they are riding the line and not eating out a bunch, that is great. Can't say the same for most Marin County folks as the area seems to have a large disposable income. Great for sideline gigs-however. They can likely make things work if they are ok with living in a place that is pretty car-centric.

I wish I can give a good review for Marin City-the situation there is very sad. I agree with the OP's thoughts on the place.

OP, feel free to pm me with any targeted questions. My situation is a bit different, but I do live in very South Marin County.