How on earth do any young people afford San Fran? (San Jose: rental market, houses)

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by jade408

It has gotten infinitely worse in the last 2 years in SF. And the other urban parts of the region. There are multiple locations with tent encampments where the tents are in the dozens. Most freeway ramps here in Oakland have people asking for money. In locations that it would have been impossible to imagine that happening 5 years ago (read fancier parts of town). Being in the suburbs you are more sheltered from this reality.

I don’t want to get into this discussion, since we already have a zillion-page thread on the issue; but I’m still quite familiar with the city, and it has always been a matter of which neighborhoods you’re visiting. When I lived in SF, I was pretty far removed from the issues downtown - and in our corners (lived in Silver Terrace & Lake Merced areas) it was and still isn’t like you describe.

Oh, and I’ve only been in the suburbs for less than two years... I left SF in 2011, but lived in San Jose for 6 years after that. Not that it matters if we’re discussing SF, just saying I was living in “urban” surroundings until recently.

[likealady]

Omg, if you were living in Lake Merced you may as well been living in the suburbs anyway. San Jose pretty much feels like a suburb too.

[SyCo]

I live in between Bayview and Silver Terrace right now. My studio is in backyard and I'd say it's worth it for $1250 a month. I have a city job as a clerk while my girlfriend is an after-school teacher. We manage pretty comfortably and we've never had any issues with expenses. We just don't have the luxury of traveling 5 times a year or go to $40/plate restaurants every night like other young professionals. I just wish I had a bit more free time so I can sneak in another class or two(I can only take 3 classes[1 online])a semester.

[ssmaster]

In order to live a middle class or upper middle class lifestyle in the urban core of the Bay Area you need at least one of these.

Skills or education that pay you a lucrative salary
Family money
Some investments that have paid off handsomely


And you are competing against people who have all three these
Being in your 40s and renting is not an middle class lifestyle

[john3232]

Originally Posted by Rcsligar

I was looking at rents the other day and was completely taken aback by the prices. It was common to find one bedrooms for more than $3000, about five times the rent I can find in smaller cities where I live. Unless you're in a strong tech field with a six figure income; I'm not sure how you'd survive in that city. It's a good deal more expensive than Seattle even, which I was priced out of. There are lots of young people in San Francisco so obviously people are doing it, I'm just not sure how. Maybe if you cram a bunch of people in a small space, I'm not sure. For those under 28-30, how do you do it?

They search for a rental home like mine in the Sunset which has three bedrooms. There is also a large living room and dining room. Six to eight people end up occupying the house. If a living or dining room has enough light it can be consider a bedroom.

All the current rental laws favor tenants. If three names are on the lease yet the tenants decide they need to add more roommates to pay the rent they can. Never mind any additional wear and tear on the property. The owner can do little to prevent additional renters from moving in except in the case of a potential fire hazard.

Home values have never been higher in SF so I'm getting out next year. I don't need the hassles of owning renal property in SF. I'm only making a fortune in rental income because of Prop. 13. Who knows how long Prop. 13 is going to last especially if the Costa-Hawkins laws gets repelled this Nov.

My SF rental was for years consider to be my cash cow now it's a headache. Sell it and do a 1031 exchange. I can get roughly the same income with three rentals in AZ and forgo all the SF drama.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by likealady

Omg, if you were living in Lake Merced you may as well been living in the suburbs anyway. San Jose pretty much feels like a suburb too.

That was my point, lol... that when people talk about San Francisco, they forget about what exists beyond downtown! So many neighborhoods are still very livable, and gloriously poop-free.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by ssmaster

And you are competing against people who have all three these
Being in your 40s and renting is not an middle class lifestyle

It is if one chooses to rent (as many of us in our 40’s do) - and I don’t agree that you must OWN a home to be considered middle class. If you earn the equivalent of a middle-class salary, and aren’t using it all on debts, then that’s what you are.

[JJonesIII]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Yes, I’m implying exactly what I said - which is that a native, or someone who grew up here, is MORE likely to stick it out despite the negatives. That’s true of any place, I would imagine. So what exactly is your issue with that statement?

Yes, let's continue on with the idiocy of your statement. You don't even live here and yet you say "us natives". That's interesting and a strange definition of natives.

On top of that, did it ever occur to you that a "native" probably doesn't put up with the cost of living (had you read my other response, you would have known that). I think it's fair to say that a large percentage of natives are home owners or live in rent controlled apartments so they are paying substantially less than the people the OP is referring to and hence not experiencing the COL they are....DUH!

Need me to explain anything else to you?

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by JJonesIII

Yes, let's continue on with the idiocy of your statement. You don't even live here and yet you say "us natives". That's interesting and a strange definition of natives.

On top of that, did it ever occur to you that a "native" probably doesn't put up with the cost of living (had you read my other response, you would have known that). I think it's fair to say that a large percentage of natives are home owners or live in rent controlled apartments so they are paying substantially less than the people the OP is referring to and hence not experiencing the COL they are....DUH!

Need me to explain anything else to you?

No, you just need to stop being such a jerk to me - but I’ve already lost hope on that.

Before I officially ignore you, I’ll just say that I thought we were discussing the San Francisco AREA; and since I grew up 12 miles from the city, that pretty much qualifies. Now bye-bye.

[JJonesIII]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

No, you just need to stop being such a jerk to me - but I’ve already lost hope on that.

Before I officially ignore you, I’ll just say that I thought we were discussing the San Francisco AREA; and since I grew up 12 miles from the city, that pretty much qualifies. Now bye-bye.

Uh, the original title..."How on earth do any young people afford San Fran?". You might as well ignore me since you like to dodge comments. Yeah, places change a bit in 7 years. If you lived here, you'd know that.