Moving to San Francisco - Need housing advice

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by boulder2015

Ruth has not lived in the east bay for many years, so her info on certain topics is not reliable. Fremont is a mess, too, in terms of parking and the lot is full by 630 am.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/patch.c...-parking-spots

Ruth spends several weeks in Fremont every year, and parks at BART on a regular basis when she's there. Practical experience is so much better than googled info, dontcha know?

[greenman123]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the replies. I was thinking I would get some automated email once a reply is posted and hence did not check the forum. I was pleasantly surprised to find 30 replies when I logged in today

I will go through the entire thread and reply with more questions, clarifications or just to say thanks

[boulder2015]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Ruth spends several weeks in Fremont every year, and parks at BART on a regular basis when she's there. Practical experience is so much better than googled info, dontcha know?

I also know people who do that commute on a daily basis and hate it, not just as a lark on vacation. Not just relying on google.

[greenman123]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

You need a car everywhere outside of SF and downtown Oakland. SF's public transit is such that IMO it is nice to have a car in most parts of the city, believe it or not. It's bad. There are not corner groceries everywhere, like in NYC, for example. But it's typically too hard to have a car in SF unless one is wealthy or has parking.

You definitely will have options outside of the top-tier neighborhoods at 2500 for a 1 bedroom. You can get advice once you say a) how long of a commute can you tolerate, b) what your space needs are - specifically, how large? What kind of quality - i.e. do you insist upon modern appliances and a renovated apartment, or can you tolerate a somewhat worn out place that is not perfect (that is, much of SF) c) what kind of a setting do you want? A high rise? Do you like bustling neighborhoods? Do you want to be in a low-rise neighborhood? d) what kind of weather do you want - can you tolerate a lot of fog and not much sun? Half the city is foggy much of the year.

Look on Apartmentlist and on Craigslist ffor ideas on what you can get. People here can tell you about neighborhoods, etc

a) I am okay for a commute of around 30-40 minutes
b) I prefer a renovated apartment, though I am can compromise if other amenities like restaurants, groceries, public transport etc are at a walkable distance. A size of around 700-800 sqft would be good.
c) I prefer a low-rise neighborhood. It would be great if I can safely go for walks around the neighborhood without much trouble. Other than that don't have much of a preference.
d) I don't mind foggy weather, in fact I like it back in India whenever the weather turns foggy. But I don't know how it will feel to have it throughout the year. I hope there will some sun at least around noon! Anyway, at least at this point of time I don't see a problem with foggy weather.

[greenman123]

Thanks @tikkasf , @Ruth4Truth - Richmond district looks promising .I will explore more apartments there.

[Chuck5000]

Fremont BART trains are jam-packed all year round. Parking gets easier at certain times of year, too, like summer. So a person who claims to spend a week or two in Fremont and know the BART situation based on that limited time frame is just wrong.

I think Fremont is good move for this. The total commute will be longer than 40 minutes. Walkable to transit will not be that easy to find anywhere outside of SF - so that should be the priority. Look for a decent walkable apartment in Fremont, Union City, etc. For the same amount of money in SF, the apartment will be much smaller and less nice. It's all about compromises. One will not be able to get the whole wish list.

Originally Posted by boulder2015

I also know people who do that commute on a daily basis and hate it, not just as a lark on vacation. Not just relying on google.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by boulder2015

I also know people who do that commute on a daily basis and hate it, not just as a lark on vacation. Not just relying on google.

THe topic wasn't about the nature of the commute. It was about the availability of parking. People who actually live in Fremont and use BART know that there's more to parking at the BART station than BART's own parking lot.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

Fremont BART trains are jam-packed all year round. Parking gets easier at certain times of year, too, like summer. So a person who claims to spend a week or two in Fremont and know the BART situation based on that limited time frame is just wrong.

Whew, it's a good thing no one here has claimed to only spend a week or two in Fremont each year in the summers! That really could be misleading!